The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-11
DIES OF TEXAS.
He Has Made Good Use Of the "Rudi-
ments Of an English Education"


WASHINGTON. Feb 1o.---Martin Dies
Of the Second Texas Congress- dis
trict, bit Of landscape covering four
teen counties and not much larger than
some of the New England States, has
only this to say In the Congressional
Directory as to his schooling: RE-
ceived the rudiments of an English
education in the public schools Of
Texas" Then those public schools
seem to have taught Master Martin
n large quantity and excellent quality
OF English. history, economics and law
Dies was elected County Judge in
one Of his districts counties when he
was "a years old; District Attorney
OF the First judicial district OF his
State when no was 49, and ten years
later n Representative in Congress.
where he has been for ten years. A
fairly active political and official ca
reer for a man not yet 80.
without wanting TO detract from the
implied excellence and scope OF cduea-
tion offered by the public schools Of
that Dies, beyond his "rudiments Of
English" dug out his education by
feeding a healthy intellectual appetite
and a retentive memory with the con-
tents OF many books widely unlike the
books he read for his license to prac-
tise law.
This was conspicuously shown in
debate few sessions ago when q bill
was up to give Federal charter to
the American Academy OF Arts and
Letters. The bill was truculently OPP
posed by a few Southern members on
the ground that the academy was a
New York close corporation Of high
brows in which the South did not have
q fair representation OF eligibles. not
oven from those Southerners who had
become residents OF New York. The
offended members coaxed Dies to make
speech in opposition. Dies took up
a list OF the nifty would be Immor-
tails" as no called them, and remark
Ing that while the proponents Of the
bill might possibly be familiar with
the literary, artistic. or musical emil
nence Of the AcademiCians. 1--WE plain
people from the long grass know little
about them. What, for example" he
demanded In indignant tones, do we
main neonIe know about -" and
no mentioned on architect and nro-
ceedad 10 na,oe tho most noted OK
,rn,os ~ his or, .yyhat have We
cav hoor, - ." n,,,tno his.
torlan and commenting interestingly
on his notable contributions to Ameri-
ran biStorv Ana an on ,brough Tho
us,. disnlaviog surnris,rr ,au,,;ar-
NV with the works or Americas fore
MOS, artist, nov,,is+s noot, NAV
wr,cb,s
M. ,,i.. hr,,,;,,, Vt, ~ so,;ra di-
reotoa o,a,,st tho oo,,ooguas In vas
,unnossd N ho he,nirg nrovod IN he
,bs ,ost nor.,asiyo areu,,,,,, In ravor
-, tho hi, ,ho, r,os a75draesoa 70 In
,o,,,ga,t r,.r,hars ava rnro mora than
D,os .,,,,.od ,ho ,,ct tba, tho real
nurnosa ~ nis ,nooch ,os NOT under
900 h,, ,,oso Who had urSod hir, -
mako &, Thev were satisfied H.
Mar,,n h,a r,nnoa I'm thu y.nkecs
Dies slinn.d into tho c,oak room dur
ing tho ro;, cal, which nossed the hill
oxnlainipg 20 Tho rucb relieved NOM
hn, in rbarpa ~ tina hill who thank ed
him for the sneech 81 didn't dare 10
yoto ,or tho hi, rfI had some one
~ tho gentlemen who induced mo 70
maize tho sneech might have Embedded
his howie knife in nv midst"
His marty in the House never rave
Dies an important committee assign
ment his three committees being Rail-
WAYS and Canals. Claims and Reform
In the Civil Service. He is a noncon-
formist 10 the doctrines OF Democracy
most splendidlv represented by gentle
men who hold high places in the ad-
ministratiye branch of the Govern
ment and even more highly. though
unoff1cially. placed near the person OF
the Chief Executive, and who hail
from Austin, Tex, or thereabout
| This lack Of recognition in the House
organization never seemed 10 trouble
Dies; It gave him more leisure 10
browse among the shelves OF the Con-
gressional Library.
Speeches by Dies are frequently re-
ported or quoted from in news des-
patches: frequently, that Is, compared
members. yet relatively he is an In