The Washington times., 1920-07-24

horScS raced ana MS tlIuo anu
money were spent. The world re-
views "a great American family"
The FIRST generation. headed by
Commodore Vanderbilt. started on
the road to wealth from a small
rowboat with a Vanderbilt at the
oars, via great railroads, with a
Vanderbilt as president and stock
manipulation.
The second generation, under
William H., saw the Vanderbilts
very rich and getting richer. 1t
had great houses to which mo
body" came. II comforted itself
with the knowledge that in Maud 8.
1t had the worlds greatest trotter
and In banks and stocks the
worlds greatest fortune.
With the third generation, that
OF the man just dead, the Wander
bilts came into society" At last
somebody" came to the big houses.
A footman sat beside the coachman
when the carriage went out. In
stead of a maid neatly dressed, a
footman with powdered hair and
silk-covered calves opened the
door.
In that third generation the Van
derbilt fortune was divided among
eight children of William H. 1t
could stand division. The two old
est sons. Cornelius and William X.
got one hundred millions each at
least, and others another hundred
millions among them.
That so far is the Vanderbilt
history. Power seemed to die
away in the third generation.
American racing, yachting, $50
ciety" became tiresome, once
achieved. Vanderbilt went abroad,
where racing and society are more
thoroughly understood and or
ganized.
The Vanderbilt fortune, once
the greatest, is now one of the
comfortable" large fortunes. All
the Vanderbilts combined, includ
ing collateral branches, have per-
haps one billion-not very much
in our day.
The real money makers have
come up since old Vanderbilt
charged a few pennies for rowing
you in his little boat from Staten
Island to New York.
w. X. was the richest Wander
bilt. John D. Rockefeller could
buy his total fortune every year
with part of his annual income and
have enough left to buy up the
next richest Vanderbilt.
Henry Ford, in his machine
shop, earns enough money to buy
the richest Vanderbilt about once
a year. Henry Ford was mepding
bicycles when William K. was de-
Gliding that Paris was the place
for a gentleman" to slive and
spend money. "s,'~
The life of the dead man was
perfectly respectable. He did only
what he had the right to do. His
money and time under our laws
were his own, to be disposed of
as he thought fit. Among the
great kings of money history will
place him, probably, among the
rois fainennts-idle kings that
took little pleasure in power or the
exercise of it.
He lived preferably in the back
ground-disliked attention. One
day at Monte Carlo many years
ago, having placed and won the
highest bet allowed, twelve thou
sand francs, the croupier, think
ing Mr.. Vanderbilt had overlooked
the bet, called out his name, a vio-
lation of gambling house etiquette.
Thus pointed out to the crowd of
gamblers, swindlers, idlers, and
parasites, Vanderbilt hurried away,
leaving the twenty-four thousand
francs to anybody that chose to
take the money. Thereupon, James
Gordon Bennett, less sensitive, said
to the croupier: "The money is
mine" LA masse est a moi), gath
cred up the bank notes and golden
louis, found Vanderbilt in the
crowd, and gave the money to him.
The death of the chief Wander
bilt is interesting because it en-
ables you to study the course of
great wealth in this republic as it
passes from generation to genera
ton. You observe that it is not
dangerous. 1t began in intense en-
ergy-useful building, transporta-
ton development, necessary to all
OF the country. 1t dwindled into
quiet, colorless conservatism, per-
fectly willing to let government
and everything else alone in re-
turn for a quiet life, with a good
valet, good cook, good yacht, and
good race horses.
Power controls men and govern
ments. Money is power. Gigantic
fortunes running to the billions
might disturb the balance of demo-
cratic government. But from Mr..
Vanderbilt you learn that the dan
ger seems not immediate.
The man with qualities that ac-
cumulates a great fortune in our
day appears to have little power
or desire in other directions. 81
lie and / possess; let me Sleep"
A L IL.