The New York herald., 1922-10-08

to ask me for the incarnation of those
qualities we love to call American, I
should turn to the familiar gallery of
my memory and point to the living
| portrait that hangs there of Walter
Page. sort of foursquareness, blunt
| ness, it seemed toNsome; an uneasy,
| even explosive energy; disposition
| to underrate fine drawn nicenesses of
| all sorts: ingrained Yankee common
| sense checking his vaulting enthusi-
asm; enormous self confidence; impa-
tience of failure-an Of these were
in him; and he was besides affection
| ate to fault, devoted to his country.
his family. his craft-a strong. bluff.
tender man.
From Boston Page came to New York
and formed the partnership with Frank N.
Doubleday which developed into the sue
cessful and influential firm of Doubleday.
Page & Co. Mr.. Page established the
| Worlds Work. monthly periodical whose
prime function was, to use his own
words ito interpret the new impulse In
American life. the new feeling of national
| ity, our coming to realize ourselves; to
my mind there is greater promise in
democracy than men of any preceding
period ever dared dream of-agressive
democracy-growth by action"
For twelve years he devoted himself to
his publishing and editorial work and to
an equal amount of public work outside,
especially in the field of education. He
was an active member of the General Edu-
cation Board and was wrapped up in plans
and activities for the improvement of edu
cation and of agriculture in the South This
work required not only the kind of funda-
mental education in history. literature.
both modern and ancient, and philosophy
which Page had received as young man,
but it also demanded the exercise and de-
velopment of a statesmanlke grasp of
social and political problems. do not
suppose that many people outside of his
intimates regarded him as a statesman.
know 1 never thought of him states
man. 1 knew him; respected him; liked
him: admired him, but thought Of him
! simply as a gifted and influential member
of my own chosen trade-a journalist. I
| remember my feeling of surprise when in
the spring of 1913 it was announced that
he had been chosen by President Wilson to
| be Ambassador to Great Britain. So far
as 1 knew he had never held any political
office; he had never fulfilled any political
mission; he was ten times outspoken as
any diplomatist I had ever met. He was
"a strong, bluff, tender man." 1 thought
Of an Ambassador In terms of Gladstone,
Lord Palmerston, Lord Salisbury and Lord
Rosebery How was this combination of
Southern Righteousness and Yankee blunt
ness to get on at the Court of St James's?
Well, this book shows how he got on as
an Ambassador Theodore Roosevelt writ
ing on March 1. 1913 called him "the Am
bassador who has represented America in
London during these trying years as no
other Ambassador in London has ever
represented us with the exception of
Charles Francis Adams during the civil
war" The story Of Walter Pages Ambas-
sadorship is one Of the most human and
dramatic in diplomatic history. 1t proves
him to have been of Presidential timber.
Indeed. if he could have been President in
1912 and could have appointed Woodrow
Wilson as Ambassador to Great Britain 1t
would have been better for the country and
might have been better for the world For
his ideals were high Mr. Wilson'S;
his belief in democracy was as profound.
and he had far more vigor of initiative and
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