The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-07-05
BY HORTENSE SAUNDERS

by HUN l. Elm DE ohC~NOGAeS
BIZ NEA SerUfce
WILMINGTON, Del, July S.
Within a radius of dozen or so
miles from Wilmington lives the
most interesting tamily-or family
of families-in America.
It's the du Pont family, about
100 strong.
Poor relations being inevitable,
there may be some du Points in
Delaware, who struggle along on a
few hundred thousands, but the
feeling in Delaware is that a du
Point. unless he is a minor, scarce
ly can be excused from the family
obligation to have a six-f1gure bank
account.
plain as Old Shoes"
Nevertheless, the du Points are as
plain as old shoes, in the words OF
the head of the Wilmington Cham
Der of Commerce.
They are used to their money, and
Delaware is used to it, so everybody,
including the du Points, just forgets
about it.
They wear their old clothes when
they feel like it, they drive their
own cars, go by their first names:
Whenever the community needs
anything, the du Points generally
provide it. With their property and
industrial wealth running far into
the hundreds of millions, they con-
stitute the nearest approach to a
feudal unit of any family in the
country.
They avoid all obvious manifesto
lions of affluence. They don't play
polo, don't crash Newport, don't
gamble at Monte Carlo, don't COM
pete in building private palaces.
All Like to Work
The du Points apparently like to
work. The sons go to college, usu-
ally a technical school, then come
home and work up in the family
business-E. l.. du Pont-de Nemours
g. Co., one of the largest corpora
lions in the world.
The daughters go away to scnool
but come back to Wilmington te
marry-usually to marry men II
the du Point Company. Often they
marry poor men.
You get vivid impressions OF the
du Points if you drive out Kennare
pike, which runs from the du Pom
Hotel in Wilmington to Longwood
the estate of Pierre S. du Pont, JUS
over the State line in Pennsylvania
This estate contains one OF thu
finest Conservatives in the country
open to the public. Any one WHIT
so wishes can revel in the color ane
fragrance.
Hospitals Are Helped
Twice a, month, on Sunday after
Moons, pipe organ concerts are givel
in an underground theater at TIT
estate. Proceeds Of a small admis
sion fee 90 to Wilmington's thre'
hospitals.
AS you travel along the Kennart
Pike YOU will find du Points to tn
right of you and du Points to tn
left of you.
The du Pcnts live In glorified farm
houses. You see old homes tina
have sprouted new additions ant
wings. You see old-fashioned fiowe
gardens such as woman OF rathe
simple tastes rather than a profes
sional landscape gardener woul'
covet. The doors of the house d
not suggest the presence of a stiff
necked butler.
| Right at the edge of Wilmington
lives Lammot lu Pont. He Is presi
dent of E. I. du Pont de Nemours &
Co. He is young for such position
and is serious-looking. It's nothinI
surprising, however, to see him fuss
ing with his own car in the drive
way of his home.
In an unobtrusive house adjoining
I,an1naot du Points residence live
Felix. and next to Felix lives Ernest
Their farms are almost prosaic.
| So it is that the homes of the d.
Points are scattered about the coun
tryside. 1t would take days to Sc
them all.
They are homes that grew out o
powder and dynamite. Thomas JET
ferson really laid their foundations
| for it was Jefferson who first sug
gested to Eleuthere Irenee du Pom
de Nemours, founder of the com
pany that bears his name, that h
go into the powder-nanufact urinl
business. away back In 1904.