The sun., 1919-10-26
Leading Business Men of the Greatest
Nations Work Out Problems of
Immense Importance to Fu.
ture Generations.

the sweat OF the brow ana hence COM
paratively theoretic and academic per-
sons, didn't arrive on the scene until
the business mon had got the courses
well charted in the middle OF the week.
bankers Actually Wait.
In the end the decisions of the bank
ers will be of vital Importance, but
they cannot make these decisions until
tie men who make the goods, the real
men OF the conference, have given
them their premises. Hence it was
that all through the first part OF the
week Schneider of the Creusot works
Bedford of the Standard Oil, Baille
John King of the Glasgow foundries.
Hankar OF the Belgian savings banks.
Mylius OF the Italian cotton spinners
and weavers have been talking as in
timately of prices and discounts and
prospects of production as would any
luncheon table of seven branched
lights of the ladies clothing trade in
the Cafe Lafayette in Ninth street.
Between times they walk the board
walk buy souvenirs, such as Indian
moccasins from Trenton and burnt
wood from the Lord knows where, and
listen with a grin to the way the
negro bellboys of the Traymore massa-
ere their names.
And the butchery of the bell boys
upon names that might have decorated
the song of the twelfth century trou-
badour is by no means the least sig
nificant indication of this conference.
It indicates a frightful handicap un-
der which the mental Drawn Of these
United States labors here, even as IT
labored at the peace conference and
at almost every other conference in
which in these new days the real
America as distinguished from the
tourist has met Europe.
Every man OF the foreign delega-
tions speaks easy II not fluent Eng
lish. Half a dozen OF the British mis-
sion speak as good French and some
Of them speak Italian. But the men
of our own committees who can say
more than good day in any but their
native tongue could be counted on
| not all Of the fingers of one hand. The
American business man, according TO
his guests, has shown no ineptitude
| for the new problems of international
trade and banking which have been
thrust upon him, provided they We're
translated into his own lingual terms.
But most of them still maintain deep
within them that attitude OF the old
fashioned days when every one wore
suspenders and had a brass turtle
which opened on the parlor floor with
regard to the American linguist. In
those days 1t was commonly accepted
that the man who spoke French was
a bit of a sissy.
II is hopeful that this belief is no
longer expressed Contrary tendencies,
even, may be observed. Just the other
day Ed Hurley, eX-brakeman, two
listed iron worker and creator Of the
merchant fleet, was heard TO pucker
his grim mouth into a mighty respect
able Bon Jour" which could be heard
through half the extent Of the Tray
mores submarine grill.
HI" muttered a hard fisted in
dividual at another table, III Eds
speakin' Francay I'll have to look It
up myself. And won't my wife laugh! "
Under such circumstances 1t 10 per-
haps fortunate that America is the
sought after and not the seeker.
There Is no lack of capable transla-
tors, but, honestly, they don't supply
that keen contact OF mind on mind
through which alone business works,
! from the sale OF a barrel OF apples to
the purchase OF the concessions for
a continent
Generally the atmosphere developed
by the conference has bssu, unsxpect-