OCR Text |
Show Study the smooth strokers A strange lesson in history A Cyclops reader recently sent me a cara he had been given some 25 years ago. k t Cyclops BRIAN GRAY Columnist Sing.. .And while he was there, he could also visit the member of the President's cabinet (Albert Fall)... The Wall Street "great" (Jesse Livermore) committed com-mitted suicide... So did the president of the Bank of International Settlements... And so did the head of the world's greatest monopoly monop-oly (Ivor Krueger, the so-called "Match King") "What's the point?" I asked our reader. "It's not uncommon for leading industrialists to fade from the spotlight. Even the legendary Henry Ford had his company com-pany whipped out from under him due to his blustery, senile behavior which hastened the death of his son Edsel." "Continue reading the card," said the Cyclops reader. "That meeting was held in 1923, okay? Well, that same year the winner of several of the most important impor-tant golf championships, including the PGA and the U.S. Open, was a man named Gene Sarazen. Look at him 40 years after the disgrace of the other great men, Sarazen was still going strong, still playing an excellent game of golf, and still very financially solvent" The conclusion, said the reader, is quite simple. "Stop worrying about business and get off your duff and play golf! ' ' I was dumbfounded by the man's conclusion. "And that's what the history teachers should be telling tell-ing our students," the man continued. "The teachers spend too much time talking about people who weren't very wise. Gee, one U.S. President didn't even have the sense to come out of the rain. He caught pneumonia during his inauguration speech and died soon after. Now compare that kind of record with Johnny Miller's" "Yes," I replied, "but you can't expect a history teacher to spend all his time quizzing students on famous golfers. ' "Well, let me ask you a simple question, Mr. Cyclops," responded the reader. "Take a look at the network news. Who appears to be having the most fun: George Bush or Arnold Palmer? ' ' I had to admit the man has a do int. "It's a lesson in history," he said, "but its conclusion conclu-sion is as sound today as it was when originally written. Many of your younger readers have probably never seen it and considering a young person's lack of historical knowledge, it might be helpful to them in drawing historical parallels." The card begins by listing some of the world's largest financiers who met in Chicago in 1923. Among those at the confab were the president of the largest independent steel company in the U.S., president presi-dent of the largest gas company, president of the New York Stock Exchange, the country's most noted wheat speculator, a member of the President's cabinet, a well-known well-known Wall Street investor, the head of the world's largest monopoly, and the president of the Bank of International In-ternational Settlements. Successful men.. .At least very successful in their earning of huge sums of money. Forty years later, however, the men had all met a less-than-successful demise. The president of the largest independent steel company com-pany (Charles Schwab) had died a pauper, borrowing money to scrape by financially during the last few years of his life... The president of the gas company (Howard Hopson) had been certified insane and placed in a loony bin... The wheat speculator (Arthur Gutten) died abroad, embarrassed by his financial insolvency.. The president of the New York Stock exchange (Richard Whitney) served a prison sentence at Sing |