Evening star., 1926-05-25
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
!. G.. M.
THE LIFE OF ELBERT Fl. GARY,
Ida NJ. Tarbell. -. Appleton q co.

The life of Elbert Fl. Gary runs
alongside the rise and swift growth
of modern industry in America. The
public service of Judge Gary Is that
of pioneer in the most criticai
period of this suddenly expanding
business activity and opportunity
Therefore, the essential story or the
man himself proves 10 be also the
story of salient and vital turning
points In the phenomenal industrial
development Of the past 80 years in
this country. Such merger of any
markedly influential man with MS
times gives to passing events them
selves the invaluable content OF hu-
man motive and purpose and action.
This human content of anairs Is
necessary to any adequate compre'
hension of those affairs or Of the di-
recting forces within them. The lden'
tificatiOn between individual service
and general progress insures to that
immediate history which these current
events so soon become the direct les
son and experienced guidance that
represent the supreme aim of all MIS-
tory. A Geographic study of this kind
projects character itself in its success
sive stands before issues that concern
LuC UOuy VI CONupOSItS tHda
indeed, constitute that life. And, har-
ring those enfeebling attitudes before
it that are of pious and sentimental
origin. character is beyond question
the vital essence Of man as an indi.
vidual and of men as peoples.
Tn the study of Judge Gary's career.
Miss Tarbell makes use of this more
useful biogrs phic method. doing away
completely with the mere chronology
that used to md for the study of a
life. Not the clock ticking off the
years Of man serves here. Rather
is the record made ny way Of the
motivating brain and the impelling
heart beat.
supports this definitely personal study
of character expressing itself through
the demands of life upon it. In part
this background deals with those DO
tent blood strains which in every ina n
set the drift of individual feelings
and thoughts, predisposing toward
this course or away from that one.
In other part the background defines
the externals of the Elbert Fl. Gary
situation. These include, broadly, the
active Western movement of IS years
ago. More specifically they point upon
little settlement in northern Illinois
where the Gary caravan rested, where
the Gary family settled. When Elbert
Gary was but year old, the first
miles OF railroad west of Chi.
ca2O was built. line that touched
the Gary land holdings. and that had
no little to do in the subsequent
affairs Of the Gary family Soon the
widening grain fields Of the fecund
prairie soil called for more railroads,
more canals, a speeding up Of river
navigation. Iron and coal crept nut
from their deep hiding places to fire
host of new furnaces. to provide
locomotives and rails and farm ma
chinery. A period of great waking .ur
in this near out West. Such was the
early setting. In it's midst, the youth
A boy of Puritan stock into whose
blood had gone the industry and thrift
that the lean and reluctant hills OF
New England had engendered in the
ancestry of Elbert Gary. A fair
dealing youngster who loved work o.
other boys love play. leaping into II
as the joyous swimmer from some
high point cIeaves the waters below
q
50 continues to the end. 1t il plain
that the author is in deep sympathy
with her theme. A once the reader,
too. becomes absorbed. But soon little
fears run out to meet this reader. Ii
It possible that this young man In to
De denatured to the state of an i'm.
possible perfection that has 80, MANY
times defeated the influence of heroes
OF history? A real fear-but, happily
a groundless one. For after about 81
pages of superexcellence put off on
young Gary the author squares the
deal by fronting her hero upon a real
knock down fight with his fists. The
reader feels better. pursuing there
after way that for Elbert Gary has
many fight. many an exciting en-.
counter with forces as fierce. as in.
genious, aggressive. vindictive and i'm
placable as human nature can invent
The pace once set the story spreads
rapidly and absorbingly to meet the
period Of big business" to the rise
of the trust" The latter kind of
juggernaut. or so. it seemed to people
Of small affairs. grinding over lesser
industries, sweeping them into its all
including NAV. This was the day of
the business pirate and buccaneer,
identical i'm spirit with the old law
less rovers of the sea. In the midst
of this orgy of great industrial combi-
nations acquired by force, promoted
without ruth. maintained in defiance
of moral and statutory law. there
moved a Young lawyer, who had deep
ly interested himself in corporate law
and in the business of corpora tions.
M n Tn ho
as he saw it working
around him. but as he saw il in a
vision that embodied his ideal Of this
instrument OF great business under
takings. To think Of this young man.
a great population coupled with enor.
nous production. with increasing tech.
nical difficulties in meeting promptly
a thousand scientific discoveries ap-
piled to industry-this called for the
economies and the increased efficiency
of the business corporation. Not. how.
ever. for this instrumentality as he
saw IL working around him. Not a
loose aggregation of parts urged into
feverish operation by brute force an.i
often in disregard Of the best inter
ests of life itself. Not this. Rather a
genuine integration of the allied ele-
ments and factorSs that constitute a
great general business-all the parts
in natural alliance: each contribut-
ing it's Office promptly at the right
point of need; all interdependent. the
health and efficiency of the whole
resting upon the health and efficiency
of each part. Indeed, the ideal corpo-
ration was to be an orga nism. as the
human body is an organism. In such
an integration the health of both capi-
tai and labor must in every respect
be maintained at a high level in order
that the great public, in whose inter-
est this organism functions. may be
best served. Through many years the
thoughts and efforts Of Judge Gary
ran something after this fashion. In
that time he served several corpora.
tions. Then he became. i'm effect the
United States Steel Corporation. Read