Evening star., 1920-01-18
HE Rambler began this series
Of narratives by tracing the
history of the w. w. Corcoran

her OF Connecticut avenue and III
street, and which is soon to give
place to a splendid buiidirg to be
erected by and for the United States
Chamber Of Commerce. In following
and developing the subject the
Rambler naturally. and, he believes,
logically. entered upon review of
the life of w. w. Corcoran.
For more than half q century there
was no man In Washington more
prominent than Mr.. Corcoran. Ut
would probably be fair to write that
during the long period in which Mr..
Corcoran was engaged in big busi-
ness and in philanthropy on an ex-
tensive scale no other man in Wash :
fngton was as prominent as Mr.. Cor
cOran. IL we allow reason to guide
us in our definition OF the word
prominent" Few men of Washing
ton. whose souls ascended to the skies
as long ago as Mr.. Corcoran's are
held In as grateful remembrance Ev-
erybody in the old Washington-the
quiet. comfortable, easy-going Old
city which we fondly recall-knew
Mr.. Corcoran by sight. The per-
centage of Washington people who
knew him well enough to chat with
him on the street, or who knew
him personally" as the saying goes,
was very large. The number of peo-
pie who knew. him well enough to
call on him at his home also was
large. Though Mr.. Corcoran, for at
least fifty years, moved i'm what are
called the '''most exclusive circles"
he also moved in wide and long
orbit among those of our people who
made stronger point of their re-
spectability than of their exclusive
ness. Aristocratic persons were sin
cere friends and intimate companions
OF Mr.. Corcoran, but he never lost
touch with the plain people who rode
in the Vanderwerken nmnibuses or
the horse cars instead Of in a private
carriage.
Ihere was period In Mr.. Corco-
rams life when he was not a rich man
ana, OF course. during that time his
friends were not rich people. Many of
tnem We're Of that kind which the
world calls humble" because thew
were not high in public office, nor in
the learned professions nor in that
curious and shifting little world called
society'-which 10 little world
where dwell q lot of people who.
under their velvets. furs and satins
ana behind their lorgnettes, are very
much like you and me. They are
people whose hearts and impulses are
good, quick to embrace a good cause
or to take hold of charity. often
frcer with their money than their
means warrant and also pretty well
endowed with those little vanities
and frailties common to us all.
Well. when the higher society OF
OLD Washington accepted Mr.. Cor
coran he never forgot his earlier
friendships. The society Of the old
Warrington was not as free going
ana a. easy to get into as what we
cali Society today. The aristocracy
of the old Washington was benevo-
lent IL you approached 1t with n
proper degree Of Difference. hut It
could be austere and stiff 1t admitted
Mr.. Corcoran because 1t had to, and
soon laid claim to him as one of the
hOnOred members Of it's most exelu-
sive set. Mr.. Corcoran was q natural
arfstocrat. using that wsrd In it's best
sense. He was well educated, and
above that he was q man of high in
telligence. Good feeling was born In
him and his manners were always
FAIR with q good measure of suavity
thrown In. He could be abrupt when
the occasion seemed to warrant.
When he began to make money he
made It fast by bold Ctrokes. He took
some big chances. which "conserva-
tive" business men of his generation
shrank from, and he won. He did not
accumulate money by the pinch. save
ana hoard process which is the proc
ess by which most people build up a
competency or fortune. Making his
fortune by big ventures that termed
out happily, spending money freely
and giving it 10 causes that touched
him, he never got that reputation for
miseriy closeness and meanness which
still hangs to the memories of many
OF the rich men Of tho old Washins-
TON. The Rambler could easily write
down the names of these men, but he
never means to do It, If he should
write Of these men he will nc int out