Lynch, Frederick . Personal Recollections of Andrew Carnegie / by Frederick Lynch
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    The beautiful building was ready for dedication in 1910 and finally April 26th was set upon as the date. I happened to be in Mr. Carnegie's library about a week before this date and he was looking forward to the event


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as a child looks forward to its first visit to the city. He kept returning to it, no matter on what subject we might be talking. Finally he said: "You're going down, of course?"

    "I want to go very much," I answered.

    "Of course you must go -- you and Holt, too. You go get him and come along."

    Mr. Holt and I went and we all had a very happy day in Washington, Mr. Carnegie one of the happiest he ever had. It was when he saw this exquisitely beautiful white marble palace there before him that he made a remark which was quoted all over the world, but which was a perfect revelation of that childlikeness in him which was one of the chief charms of his personality. Looking at the building he exclaimed:

    "I simply touch my pen to a piece of paper and this palace rises out of the ground."

    He was the Modern Aladdin.

    April twenty-sixth was a beautiful day and a great crowd gathered for the ceremonies. The formal dedication was held in the Hall of the Republics on the second floor of the Palace. The invited guests, including the Diplomatic Corps of all the Republics, the Supreme Court, members of the Cabinet,


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members of Congress and a few other invited guests, filled the Hall, while on the platform were the President of the United States (Mr. Taft), Senator Root, Secretary of State Knox, Señor Don Francisco Leon de la Barra, Cardinal Gibbons, Hon. John Barrett, Bishop Harding, and Mr. Kelsey, the architect. Mr. Holt and I had seats in the front row right under the speakers' desk and felt that we were highly favored.

    The invocation was made by Cardinal Gibbons. Secretary Knox then called upon the Director of the Pan-American Union, who gave the history of the Union and of the building. Mr. Kelsey, the architect, then interpreted the building to the group. The three main addresses then followed, one by Mr. Root, one by Mr. de la Barra, speaking for the Latin Americans, one by the President. It was on this occasion Mr. Taft used the expression which Mr. Carnegie was always quoting in his future addresses and applying it to the world. He said:

    "We twenty-one republics can not afford to have any two or any three of us quarrel. We must stop. And Mr. Carnegie and I will not be satisfied until all nineteen of us can


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intervene by proper measures to suppress a quarrel between any other two."

    Again and again in the years since then Mr. Carnegie would come back to this, adding: "Only we must apply it to the world. All the nations of the world are as much one now as are the American republics. The moment any nation anywhere starts to go to war against another, the other nations should have the right to say `You must stop.'"

    There was great applause when Mr. Carnegie was introduced. He rose to the occasion as he always did. He paid feeling tribute to all who had been associated with him in the fostering of the Bureau of South American Republics, who had brought the Pan-American Union to its present success, and spoke especially of Señor Nabuco, Brazil's great Ambassador, who had only recently passed away.

    He then complimented the Latin American nations on the great progress they had made, and pleased them greatly with his words. The main part of his address was devoted to the thought to which he was continually recurring in his public address, that acquaintanceship breeds friendship rather than dislike, and that


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it was contrary to the laws of human nature for a man to be fit judge of his own cause. Let me quote from the middle of his address, not only because of what is in it, but because it was carefully listened to by such an audience as very few men ever had opportunity of addressing:

    "Mr. Chairman, fully am I persuaded that the rulers and statesmen of the earth, all of whom are to-day constantly proclaiming their earnest desire for peace, are sincere in their protestations. Why, then, is this universally desired peace not promptly secured? Equally am I persuaded that the true root of the failure lies in the fact that these rulers and statesmen know not each other well. They are strangers, and therefore naturally and mutually suspicious. When a difference arises, they meet as strangers, knowing not the sincerity, the truthfulness, the keen sense of honor, and the earnest desire for peace of their fellow-statesmen. The French have a proverb -- `We only hate those we do not know.' The reverse is also self-evidently true -- `We only love those we do know.'

    "Two men differ; if strangers, the probable result is strife. Two friends differ; the


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probable result is peaceful settlement either by themselves, or, failing that, by arbitration of friends, and the two friends become dearer to each other than before. Why? Because neither has assumed to sit as judge in his own cause, which violates the first principles of natural justice. The greatest crime that either man or nation can commit is to insist upon doing that which would consign the judge upon the bench to infamy if he ever dared to sit in judgment upon a cause in which he was an interested party. In nations which still tolerate the duel, its practice is rapidly falling into disrepute, and a court of honor is coming into general use, first to determine whether the two foes are justified in breaking the peace.

    "One of the chief missions of this palace should be, as their natural home, to draw together the diplomats and representative men of all our Republics and enable them to know each other and learn of the sterling virtues of their colleagues, and especially their earnest desire for the prosperity of all their neighbors and their anxious hope that peace shall ever reign between them. Thus these statesmen will become lifelong friends to whom


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may safely be intrusted the settlement of any international difference that may arise. Above all, we may expect that between such friends no one would insist upon sitting as judge upon his own cause were the other to propose leaving the difference to a mutual friend. This, then, is one of the greatest missions of this international meeting ground in which we are assembled. Nor will its mission be fulfilled until every Republic, and, I fondly hope, Canada also included, shall have agreed to lay aside the sword."

    At the close of these formal exercises we all went down into the court, or "patio," as it is called in Latin America. The space was filled with tropical plants and in warm weather the great glass roof slides back by electricity so that it is an open garden. In this patio Mr. Taft and Mr. Carnegie together planted a "peace tree." (I have the photograph taken at the time. Mr. Taft is holding the shovel, and Mr. Carnegie stands beside him, his face all benevolence and smiles.) In the evening the Governing Board of the Bureau gave a reception, to the President of the United States and Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie. About fifteen hundred people


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shook hands with them, after which supper was served downstairs. Just before we went away I went up to Mr. Carnegie to say goodnight to him. I said, "How beautiful it all is -- and how happy you have been to-day."

    "Yes, it's like a dream," he answered and then, with that delightful little glint of fun that occasionally came into his eyes, he said: "You know how much I have written about rich men being sad? Well, to-night I'm rather glad I'm rich."




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Chapter 7

VII
LOVER OF POETRY AND MUSIC