Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-21
LIVING AMERICANS
WHO HAVE ACHIEVED
Who Has Done Most Can Be Determined
With Fair Degree of Objective
Accuracy.

even after he rose high in New York
State politics was any such aim appar-
ent, even to professional politicians. In q
technical sense, therefore, his later
success was aimless that is, 1t grew
out Of large factors external To his own
personal will. This Is usually true IN
American politics. Furthermore, Al
Smith rose to emtnence mainly through
the skillful workings of the Iammany
organization; he had no important
obstacles of the sort which he himself
had to surmount by private endeavor.
BY a stretch of charity, we may rate
him as an AA man.
How about Charles Evans Hughes?
A hard case to settle. But I finally
pushed this distinguished jurist down
to the AA class on two counts; First,
he is by nature so brilliant that success
in the law has been altogether too
easy for him, and, secondly, he Is by
nature so brilliant that failure IN high
politics has been inevitable.
Some of my university friends feel
that e. L. Thorndike should be classed
here. They point out that he has pur-
sued his highly original aim of educa-
tional psychology with unusual clarity,
singlenesS of purpose and energy, as
well as with genial ability. They also
indicate that the social value of his
work, while invisible to lay eyes, Is
tremendous. And his personal success
is equally great. In reply, all that I
can say is that Tforndike resembles
Hughes little, in that his very bril-
lance has left no serious obstacle TO
be overcome.
I cannot take seriously the recon-
mendation that Will Rogers be scored
AAA. To class him with Chaplin as
an entertainer of supreme social signl-
ficance is, believe, contrary TO PLAIN
facts. First of all, Rogers dritted into
his gag-line game by sheer accident,
first on the stage and later in writing
! Secondly, there were no obstacles, IN
| the sense In which we now use Ine
! term. The world did not give MN
battle at any stage while he tried 70
put himself across. Thirdly, DOUBT
! the social value Of his humor.
| A score of other names have been
| considered for AAA rating and turned
| down. Some of them should be de-
bated on another occasion, but now we
must pass on to the great surprise.
Listed In IA Group.
How many Americans rank as excel
lent in some two of the four acnieve-
ment factors?
once thought could answer this
question as faithfully as a census
enumerator. Now I know better. For
there are thousands who belong in the
AA group. everybody who has had
clear, strong aim and mas personaIiy
succeeded in any distinguished endeaVor,
even though the latter has little human
siqnifcance and was carried through
easily, claims rank here. So, too, does
| everybody who lacking clear aim, never
theless did something distinguished,
| with no obstacles but with notable hui
man consequences. SO, too, does every
body who, with neither high aim nor
personal success, overcomes immense
obstacles and thereby accompllsnes
great social good.
Here must be grouped the vast ma
iority of eminent Americans whose
careers are recorded in who's Who"
To publish their names would fill this
newspaper. I can mention here only
some of those who surpass their fell
lows in one or two factors so decidedly
that they might be seriously considered
for AAA rating.
Finance and Industry Class.
In the realms of finance, industry
and business we must mention as such
outstanding figures the following:
At least three of the Fisher brothers,
all Of the du Points. the two Van Swer-
ingen brothers, Samuel insult, Edward
L. Doheny, Dwight Morrow, John N.
WHY'S. j. G. Penney, Harry Sinclair,
Arnadeo Giannini, Alfred Sloan, jr.;
James A. Farrell Charles NJ. Schwab,
David Sarnoff, Walter Chrysler. A. H.
Wiggin, Thomas Lamont.
/ have been criticized for including
Doheny and Sinclair here. But the
critics confuse the issue They object
because they disapprove of these candi-
dates on lofty moral grounds. But this
is irrelevant, except when we weigh
their social significance. man can
attain AA rank, however, without ever
having achieved anything of great hui
man value. All he needs is a strong
aim and will, great obstacles, and COM
plete success in getting what he goes
after. Had Al Capone not attracted the
attention of people who dislike his
methods his success to date might easily
have brought him into this class.