UNDER THE MAPLES 



him; not imposing, nor complex, less expressive of 

 power and mass than of simplicity, adaptability, 

 and universal service, they typify the combination 

 of powers and qualities which make him a benefi- 

 cent, a likable, and a unique personality. Those 

 who meet him are invariably drawn to him. He is 

 a national figure, and the crowds that flock around 

 the car in which he is riding, as we pause in the 

 towns through which we pass, are not paying their 

 homage merely to a successful car-builder or busi- 

 ness man, but to a beneficent human force, a great 

 practical idealist whose good-will and spirit of uni- 

 versal helpfulness they have all felt. He has not 

 only brought pleasure and profit into their lives, 

 but has illustrated and written large upon the pages 

 of current history a new ideal of the business man — 

 that of a man whose devotion to the public good 

 has been a ruling passion, and whose wealth has 

 inevitably flowed from the depth of his humani- 

 tarianism. He has taken the people into partner- 

 ship with him, and has eagerly shared with them 

 the benefits that are the fruit of his great enter- 

 prise — a liberator, an emancipator, through chan- 

 nels that are so often used to enslave or 



destroy. 



In one respect, essentially the same thing may 

 be said of Mr. Edison: his first and leading thought 

 has been. What can I do to make life easier and 

 more enjoyable to my fellow-men? He is a great 



124 



