The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, January 24, 1909, Section Six, Page 3, Image 49

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    nre srypAY okegoxiax, Portland, January 24, 1900. 3
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fATPIpl TOW 61T))ATn)T government officials whom y,- V
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ST JOH-V ELJ-RETH WATKINF.
KPTCIALS may come afid officials
may go, but a few officials, like
Tcnnyaon'i brook, may go on for
ever In office, witlyut Mr. Taffs hin
drance, at leaat. These few officials are
the men who cannot be spared as long
lasts their seal' for work. Which way
they have voted, for what party they
have worked In the past, for what can
didate they have whooped and hurrahed
and thrown up their hats does not matter
a Jot to the President-elect. They are
tlmply Invaluable, and It would be a
hard rake and scrape to find others Just
as Rood. That is all. Xo one understands
it so well aa does Mr. Taft himself, who
konws his Washington better than any
other President-elect since John Quincy
Adam'.
M ill Beat Cabinet Record.
Purinjc the campaign it was rumored
that Sir. Bryan, if elected, mould Invite
James Wilson, of Iowa, to retain his seat
In the Cabinet as Secretary of Agricul
ture. This may or may not have been
true. The point no less remains that
James Wilson is one who may remain
In the next Cabinet so lone; as his health
laf.. On the last day of the present
year Perember SI. I! he will have
broken the record for Cabinet service,
row held by Albert Gallatin, the great
financier. Gallatin was commissioned
Secretary of the Treasury May 14. 1SU1,
anl vacated tiiat office February 9. 1S14.
livin served 12 years $ months and 2fi
days. He- was the adviser of two Pres
I.H nts, Jefferson and Madison, while
Jrtines Wilsnn will have been the advised
of three, McKlnley, Roosevelt and Taft.
On the date when this article is pub
lished. Mr. Wilson will have been In
tlie Cabinet U years 10 months and 1J
days.
He has been continuously in public lif
for 45 ears, having; served eight years
In his State Legislature, where he was
Speaker; six years in Congress, and the
remainder of his time, up to his Cabinet
service, in various state offices. He was
In Congress four years while Grant was
President, and during two years of Ar
thur's administration. However highly
he might have distinguished himself in
these days, however, he never could hop
to be I'resident. since he was born in
Scotland, from which country he emi
grated when IT. When he breaks the
Cabinet record he will be in the 75th
year of his youth.
Assistant Secretary of Slate 27 Years
Another noted official who cannot be
spared is Alvey Augustus Adoe. who has
beeji Assistant Secretary of State for
IT years. Indeed, he has been continu
ously connected with the diplomatic
and State Department for 39 years. He
was the son of a naval surgeon of Asto
ria. N. T., and when he was 7! President
Irani appointed him secretary of lega
tion at Madrid, where, as charge d'af
faires at different times, he early felt
the responsibilities of a diplomatic ca
rear. After remaining at Madrid seven
years he came back to the State Depart
ment as a clerk when President Hayes
came in. but in less than a year Secre
tary FN arts hnd noted his skill and had
appointed him chief of the diplomatic
bureau. Four years later Arthur made
him Third Assistant Secretary of State.
That his career had thus been started
by Republican Presidents made no dif
ference to Mr. Cleveland, who promoted
him to the Second Assistant Secretary
ship, which he has retained under nar
rlson. then Clevelnnd again, then McKln
ley and Roosevelt. Ha can remain un
der Taft as long as he will. Indeed, it
would be considered little short of
calamity should he retire. Being but SS.
he will probably remain the oracle of
the State Department for at least a
decade more.
It is "Ask Adee" nine cases out of ten
when things get Into a tangle at our for
eign of fl . He knows by heart the pe
culiar form of addressing every sover-
gn on earth, whether as "his most
Catholic majesty." "his most Christian
maK-sty." or what. He has at tonzue's
end the -ard-long list of titles of every
monarch of Christendom or lieathendom.
Ho t'lls th President where distin
guished foreigners In Washington should
be placed at table or in what order they
should be rccived with respect to home
officials, and this function has resulted
in bis being dubbed "etiquette tutor of
the Presidents." i
He can play the diplomatic chess game
blindfolded or on a dozen boards at a
time, and what he doesn't know about
the rules is not worth knowing. Indeed,
he probably knows even all that Isn't
worth knowing. Like the late P. D. Ar
mour, he rejuvenates his mind with tea.
Annually he bicycles through some part
of Europe for a month at a stretch, mak
ing snapshots as he goes. He also de
lights in making photographs of bis col
leagues wt their desks.
An Indispensable Diplomat.
Another of our diplomats who has been
promoted under both Republican and
Democratic administrations Is Henry
White, now Ambassador to France. It
was rumored the other day that he was
the only one of our present Ambassadors
whom Sir. Taft would retain. However
true this may be. he. like Mr. Adee, en
tered the "can't-e-spared" class at an
early age, and there is little 'doubt that
ha will remain in our diplomatic service
for many years to come. Arthur sent him
to Vienna as secretary of legation in 18S3.
and he had been there but a year when
sent to London as second secretary. Here
he made himself so useful that. In spita
of his being the appointee of a Repub
lican President, Cleveland retained him
and promoted him to first secretary.
From this time he repeatedly acted aa
charge d'affaires in the absence of Min
ister Phelps, and his having been favored
by Cleveland did not, in turn, cause Har
rison to overlook his special abilities.
However, he was not reappointed during
Cleveland's second term, but McKinley
was glad to send him back as chief as
sistant to John Hay, when the latter
was Ambassador to London.
Indeed, so tactfully had Mr. and Mrs.
White comported themselves in London
that they had become intimates of the
then Prince and Princess of Wales, and
when these royalties ascended their
thrones America had at a court a man
and woman who could chum with their
majesties. This was what America
wanted, and Roosevelt retained Mr.
White until 1901, when he promoted
him tu Ambassador and sent him first
to Rome and later to France, where he
is now. It is- rumored that Mr. Taft
will take advantage of Mr. White's per
sonal friendship with Klnjr Edward
and send him to London, which is con
sidered the highest diplomatic berth in
thjfci gift of our Government.
Our Veteran Creole Diplomat.
Our two chief diplomatic fixtures are
now attached to our Paris embassy, for
Ambassador White's chief assistant
there is Jean Henry Vlgnaud. As first
secretary there he long has been to our
Paris post what Mr. White was to that
at Loudon, and it is regarded as cer
tain that Mr. Taft and his successors
will retain him there until he drops in
the harness.
The memoirs of no living; American
would be bet'er worth reading than
those of this distinguished Louisiana
Creole. Born in New Orleans 78 years
ago. he thtre taught public, school
while a young: man, gaining extra
money the while by writing for Le
Courrler and otner New Orleans papers.
Next he became editor of L'Cnion de
Lafourche, another Louisiana paper, as
well as of a weekly review, La Renais
sance Loulsianaise, This was all be
fore the war. When that struggle be
gan he received the- commission of
Captain in the Confederate Army.
The Union troops captured him at New
Orleans and after his release Judah Ben
jamin, the "brains of the Confederacy,"
who long had known of his worth, made
him secretary of the Confederate diplo
matic commission cent to Paris In 1SK3.
This was Mr. Vignaud'a debut in diplo
macy, 46 years ago. at Paris, where he is
today. His services here became known
to the Roumanian government, which
after the war sent him to Paris as secre
tary of its legation. But our Government
needed him, and sent him to Geneva with
the Alabama claims commission and again
to the international diplomatic metric con
ference, in 1S73. His mastery of the
French language, added to his experience
in diplomacy, led to his recommendation
to- Grant for a regular appointment In the
diplomatic service, and Grant, overlooking
the fact that Vlgnaud opposed him In the
Civil War, both with the sword and with
diplomacy, appointed him in 1875 secretary
BRITISH INDIAN AGENT HOPES TO REVOLUTIONIZE EDU
CATIONAL SYSTEM
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NEW YORK. Jan. 23. (Special.) Harold E. Gorst, brother of Sir Eldon
Gorst. who is the British agent in India, is In New York with his little
daughter, guests of Charles Rann Kennedy. Mr. Gorst comes here to lecture
on education. He has a revolutionary plan. He has been studying the influ
ence of modern education on the life of the child, as exemplified in his daugh
ter, and he rays the present system is a curse. It gives everyone the same
kind of knowledge, ignoring the personal equation. It makes of the spirited
child a listless, commonplace lump of humanity. Mr. Gorst wants to revolu
tlenixs all this. Ha will tell the Political Education League soon.
of our legation In Paris, where he was
promoted to first secretary by Arthur. He
has remained at our Paris post since
his first appointment by Grant, and thus
he has there represented altogether three
governments, serving us continuously for
33 years, under nine administrations. Re
publican and Democratic alike. Had Mr,
Adee and Mr. Vlgnaud been men of great
wealth who could afford to expend about
JoO.000 a year on entertainment, they would
have been ambassadors a decade or more
ago. As It is they have been content with
salaries of Hr.00 and 000, respectively.
FVjrty-sevcn Years' Service.
Quite as Indispensable to the Govern
ment during these two generations has
been Dr Sumner Increase Kimball, gen
eral superintendent of the life-saving serv
ice, who has been continuously connected
with the Federal service for 47 years. He
was born in Maine, where he was grad
uated from Bowdoin five years ahead of
the late' Speaker Reed. Like the great
Speaker, he also became a lawyer, served
his apprenticeship in the Maine Legisla
ture, but left It a decade before Reed en
tered. He came to Washington at the be
ginning of the war as a clerk In the sec
ond auditor's office. In eight years ho
became chief clerk of that office, and a
year more found him chief of the revenue
marine, now the revenue cutter service,
although still in his thirties. The life
saving service was then under the revenue
marine, and young Kimball at once sot to
work to develop it. Its humane necessity
so impressed hiin that he aided In having
it made a separate service, and his name
was sent to the Senate as its first chief
in 1878. while Hayes waa President.
So well was he tnown to our lawmak
ers, even then, that the Senate confirmed
him without referring his name to com
mittee; and he has served as the head of
the service for 31 years, without a break,
under eight Presidents and two Demo
cratic administrations. In 1S03 Congress
rewarded his services by an increase in
salary "while the position is held by the
present Incumbent." as it was stipulated.
So highly has he been trusted by Secre
taries of the Treasury that frequently he
has been asked to act as controller, regis
trar or solicitor. He has also represented
the Government at conferences abroad.
Last October he and his wife entertained
many of the high Government officials at
their golden wedding anniversary, a con
spicuous figure at which gathering was
their son. E. F. Kimball, superintendent
of the money order service of the Post
office Department. Dr. Kimball is hale
and hearty at 74. He has personally known
all the factors In our Government promi
nent during and since the Civil War pe
riod. The life-saving service without him
would be as "Hamlet without the Dane."
for It has known no other head. He has
made It what it 'is. and will undoubtedly
be. retained in office as long as he retains
his real for work.
Has Served Near Fifty-one Y'ears.
In the White House itself Mr. Taft will
find a veteran official who cannot be
spared' as long as he retains his present
robust health. This is Major Charles D.
A. Loeffler. U. 3. A., wldtly known as
"doorkeeper to the Presidents." Going on
61 years ago. the then young LoeRier at
Baltimore enlisted In a cavalry regiment,
In which Robert E. Lee was Lieutenant
Colonel and Fitznugn Lec was Second
Lieutenant. With' this regiment Loeffler
got into the thick of Indian fighting, and
showed his courage, on many occasions.
particularly upon a notable one, when he
aided in saving the life of Fitzhugli Lee,
who as long as he lived thereafter was
one of the plucky soldier's warm friends.
Indeed, General FiUshugh Lee always vis
ited at the White House to see Major
Loeffler when In Washington.
At the outbreak of the Civil War Loef
fler, now a Sergeant, was ordered to
Washington, where he was kept on spe
cial scout duty until the close of the
struggle, when Secretary Stanton appoint
ed him his bodyguard. Later he was
with General Schofield, and when Grant
was Inaugurated he was told to report
for duty at the White House. He was
posted at the door of Grant's office and
has thus guarded every President until
this day. When Mr. Taft is Inaugurated
Major Loeffler will celebrate his 40th year
In White House duty. In 1878 Hayes
gave him the commission of Captain in
the Regular Armf-, and he was later
promoted to Major. And even when he
was placed on the retired list he was
deemed as Indispensable to the White
House, where he will undoubtedly remain
"Today you complete your fifty years
a full half century of service in tho
Army of tho United States, and you have
been in close and confidential relations
with eight Presidents. You have ren
dered loyal, faithful and gallant service
to the country; you have shown yourself
an absolutely trustworthy man; you have
done well every duty entrusted to you. It
Is a record for your children and your i Democratic, and early In his career he
misnomer, for, in tho f irrft place, thers
never has been an actual chief door
keeper, and the assistant doorkeeper
does not tend door. Ho is actually the
Republican "whip" of the Senate, and
the general factotum of the Repub
lican side, and It would require the
entire space of this article to define
his other duties.
The Keincarnntion of Bassett.
He has served under 12 presiding
officers of the Senate, Republican and
children's children to be proud of."
In the Loeffler family there Is also an
incipient case of "like father, like son," j
similar to that In the Kimball family. In
18S9 Carl A. Loeffler, the Major's little
son, was appointed a 'page In the United
States Senate. Although pages have a
definite 'term, after which they retire
from the roll of the Senate, Carl Loeffler
has been retained ever since, under Dem
ocratic and Republican Senators alike.
The Senate simply can't spare him, and
after 20 years of service he has risen to
be a special confidential employe on the
floor of our higher legislative body.
And. speaking of the Senate, we
find there also another notable exam
ple of the man who can't be spared.
January 13, 1S78 31 years ago, almost
to a day Alonzo H. Stewart, an 11-year-old
Iowa lad. was appointed a
page In the Senate by Senator Wright
of that state. Mr. Allison, also of
Iowa, took a great fancy to the bright
lad, and he became this Senator's pro
tege after Wright had retired. From
page he became chief of pages, and
for years was the assistant to the
venerable Bassett. who for 62 years
long as his present youthful vigor was an employe of the upper house,
lasts. Last July, when he celebrated the
semi-centennial of his service to the Gov
ernment, President Roosevelt sent Major
And when Mr. Bassett died Stewart suc
ceeded him as "assistant doorkeeper,"
an office which has long existed as a
UNITED STATES CONSUL TO MESSINA AND WLFE
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MR, AM MRS. AHTHl'R CHENEY.
NEW YORK. Jan. 23. (Special) Little doubt agists of the death
of Arthur Cheney, who was L'nited States Consul at Messina, and his
ivife. Circumstantial reports of their fate have come from Italy. They
are the only Americans so far officially reported aa dead.
Improved his spare moments by study
ing law with two members of Con
gress. Some time ago he made an ar
gument before"" the Supreme Court of
the United Slates, of whose bar he is
a member. He could doubtless earn
four times his present salary if he
went into private practice. But the.
Senate simply cannot spare him. And,
besides, he is now generally believed
to be a reincarnation of tho venerable
Bassett, who was homesick each day
the Sonate was not in session.
"My man Crook Is drafted. I cannot
spare him. Provost-General, please fix."
President Lincoln hurried this card
to the War Department when Will
iam H. Crook, a member of his body
guard, was drafted into the Civil War.
Crook was "spared" to Mr. Lincoln,
and has been to his successors for 4.7
years, and Is now the disbursing offi
cer of the White House.
Surely no greater tribute to a man's
worth can he paid than those words
"I cannot spare him. '
Washington, i). C. January 16, 1909.
The Preacliing That Wins.
Homilctic Review.
A sermon that comes from the heart
of the preacher will go to the hearts of
his hearers.
The subject of a sermon depends on its
object.
The preacher of the old theology
preached "as a dying man to dying
man." The preacher or the new theology
must preach us a living man to llvins
men.
The business of a preacher is not to
preach to the men and women who are
not at church, but to preach to those
who are there.
Some texts are only pretexts. They ara
too apt to be the "'point of departure"
for a sermon.
It is better to begin back of the text
and work up to it than to begin with the
text and work away from it.
Sermons should never be measured,
they should be weighed. Not length, but
strength Is the true test of a sermon.
The secret of a successful sermon, as
of Sam Weller's valentine, is in making
one "wish there was more."
Some preacher." are like boys swimming
under water. - You see them when they
dive oft the text, and you sec them
again when they bob up at the "Amen";
but all through the sermon you lose sight
of them because they have gone in over
their heads.
Do not serve your sermon up a second
time, cold and stale. Warm tlicni over
In the glowing fervor of the imagination
and emotions in which they were cradled.
Where there is no (re)vision the people
perish.
t
Rope for Cliristmas Present.
Puck.
A Greek matron, being thoroughly tired
of her husband, consulted the oracle at
Delphi.
"Give him rope enough and he'll hantf
himself!" was the oracle's advice.
The matron's eyes tilled with tears.
"I've tried that:" she exclaimed. "I
have given him a large box every Christ
mas, and while he has talked of hanging
himself, he has never done so."
But the oracle had a way of sidestep
ping the really -hard problems, and of
fered no further suggestions.
Mount Theodore of Mexico.
Puck.
Mexico has a new volcano, the reports
saying "that the top of a low mountain
was blown off by a subterranean explo
sion, and that lava and sulphurous flames
have been pouring from the crater for
several days." There is some talk of
calling the newcomer Mount Theodore.
IHTI 108.2