Evening star., 1939-11-26
By John Lear,
Associated Press STAFF Writer.

VINCENT ASTOR.
Blank G. Stoller Photo from A. P.
articles were too heavy for the man in
the street and because many advertisers
refused to buy space in magazine they
thought (despite the denials of Moley,
who had broken with the PresidenD wao
the mouthpiece for "a business batting
President So. in 1886, Today was
merged with another journal of wobbly
circulation, News Week
After three years, the new magazine
has confirmed Astors business judgment,
which in business circles is rated as the
most acute Astor acumen since the first
John Jacob began piling up the family
millions by selling firewater to and buy
Ing furs from the Indians. 1t also has
taken up lot of time and energy "V. A."
used to expend on politics.
Aside from the magazine, he likes to
talk about two things: The World War.
in which he played an active part at
sea; and Holiday Farm, country home
he maintains for convalescent children,
just out of the hospital, who need rest,
but can't afford to pay for it.
Friend of Common Man.
He talks about Holiday Farm not as
philanthropy of his (Which it Isl but
as a community agency that might we'll
be duplicated elsewhere. Fifty hospitals
and other organizations dealing with
child care in New York City send chill
dren to it. There are facilities on the
farm for about so patients at a time
No limit is placed on the length of
stay, that being decided entirely ac-
cording to the needs of the individual
case. Nursing care, surgical dressings,
plenty of good food, unlimited fresh
air and sunshine are provided-all free.
Astor's contribution to it runs into the
thousands each year. Mrs. Astor, the
former Helen Dismore Huntingdon, sup
plies Christmas trees and toys, and
ice cream each Sunday.
Nowhere in his childhood was there
anything to encourage liberal cast of
mind. His family was far better known
for its social prestige-his grandmother
bossed the upper crust for years-than
for its activity in community problems.
Yet when the sudden death of his
father pushed him. an adolescent, into
a binding limelight as "the richest boy
in the world" he blossomed as a friend
Of the common man.
His ideas were so radical for a man
of his money Che inherited some $7O,-
mn tLot
field day and either built his smallest
gestures into magnificent generosities or
invented quixotic activities for him.
His college days were abruptly broken
of by the death of his father, John
Jacob, on the Titanic, which struck an
iceberg and sank in April of 1912. That
tragedy was to bring Vincent much more
grief later on. His fathers second wife
Che divorced the flrsD was to have
marital troubles with an ex-prizefghter
EMO Fiermonte, and her posthumous
son to Vincent's father was to squabble
publicly with Eileen Gillespie over a
diamond engagement ring. But Vincent
could not forsee that then. Besides, he
had grief enough. 1t left him in fog.
He quit college to learn to manage the
Astor estate. From that he went into
the World War.
Astor looks back on his war days as
"among the best of my life" He joined
the Navy, gave his yacht Mona for
naval use and sailed on her for France
when she became the first naval ship to
sail after the United States joined the
battle. One ship he was on later, the
Aphrodite, hit mine, but managed to
make port. He was in the service two
years, entering as an ensign and leaving
as a lieutenant commander. He came
home on the captured submarine U-117
On the way, a sailor swiped $1,000 from
him.
When he came out of the war he was
at the peak of an enthusiasm for flying.
He had learned to pilot plane when the
best they had was frail-looking pusher
model When the Naval Reserve opened
flying school at Bay Shore in 1915, he
gave them their one training plane and
acted as instructor Later he became
one Of the first air commuters. making
his first regular trip from Rheinbeck to
the metropolis in 1922 Now he has quit
flying altogether, preferring the water