Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-26
A Modern Ben Franklin

| inch taller than Secretary Hughes when
the latter came to Paris some years ago.
The games which he had no time to
play when he was young occupied much
| of his time in Paris. He wired back
congratulations when Ohio Wesleyan
finished a brilliant season. He opened
every new golf course near Paris.
played frequently himself, and won"
! the Diplomatic Tournament by play
| ing around when his opponent de-
faulted.
His figure, ideally suited to the game.
and his rough sweater and homespuns.
we're familiar to all golfers in the vi
cinity of Paris. His hands and face
were Drowned and his hair had sort
Of sun-curled RIGHTEOUSNESS which broke
out on the most incongruous occasions.
Ambassador Herrick's reception room
at the Chancellery was fascinating
everything was evidenced by the va
riety of books ranged across the great
fat-topped desk-financial tones on
the Dawes plan, Belmonts National
Isolation an Illusion" Oswald Chew's
France" and Thwings THE Ameri-
can and the German University"
To the right of the desk was the
massive marble mantelpiece, with its
tall black wrought-iron candelabra at
each end. Against the white vain
scoting at either side there were two
portraits in plain oak frames, one Of
Lindbergh in 1927. the other OF Theo-
dore Roosevelt. taken at the American
Ambassy. Paris, in 1910. To the left
of the desk hung Frsnklin's letter to
the Count de Vergennes in 1776 crav-
ing his excellencyS permission for him
SELF Deane and Lee to present their
credentials as the first diplomatists from
the American colonies to the Court of
Louis XVI.
Had Wide Interests.
Herrick's interests touched every
phase of national and international life
Among his favorite pictures were COL
lection of photographs from Tom y.
Campbell's huge farm, the second larg-
est in the world. in Hardin, Mont. Pic
ture drawing. by the way, so far as the
art OF cartoonist went. was one of the
Ambassadors chief amusements. At
the Chateau de Madrid he would spend
the time between courses making draw
ings OF characters at neighboring ia
bles. He would do admirable carica-
lures of his colleagues and then. with
sigh. tear them up so that the Secret
Service might not find them.
Trust-breaking was not one of his
complishment as Governor Of Ohio was
his undemonstrative reform of the pris-
ons. When q boy he had taken the
dollar excursion from Wellington to CO.
lumous with a crowd Of other young
sters. The boys had visited a water
melon stand, the State house and the
local prison
We we're intrigued by the striped
suits and the lockstep, and practiced
walking one behind the other all the
way down the street to the station. It
was years later just after my inaugll-
ration as governor, that was standing
at my window feeding the squirrels in
the park when suddenly a host Of boy
hood memories came to me. remem-
bered the prison. and forthwith set out
to pay sentimental visit.
Dropped In on Prisons.
II was aStonished to find it quite diff
ferent from my recollectiorls, unkempt.
with papers flying about the yard. I
found that the warden was not on the
premises, that the wards were filled
with typhoid cases and that the water
supply was pumped up from the river
After that the II institutions of the
State got accustomed to the fact that I
was likely to drop in with q secretary
at any time"
Democratic institutions, which are
likely to 60 wrong II not carefully super
viSed, nevertheless had the full support
OF Herrick's opinion. He voiced faith in
the republican system Of government,