Evening journal., 1915-02-12
New News Of Yesterday
Why Abram Hewitt'S BIZ
ography Is Still Unwritten
BY Holland.

Several years after the death OF
Abram s. Hewitt, members OF his
family contemplated the preparation
and publication Of an authoritative
biography. A work of that kind pre-
pared by one who possessed literary
charm and who also was able to make
wise selection from abundant mater
ial would have constituted record Of
much Of American life, Industrial,
commercial and political, for more
than sixty years. Mr.. Hewitt left a
great mass OF materials. Painstak-
ing labor would have been inyolYed In
making appropriate selections from
IT, His correspondence was very
large and was carried on with many
OF the Intellectual forces OF his time
in all departments OF human activity
He was a master statistcian and
possessed the power OF extracting
from dry statistics the meaning that
lay behind them. His long service in
Congress: his chairmanship Cf tho
Democratic national committee in the
Presidential campaign of 1876, when
his New York city neighbor, Samuel
J. Tilden, was the Democratic Candi-
date for President, and his later
career as mayor of New York brought
him into very close touch with the
leading political forces Of the time.
His Grafton at the dedication Of the
brooklyn Bridge Is esteemed by the
best authorities as a classic.
On Mr. Hewitt's eightieth birthday
he said TO his wife that II there were
anything that she particularly want
ed she had only to make her wish
known and he would grant IL. In re-
ply. he was told that il was her wish
and ilat Of her family that he should
begin the preparation of his auto
biography.
81 win begin at once 10 write my
autobiography" Mr. Hewitt said, bu.
he procrnstinatod. putting off until
tomorrow and then again until the
next tomorrow even the preliminary
work necessary for work of that kind.
Yet all Who know Mr.. Hewitt well
were conident that he could, had he
put himself to it. have written an an-
photography thai would have become
"a classic. No other man could have
done that work as Mr.. Hewitt himself
would have done it,
a year or two later. it was beyond
The power of Mr.. Hewitt to write an
autobiography, as he had passed
away. Some of those who were IN
terested ia him and who had knowl-
edge OF. the desire OF his family, be-
gan TO look about. hoping that they
would ind some one competent in
every respect for this work. But
their search was a losing one, and so
at last IN despair they appealed to
Whitelaw Reid.
Mr. Reid knew much of the career
of Alr. Hewitt and was confident that
q complete biography of him would
be an invaluable work for the people
4 Of the United States. He was asked 90
! recommend just the right man 20
undertake this work. He gave the re-
/ quest careful consideration and at
/ last said. ~ think I have found just
/ the man competent for that work"
"Who is he?"
"TIo is Woodrow Wilson, president
OF Princeton University"
just at that time however. presi-
dent Wilson, OF Princeton. was ven-
turing into the higher field of State
and National politics, and il is prob
able that for that reason he could not
undertake a work which had he re-
manned an educator he would have
gladly assumed.
Copyright. 1915. by T.. ]. Edwards