Evening journal., 1915-07-03
New News Of Yesterday
The Shortlived Fame of
Public Men
By Holland.

"In my single term in Congress-
which consisted of the first two years
of Gen. Grants first administration
had one lesson very impressiyely
taught TO me which I have never for
gotten" SO said the late Judge Moan
Davis, who for many years was justice
of the Supreme Court of New York
and who was a Judge before whom
William Nj. Tweed was tried, and also
Edward S. Stokes, who was prosecut-
ed for the murder of James FISK.
"The lesson is one which | think
every young man ought to have at
least some hint of. II is this-the
American public very speedily forgets
those who at one time were active In
public life and public service OF itself
is very ephemeral. There were a good
many men in Congress when / was
member and within a few years,
who. Notwithstanding they were much
talked about at the time. had been
completely forgotten. Mr.. Blaine was
about the only member OF Congress
in my term who maintained and after
ward increased his reputation and
whose name probably will not be for
gotten
Take the case of the Senate. Il was
made up of an unusually strong body
of men, some of them OF very great
intellectual ability. but only one or
two of them are now remembered
Public reputation is very shortlived
and only a few gain permanent fame.
! presume there is not one in thous-
and who can give a list of the Vice
Presidents. and cabinet officers are
forgotten as soon as their terms eX-
pire.
"I had perhaps brought home to me
most vividly the really short life in
public service of men who were deem
ed great at a time when I went TO
call upon my old friend, William II.
Seward, few days before he retired
from eight years service as Secretary
Of State. Mr.. Seward and had a very
pleasant chat and he assured me that
he should leave Washington with no
regrets and that he doubted whether
after his departure he should ever
, again visit the capital. He pointed Ia
, some pictures which hung upon the
walls and / saw In a moment that
they we're pictures Of some % the
great statesmen who we're In service
at the same time Mr.. Seward was
Secretary of State. II was an extra
. ordinary collection of pictures, but II
was with a sense OF sadness that
looked at them. | do not now recall
the names OF all of them, but | dc
know that with a single exception
not one of them was in power at the
time Mr. Seward was retiring from
! the Secretary Of States office, al
though all of them had been in power
at one time OF another during the
eight years of his service. There wal
a likeness of Isabella, Queen of Spain
There was a beautiful likeness o
Pope Plus TX but he had lost hi
:; entire temporary power There was
q splendid picture of Macmillan, prou
and triumphant. as he was about I
y enter upon his assumed power a
e Emperor of Mexico, and I called I
le mind the fact that he had been. a yes
~ or two later. shot by the Mexicans fC
& venturing to capture and subdt
n them.
THE only picture upon that wa
which showed the face Of the ma
who was in power when Mr. Sewar
N began his service as Secretary an
a who is still in service was that {
N Prince Gortschakoff, who was tn
Z real ruler and prime minister of Rus
n sia. Within eight years all thos
" whose pictures / saw upon the wa
q had either died or been compelled I
retire TO private life, with that singl
n exception. / went away from Mr.. Sew
n ards office thinking Of the brevity @
v human greatness"
,e Copyright, 1915, by r. ]. Edwards
. All rights reserved)