The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-14

written personal recollections
which cannot fail to hold the
close interest Of the reader from
start to finish. Not only has
Mr.. Strausl an extraordinary In
teresting life to relate. but he
tells It in literary and readable
style with which little, If any.
fault can be found.
Starting with his very early
childhood In otterberg, Bavaria.
he takes the narrative to the
Georgia that lived before the civil
war. There his father settled
down with his family to make .
living In the new country. first
- an itinerant peddler, that 50
necessary. person Of the days OF
big plantations and few towns.
Mr.. Strauss goes quickly through
his schooling, and his four years
Of academic work at Columbia,
lculminating In the decision to
study law, his then immature and
Adealistic mind recoiling from the
idea OF a business career as
s.rnoney-making" solely, and he
did not want to devote his life
TO chat. Accordingly he studied
law and began its. practice in
New York, albeit with q strong
inclination all the time to put in
his time writing verse. which he
lid occasionally.
ItsWas not many. months before
young Strauss and his partner, In
one case took down q $4,000 Zee.
Ask any young lawyer how he re-
CARDS his chances Of getting tee
Of such swollen proportions out
Of one case, or out Of couple Of
years. work. and he win laugh in
your FACET he doesn't cry.
In spite OF his brilliant start.
young straus had to give up the
NV, aa he threw himself into it
too hard. imperilfng his not too
robust health. Thereupon he
entered business with his father
and brother, after a vacation Of
some months duration.
Naturally, much OF the book IL
devoted to the work Mr.. Stratus
did in . public way. His activity
ii the Cleveland fight brought
him. quite unsolicited, the post Of
American envoy to Turkey. POI
sition for which he was warmly
recommended by able and promi-
nant men Of all creeds, notably
Henry Ward Beecher.
The picture drawn OF the Tur.
key Of CIeveland's administration
Is . gem in itself-hoW his first
audience with Abdul Hamid was
put of and off, solely to impress
upon him the might and majesty
of this isolated ruler, whose sue
cessors Of late have been so
rudely thrown out Of power,
forced even to forsake their wives.
The mixture Of formality and
eanlaraderie in the first Turkish
mission is set forth In an able
chapter eliminating with the Sui
tan's graceful parting gift to Mrs.
Stratus.
Strauss went to Turkey the Sec
ond time when the minister there,
DR.. Angel, could do nothing with
q situation which was steadily
growing worse. This time he
was appointed by the Republican
President Mckinley, and another
engrossing chapter is devoted to
his second mission to Turkey.
Straus was not allowed to keep
at the humber but more lucrative
business Of being private citizen
very long. His services as a
member Of The Hague tribunal,
and the constant demands for
counsel McKinley's successor.
Theodore Roosevelt. put upon
him took much Of his time.
Industrial diplomacy" gets a
chapter from Mr.. Straus. His
nany-sided life included this
work, too. his best-remembered
service being as chairmap of the
New York public service COM
mission, and the industrial con-
ference OF 1919-1920, of which he
was q member.
Finally, giving up all hope OF
ever being able to attend to his
business affairs, Mr.. Straus re.
tired from private life permanent
ly when he entered the Roosevelt
Cabinet as Secretary OF Commerce
and Labor-the two departments
were one then.
Accounts of his personal and
official relations with Roosevelt
are as Illuminating and delightful
as Franklin Lanes opening of
the shut door of the Wilson
Cabinet room, and without the
disillusionment which Lane ex-
perienced at the end. Like nearly
everyone who was closely asso.
ciated with Mr.. Roosevelt, Mr..
Straus had unbounded love and
admiration for the man which
never wavered.
Taft thought Straus could best