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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 1915)
TTTE STTXDAY OTIEGOXTAX. POTtTXAXB. ' JTTLT 18, 1915, FROM FARMER BOY TO COMPANION OF KINGS H JT ASHMAN BROWK. ERBERT C. Hoover is the American who, of all the Americans has played the most Important part in the great tragedjr being enacted in Europe." It was a member of President "Wil son Cabinet. speaking at a- dinner table in Washington not long ago. who months ago was this: The Kins and hi I entourage were to proceed on a British battleship, properly convoyed, to the Panama Canal, thence through to the Pacific and on to San Francisco. At tSan Francisco the King would re main aboard the shup and thus In Brit ish territory, save for certain scheduled visits he would make ashore, and the made the above remark. Tet the ma- period of these visits would be the only jority of the people, about the board times when he would be the guest of did not know who Herbert C. Hoover this Nation. was. Then the squadron would proceed To put it briefly. He bert C. Hoover north to Victoria and Vancouver, and is the man who, as the head of the Bel- the king would Journey eastward Elan relief work, has directed the ex penditure of $50,000,000 In recent months. Among the few men who really run things In the civilized nations and a few of the uncivilized he is regarded as America's foremost citizen ' of the world. Princes and potentates finan cial and political know him on terms of intimacy. To many of them he stands for Amer ica. In that shifting "who's who" of through Canada to take ship for home. All of this had been arranged quietly down to the last detail and Hoover was responsible for it all when the war broke out and caused Its abandonment. Hoover is handling the gigantic Bel gian relief work Just exactly as be al ways has handled business matters thoroughly, exactly, efficiently. He has put the reeources and the machinery of his own business organization and that is an organization world-wide in the gossip or court ana aDinei ana Us 8Cope at tnc disposal of the relief financial circles. Hoover's name is writ work- For example. his agent in New He Is one of those wno are maK- high. ing civilization move forward. Only a few years ago he was a berefoot farmer boy at "West Branch. Iowa, wherever that Is, a place not even mentioned in the principal gaz etterers. This vigorous young man, who has Just turned 40, has never had occasion i i 5- V 4. 5 i fnjrtr'f I I scribes it- ; ? J I I Red House. 1- 111 : . f : J ..a. .i ni.intin'ii i i. and on their way to the There followed a wonder- year course in the manner known to " poor college students. lie soe- ful evening. The host found hia guest, clalised in mining engineering and was Interested In rare books and led him graduated In 1895. One of his class- York is his New York business partner, LIndon W. Bates, who. by the way, is a very close and intimate friend of ex President Taft. Hoover, acting by cable through Bates, will charter a ship at New York, load her with such goods as have been donated for relief, complete the cargo to force nimsen on puuiu. There tna highly trained organization the most modest and self-effacing man Hoover to be his guest at the next club CimiUCU Hum - to a library filled with a collection over which any bibliophile would rave. Priceless works were there. It came out In the course of the con versationeverything that one gets from Mr. Hoover about himself Just "comes out," for there never la a trace of boastfulness In the conversation of this clone-lipped man that he and Mrs. Hoover for their amusement and In their leisure had translated Sgrlcola's De Re Metalllca from the early 15th century copy they possessed and had the tremendous tome of their transla tion made Into a book. Subsequently an autographed copy of this, wonder fully done, a veritable triumph of the mates was Will Irwin, the writer, and the two collaborated In writin a learned treatise, now a textbook, on mining. While still a student Hoover passed hia Summer vacations working In the field. For example, he was a minor employe of the Arkansas geological survey In 1593. and the Summer of 1S9J he spent In like capacity with the United States Geological Survey In Ne vada. Also. In college he found time to court and win the promise of a fair co-ed. Miss Lou Henry, of Monterey. who, like him. was a distinguished stu. bookmaker's art. cume to the Wash- dnt- Not until 1S99 did the Hoover a love of adventure. With it all he is elusion of the conversation iiwitarf Mi- He does everything In the er. - Yet he is chock full- of the American nf rilKfrihlltlnn vrhlnh ia hsat f,otfl f . masses to the obscurity of those who takes charge of th- cargo and dl8poaes mo8t mann out ui mo ,V'7JtV. of 11 where it will do the most good tt lirnhVd all the way by his own ef- -urPe' ana especially Kins Ainert. and quality of 'pep He can work He climbed all the way Dy nis own American visitors have marveled , d . ,. 1U1 lOi Twenty years ago he was an unim portant employe of the United States geological survey in the mountains of Nevada. Today kings are anxious to be helpful to him. dinner, then two weeks off. Mr. Hoover accepted. He asked. In his characteris tic casual manner, where the dinner 6 hours ws to be and where and at what hour He can ne was to present himself. "I'll be at the efficiency with which the or- do a marvelous number of things at there," h said." and then remarked that ganization worKs. once, and leave the Impression on the There Is no looseness of management observer's mind that he i not doing anywhere. Hoover, operating as he anything at all." not revealed until one gets Inside, operations. These reports, some copies exposition management to call on Mr. house Is typical of the man. His of which have recently come to Wash- Hoover at a Washington hotel to dls-es-are at 1 London Wall building. JnSton. show down to a penny every- cuss some phases of the coming fair, n there, in addition to directing the that has 'been donated and what This gentleman knew of Hoover, but suggestions for the work. He had a grasp of detail that was remarkable. It is only fair to say that many of his suggestions were successfully carried aiways operates in Dusiness matters, Several years ago, when plans for He lives at Red House, Hornton " " i.n.iu.-murc miignuon ai aan street Kensington highroad. London, a art of hta organization. He has a Francisco were forming, a Californlan great? ancient, rambling old house, the 'V V frequent reports In which a living In Washington, who was Inter- hlluties ana extensiveness of which Sraphic presentation Is made of all ested In the project, was asked by the are The From there, in addition to directing the that has 'been donated and what This gentleman knew of Hoover, huge relief work in Belgium, he also dl- " auuo aIlor lo naa never met him. recta his mining operations In all parts fuPd hve the satisfaction of tracing He found Hoover not at all a dis- of the world. thelr dollars directly to their ultimate tingulshed-looking person; Just an or- expenditure. It is costing Hoover a dinary-looklng American, like thou- "Ho handles," saia a friend of his re- lot of time and money, but that does sands of others who come daily to the eently. "his great Russian iron mine, not cause his efforts to lag. capital of the United States. But with Its 7500 employes, with the little A Washington friend of Hoover said Hoover's talk bristled with splendid finger of his left hand." expressive, oi nun not long ago: -.tie typinea ex it exaggerated., actly the 20th century American. In When the European war broke out, him are united efficiency, great con Great Britain and the continent structive and executive ability, high swarmed with Americans who had a standards of honor and Integrity, broad out sudden and earnest aeslre to get home, imagination, a keen sense of humor. The Washlngtonlan. who is a mem A great many of them did not have the audacity and boldness of operation and ber of the Gridiron Club, at the con- money with which to go. All, money less or affluent, were intent on going home in comfort and ease, and in the best cabins aboard ship. And all. what ever their condition, were insistent on "somebody doing something" for them at once, the particular somebody thev had In mind being the American Am bassador in London. The resident American colony in London wanted to help. In fact, it had to help. The unofficial head of that colony was Herbert C. Hoover. At least he was the member of the colony hav ing the highest standing and the most influence in England. Englishmen had testified to that by Intrusting millions of their money to investment by him. Moreover, he la a man of organizing ability. So it was that naturally he became chairman of the American re lief committee. Ambassador Page testi fies to the excellence of the work he did. Then, when the surplus touring Americans were out of the way, came the need for relief of Belgians, in and out of Belgium. The international character of this work required a man such as Hoover. Accordingly he took over its direction. He Is still on that Job. The fact that he has directed the spending of $50,000,000 so far is merely an index of what he has been doing. It was this that the Secretary had in mind when he said that Hoover "is the American, who, of all Americans, has played the most important part" in the war. Here is a story, never told before, that Illustrates the quality of9he man and his standing abroad. Hoover as a former Californlan, a graduate 'and a trustee of Stanford University he runs across the Atlantic and the continent to attend trustee meetings as casually as some men go from New York to Jersey City In the months before the war was intensely Interested In the Panama Pacific Exposition at San Francisco. He conceived the Idea that It would he a splendid thing for the King of England to visit that-exposition. Any body could conceive such an idea, but to get the King of England to agree to such a proposition is something every body cannot do. Hoover did. If the war had not spoiled the plan King George would have made the visit. The difficulties Hoover had to over- he was leaving the next morning for San Francisco. "That's the end of that Invitation.' thought the Washlngtonlan. During the two weeks he heard not a word from his prospective guest, but sharp at 7:30 the hour appointed on the evening of the dinner. Mr. Hoover, faultlessly attired, cool and casual, ap peared in the rcceptien-room. "When did you get back from San Francisco?" asked the Washlngtonlan. "Oh, about 20 minutes' ago.", said Hoover. At the close of the evening, in bidding adieu to his host. Hoover, still casual in his manner, mentioned by the way that he was sailing the next day for London. Some months later the Washlng tonlan Journeyed to London. He hoped to see Hoover there, but had arranged no meeting. Fifteen minutes after bis arrival In his hotel Mr. Hoover's card came up, followed speedily b.y Mr. Hoover. Presently the to were in Mr. Hoover's limousine "as long as a locomotive.!' the Washlngtonlan de- ington home of the visitor. But all of these things go merely to show the many-sidedness of the man. the easy manner in which he does things and hia punctilio In social In tercourse. His- genesis, his career, his adven tures make up a story full of romance and color. , All the world has been his playground. His adventures contain the material for a dozen novels "of blood and action In the wild places of the world. Also the material for a doren novels of high finance high finance in Its best phase, untainted with details of stock-Jobbing and gen tlemanly robbery, for the world of finance knows Hoover as a man of ab solute integrity. All of this adventuring by this mas ter American mining engineer led surely to fortune and high place. "How much is Hoover worth?" afked an American of a London banker not long ago. "I don't know exactly." was the re ply. "His Interests are so diverse and so widespread that I doubt that he knows himself. However, I do know that he is more than a 'pounds mil lionaire.'" which means that he Is worth more than 15.000.000. Hoover's childhood was paused In West Branch. la., where he was born August 10. 1874. In youth he migrated with his family to California. There, in 1891, when Stanford University was but an Infant among American col leges, he entered that institution. and supported . himself through the four- nnances permit them to marry. Now the once co-ed from tiny, picturesque, old Spanish Monterey Is a notable fig ure In the most exclusive EnelUh soci ety, famed alike for her intellectual attainments and for her beauty. For two years following graduation Hoover laid the foundation for his tame as a mining engineer by hard work as assistant manager of various mines In New Mexico and California, and then the great British mining firm of Bewick. Moerlng & Co.. of which he later became a partner, hearing of his capabilities, sent him to West Aus tralia In charge of its mining staff. In 1899 he returned to the United States to marry, and then, a bride groom, the imperial government of China reached out for him and made him chief engineer of Its bureau of mines. Read his official biography and you will find the simp'e record that during that period he was "doing ex tensive exploration work In the In terior of China." Extensive. Indeed! The story of his march across the great Gobi desert at the head of his caravan. S9 days of bat tle with hostile natives who sought to destroy him and his party: of battles with heat and hunger and thirst, is an epic Literally he had to flsht his way and there were losses of life on both sides. But he won his goal, opened up the country he wanted to open up. estab lished mining operations and returned to the Chinese coast to tind that. adJrd to his other activities, he had been chosen to represent the bondholders In the building of the Ching Wans Tow harbor Improvements. Incidental to this work was the manaprment of a railroad. The nearest Mr. Hoover ever can-.e to boasting was once when a friend, in conversation, mentioned the Immense load ho was then carrying: hni:;r!.T nilnes, harbor construction works and a railroad all at one time. I was only a ki.1 then." murmured Mr. Hoover, re flectively. Right In the midst of a:i this work came the Boxer uprlslnp. Mr. Hoover was in Tientsin. Just as in England the Amerlcn colony turner to him for leadership last year, so In Tient.-in the European and AmerU-.in colony lu.-r.ed to him for leadership in orcniuini: for their defense and for the defen so of th e city against the Boxers. Those were strenuous, bloo!y weeks, but always through thrm all. so those who were there relate. Hoowr was tho ever-checrfuL optimistic leader and di rector, darlnir In cmbat, effective in leaders'.p. sparing himself neither dan ger nor labor and infusing all with h's dauntless spirit. Still he was "only a ki I." His notable achievements in p.n!ns rich and hlphly productive mines in the hinterland of China sent i.im swirt ly to the top in his profession of min ing engineering. K was in 1!2 that he became a partner in tho firm .f He wick. Moerlng & Co.. which tartner ship he gave up In 19"K. The Hoover reputation :is esta llshej as an honest mining er.n.eer. His opinion of a prospect t-aitu- to r-e held as the last word. The pr-at In vestors of the world I oc.iii to Mik his advice. Patriotic Ame:i an as ! e is. Hoover found out that London w.is the world's financial center, the tm..- ..f op erations for treat nnrii.s unrN-rtaK-Inss. Thua it was that he moved to Umdon and established hi-nsv'.r i:i KeJ House. France. Relpium and Kr.p'urd have decorated him for his acUcvemei.tH in mir.lnir encineerir.jt. He is a member of many scientific and loam'! soc!et:e-. The mere list of the hue corporations of which he Is a director and a con trolling f.actor is a lone catalogue. He is the chief Influence in the Uns-siu-AsIath- "omtany, with Us rrret come in carrying out bis plan were gl- present head of the house. Mr. and gantic. Two trips from London to San Mrs. Irving R. Wiles' young daughter Francisco were merely a minor part of Miss Gladys represents the third gen ii is campaign. eratlon of this family in art. In the first place, all thought of hav- . Match It? Only by the anecdote ing the United Staes Invite King George come down from the time of Mendela had to be dismissed at once. If such sphn, the composer. His grandfather an invitation had been extended, this was a noted philosopher. Between them Nation would have had to Invite all came Mendelssohn pere. who was wont other crowned heads. If only King to ' say, after the composer had given George had accepted, an appropriation world-wide vogue to the name, "Once of at least half a million dollars would I was known as the son of the famous have been required from Congress to Mendelssohn; now I am known as the provide for the expenses of his enter- father." tainment by the Nation and his Journey across the continent. To get such an appropriation through Congress wovlld be an impossible task. But if King George elected to vIsK; the exposition on his own account the thing might be done. Would his minis ters consent, however? And would he? Gladys Wiles, had a most meritorious Fortunately for Mr. Hoover, he is on painting, entitled "Profile," in a Spring Intimate terms with the court circle exhibition of the National Academy and also with various members of the of Design. Mr. Wiles goes the Men then British Cabinet, Lloyd George and delssohn anecdote one better, for the vtmston i-nurcniii being close friends. Mendelssohn who ' came, between the Both court and Cabinet circles quite separated circles, by the way had to be brought Into agreement. This task was accomplished by Mr. Hoover, with the aid of some notable figures in Successful yfrtlstr- Miss Gladys Wiles Prom : ; V ; ! ises to Rival Distinguished 'Pv , i:-- - Fatherland .Grandfather - Srcx Srv-i 'I. ' "l tyi tlons of artists in one family! l-i. ? 7- ' V t' :uL,vO 1 , V 'V - ' , T- S , mil: s-iK 0y r-0. : MS. - : ? .: .;. . M:. yrmt BY GUSTAV KOBBE. EW YORK. July 3. Three gener tlons of artists in one family! That is the distinction of the Wiles clan. The late Lemuel Maynard Wiles, painter of "Snowbound," was the first member of the line to become a painter. His son. Mr. Irving R. W lies. National Academician, is the POGWAr or VX3 WLZS AND MI35 Gladys wiles qy jm.vg wl3. composed and highly picturesque painting of her standing beside a bust of Richelieu. There is a photograph of Mr. Wiles in his studio with this paint ing on his easel and his daughter pos ing for it- On the wall hanps his double portrait of his father and mother. The one photograph dhows the three generations of artists in the Wiles family. If there were some where In the picture Mr. Wiles' de lightful portrait of his gracious and attractive wife the family group would be complete. Mr. Wiles is always importantly rep resented In the leading exhibitions and Is constantly at work on Impor tant portrait commissions. He obtains was devoted to drawing and painting, until realizing that lo be a success us an artist he nmst l-reak away fn::i the sehool:, he. with tnut li n ipplvinp. sent a picture to the exhibition of thi National Academy in New Yoik. Fat hung upon the acceptance or rejection of that picture, ir it pot in lie would go to New- York and "liani: his shingle" as an urtl.-t. !f n. t. ilcre he was In Utica and there he stajtil. Not only was this tUturc i land scape huns: it was sold. To N.-v York he came with his family and n'.r.r. -.- ivis givinRs as to the future. The Wilts, s lived In the old University lm i I.iinir. In Washington square. The building has been replaced by another. Put. in the very studio occupied by Mr. Wiles Winthrop laid the scene of that famous early American novel. "Cecil Pr. me." and there the elder Wiles met Samuel K. B. Morse, who. a sllvery-haircl old man. worked In a studio full uf wires. Winslow Homer occupied one of the towers of the picturesque eld building. ID those days picture buyers came ripht to the studios, pot to know- th artists personally and follow, d their careers with more or le.-s Interest and even partisanship. The loner, st.ep steps of the university did not appeal to them, so Mr. Wiles removed to what was then a modern structure, the V. M. C. A. building, then at iV corner of Fourth avenue and Tw enl -1 h : rd street also no more, havlnc vanished before the wand of progress. Here was an m lists' hive the studios of Wyant. Kensett. Elliott. I. yell Carr. William Hart. Wva't K.iton. J. O. Eaton. Tait and r.lakelock. William M. Chase was there for- a while as a pupil of J. O. Eaton. The elder Wiles" work In landscape was w.ll known. It was typically Anieiican. 1 thouch after he visited Europe he varied It somewhat, while a California trip resulted in a series of pictures of the old Spanish missions. In Europe he painted Venetian and Genoese sub jects. But his best-known work Is "Snowbound' an oi l farmhouse In th crip of a hliM.'ird. I. ike the i. st of his productions, this w is r.otic. ahle for poetic feci inc. Purlng the ItitUr part of his ;fe the elder Wiles painted In New York dur ing the Winter and in Summer tai'sht patnlincr at his country place. In Silver Lake. Wyoming County. New York. He had an extraordinary number of pupils who came from all over the Eastern and Southern States. " He never forpot any of them, often corresponding with likeness, character and pertinent ac cessorles. One of his best known por- nnl advising them tor years after thev traits ts that of Professor John Wll So Mr. Wiles might say: "Once I was spoken ot as the .sou ef an artist, but soon I am likely to be spoken of as the father of one." For lfot only is Mr. Wiles himself a distinguished artist; his father was a very well known painter, and his daughter. Miss philosopher and the composer was not entitled to fame save as the son of one and the father of the other. But Mr. Wiles himself, while the son of an artist and the lather of one. is British social life, and also with the leader in tho world of American art. aid of his highly intelligent wife. Not only la he a noted portraitist. The plan as finally arranged Juat 12 but he ha aaacuted many genres, or. POQTGAIT N BLACK more properly. "Ideal" portraits, for several of which and they are most charming Miss Gladys has posed. Among theae la th extremely well liam Burgess. In this portrait there is shown as an accessory a copy of an old master on the wall. Mrs. Burgess is an artist who devotes much of her time to copying old masters. The appropriateness of Introducing one of these copies as an accessory In her husband's portrait Immediately Is evi dent. It is a touch of sentiment as well as of decoration. Plenty is known about Mr. Wiles (he is In all the "Who's Whoa", and plenty doubtless will be known. In time about Miss Gladys.. But what about Lemuel Wiles, the founder of this line of ar tists, who died before the day of "Who's Who." yet was a most active painter and Instructor. a friend of Morse, artist and Inventor of the tele graph, and of many other artists? It will be Interesting to learn something about him. In Terry, a village in the western part of New York, where Lemuel Wiles" "folks" were almost pioneers. Lemuel as a boy was considered of small ac count because he disliked "real work." but from the time he could hold a pencil In his fingers liked to draw. Graduating from the Albany Academy he became a school teacher and after wards a principal and city librarian la Utica. All this time, however, his leisure left his immediate care. A wise, kind'v man was Lemuel Msynard Wiles. His w-ife. who was h Miss TflamsHv, of Al bany, also was an artist, and one of verv few women who !n those .!.. ex hibited at the National Academy. It will have been seen by this tire that Miss Gladys Wiles has come nat urally by her talent. Y"et at first sh leaned toward music as a career. For a young plrl she was an excellent pian ist. But at the end of her school days. iHVlnp shown talent. her father thdncht, for painting, and being really greatly interested in it. she d-cided to pive up the serious study of music Since then painting has absorbed h.r Interest. She commenced at the Art St idcrts I.eapue. After that she was with Mr. William M. Chase, who at one time was her father's Instructor. While she i at the present time with Mr. Chase's stu dents In California, she has a studio st No. 130 West Fifty-seventh street, where she la working with the aim of eventually devoting herself to por traiture. She has also done some doc; pictures, several of which have been Iti MacDowell Club exhibit ions. Without any knowledge of the artist'" Identity I was at once attracted to 'Trortie' in the Academy show, looked In the rat i logue and discovered that I; was l y Mtts Gladys Wiles, whom I Judue.l t. he the cranddatichter of Lenviel urd the daughter of Irvlnp Wile. The sup position proved to be correct. lime ilia historia.