The Washington herald., 1916-10-27
A GREAT FIGURE.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY

The young American who used 10 DC
a secretary to one OF the great hgures
in the world, European statesman dead
now a few years, was evidently proud
of the association. He talked about II
at the dinner table Of some American
friends in Berlin and he talked to me
about II afterward. The funny thing
about him was that he wasn't happy
success. fame, money, a fine family
plenty OF admirers and friends. And yet.
while | was with him at the end OF
his career, when he had apparently won
out all along the line, l doubt If he had
one moments happiness"
What do you think the explanation
was?" / asked.
"Ah, I've thought of that many times.
In the first place. he had ruined his
health by overwork. AS a young man, he
told me, he had been very ambitious.
He denied himself the sleep he needed
so that he should have more time to
study in. AS he grew older he lost the
capacity to sleep more than two or three
hours at night. Often he'd call for one
OF the secretaries at four o'clock in the
morning to read to him or 10 take dicta-
ton. lie always had at least three sec
retaries and sometimes he'd have as
many as seven. He was very lenient
with Us and a couple Of hours work in
the early morning would mean release
Tor the rest OF the day"
What kind Of work would he do at
night" / asked.
He'd have newspapers and books read
to him and he'd dictate letters and ad-
dresses. He always had things to do. He
used to worry because he was always
behindhand. But If he had caught up and
found himself a little leisure I believe
he would have been frightened and he
would have invented something to do.
4p al Ia
was so short, and yet I believe he was
glad when II was over. After studying
him pretty closely for a couple Of years
l decided that with him work was a
| disease. Later I began to think it was
| only the symptom Of a disease. The
disease itself lay deeper"
! began TO be very much interested in
the case and in this philosophers point
Of view. wondered how that great
man would have felt II he had known
he was daily under this searching scru-
tiny.
What was the disease? I asked.
1t was fear Of him. 1t made him
afraid to be alone with his own thoughts
| He worked to get away from himself
! once read him that little story by Anatole
! France about the rich man who was told
| he cOulG be happy If he'd only put on
| the shirt of some happy man. After
| searching for a happy man, he found
one in a poor peasant who didn't have
any shirt"
The talk ceased for a moment while
We smiled over this reference He liked
| that story very much and q few DAYS
| later he made me read II aloud to him
| again. The second time he made a queer
| remark. He said: The trouble with US
! is that we do things from mixed mo-
tives."
| Didn't he enjoy his success at all?" l
| said, TO start the talk going again.
"Oh. yes. But, somehow, he didn't en-
| Joy II in a healthy way. He enjoyed II
| through his vanity. Do you see what
mean? II was a surface kind OF en-
| toyment There wasn't anything really
| deep about II that I could see"
! But how about the good he did? He
! ''7''s' nave done a great deal OF good in
his life. Didn't 1t give him Satisfaction
so, He never spoke OF II or did any
! thing To show he ever thought OF IT. Bun
| he often spoke Of the ingratitude OF the
| people he worked for. He said that al
! any time they were likely to turn aEainS,
him ! used 10 think sometimes that he
| actually hated the people. His bitter.
ness when he talked about them was
really terrible and II was so personal
too, all relating TO himself " Say" th'
IVoi~e grew more confidential have you
ever thought what queer mixtures pooul,
are lfIIdh~ lDal tAHldlnt inc IeInaT y
about our doing things from mixed mo
| tives. Well. he was the queerest mix
ture OF greatness and meanness ! sup
pose lot OF great people are like that
And that's why no man is hero TO hii
valet. But he was a hero 10 me II
spite Of his faults. I used 10 admire hin
immensely as he would sit bark in hi
chair or lie in bed and dictate thos,
wonderful addresses and letters Of his
Z =
then. I'd say TO myself: Here's III
real man. HcIe's the man the world ad
mires.' Then he'd stop dictating an
the rest Of the time Well. he was prett,
irritable. I guess It was hi nerves an,
not having enough sleep. He often seem
Cd like mean little shrimp and ia act
ually hate him. But on the whole. huJ
do you suppose l felt? II seems funny 70
a nobody like me to say it about a grca
man like him. But ! used To pity him
said I thought I could understand
The great man had paid dear for hi
| greatness
The trouble was he wasn't grea
enough TO support It. How often ~
smiled at the eulogies Of him in the news
papers and in books. He's held up as a
! example for the children to imitat,
Great as he was I should hate TO hav
any children Of mine lead a life ik
his. If people really understood him the
would change some Of their ideas abOu
greatness"