cr 5 1 l-h CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF L. I. Stevens Cornell University Library CT275 .S71 In memory of Arthur William Soper 1838- 3 1924 029 864 893 olin Overs m Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029864893 IN MEMORY OF Arthur William Soper 1838-1901 #-*2*«/ ARTHUR WILLIAM SOPER HE religious services, at the resi- dence of the late Arthur William Soper, of New York City, were held at 1 50 Central Park South, upon the afternoon of December Second, 1 90 1 , and were conduc- ted by his friend President Stryker of Hamilton Col- lege. Prayer was offered by the Rev. Dr. James H. Hoadley of New York, a close friend of Mr. Soper's brothers. . The apartments were thronged with representative men from New York and elsewhere. President Stryker voiced the affectionate and tender feelings of those present, in speaking of the warm and noble nature of Mr. Soper and of the unusual circle of friends which his frank nature had won. His life had been exceptionally adtive, and at every slep he was full of consideration, to use words that were often his, "For a whole lot of people." His impulsive nature clothed itself in numberless deeds of generosity, and to enter into the plans and hopes of others warmly and amply was a joy to his open nature. He was a persislent friend. His kindred, his native town and county, the city where he moved, the wider affairs of his country and his time all were upon his mind. The stress of an exceeding activity never sophisticated his enthusiasm, nor chilled with selfish unconcern his direct and singular affectionateness. He was a bright and happy friend and to his double-handed assistance manifold emergencies turned — never in vain. He was quite as eager that all whom he knew should succeed and hope as he was to succeed himself. He loved men and they loved him back. His heart went out toward all sorts of good efforts and no anxi- ety sought unavailingly his counsel and his help. A noble spirit kept him in touch with the best things. He loved companionship and attached his friends, his many employes, his business associates, by his univer- sal kindliness. He was an unresting worker and died in the harness with everything taut. He had a child's gentleness and loved to be loved. He met trials with fortitude and his own troubles never dulled his sym- pathy with those of others. His heart was big. He "did it unto the least" gladly, constantly, encoura- gingly, and was of such as those to whom Christ will say, "ye did it unto Me." So, just as he would have wished it, with simple testimony of true friends who can not forget him — and with the tender voices of strong men — the twilight passed. Such be the good- byes of us all. The honorary pall bearers were : S. R. Callaway, 6 J. E. French, E. B. Thomas, Hon. R. C. Kerens, Col. William Barbour, Col. Robert Andrews, A. H. Calef, E. St. John, S. M. Dodd and E. A. Walton. The active bearers were the following officers of The Safety Car Heating & Lighting Company: R. M. Dixon, S. B. Hynes, C. H. Wardwell, William St. John, I. Parker Lawton, O. C. Gayley, Ernest F. Slocum and D. W. Pye. At the cemetery at Rome, New York, the services were held in the Kingsley Memorial Chapel. The Rev. D. H. H. Peabody, who conducted the services, said: "We gather here from near and afar responsive to the glowing heart and the glowing life of our friend. It would be passing strange if so large a heart of human friendliness as his awakened no chord of response in us. Mr. Soper was distinctively a man of heart. Out of his heart were the ever-flowing issues of life. That ever-quickened affection of his, so sure to be sorrowed by life's sufferings, it was which felt its way along and led him truly. Prince Albert when dying said : ' I cannot bear to leave the world with so much misery in it. ' A brotherly heart was our friend's, so intensely sympathetic with human weal and woe that the inequalities and sufferings of life smote him sorely. He was a man with well-nigh a genius for friendship and a large part of his success in life had its secret in this capacity — fundamental in his affectional endowment for the winning and keep- ing of friends. He was, too, a man of sentiment, quickly touched by any word of a humanitarian ring, and often tearfully responsive to a childhood reminis- cence. He was most genuinely attached to this inland city of his birth ; here his large and active public spirit found expression; here, amid scenes familiar to his boyhood, he would be tucked away at las! in his lowly, earthy bed when the final sleep should fall. "He was swayed by generous impulses and would have embodied in himself a gospel of helpfulness. He gave many times thoughtfully and deliberately, and as often as tho forced to the act by some overmaster- ing impulse. It was the natural richness and irresisti- bleness of these impulses that kept him from the bane- ful limits of a self-centered life and made him an ardent lover of his kind. The impulse to give himself, to let himself go for others, grew upon him with the years. On the telephone, as you know, there is that little film of metal called the transmitter, into which the message is spoken, the vibrations of which are repeated many miles away. Our friend's heart was, in its higher way, a transmitter, and his distinct trans- missive purpose it was which saved him, as it must every human life, from being merely an insignificant film shorn of its power to send on. To him, at last, merely the power to possess was no great thing ; the true glory of life was in its transmissive capacity. 8 "This impulse to and the capacity for self-renuncia- tion grew upon him with the ripening of the years. Jesus spoke of the deceitfulness of riches, and deceit- fulness is simply the false promise that gold or any material blessing may hold out. The poor man is again and again under its spell ; that is, he overstates the happiness that will come with the mere coming of wealth. To him the thought is : ' This is glory, this is success, this is the pride of life and its best. ' To him the question is not how much he can transmit, but simply how much can he gather of life's honey into his individual hive. This is many a poor man's delusion — a delusion the rich man is gradually freed from. The latter comes to see more accurately how little wealth can do for the interior life. He finds that in the wake of gold that has come to him happi- ness may strangely tarry, that there was subtly lurking in that early dream of wealth a- real deceitfulness, a quality of allurement that wealth itself dissipates. "There are few rich men who do not in the end emerge from this cloud of delusion and stand at last upon the bracing altitude of Christ's aphorism, ' The kingdom of heaven is within. ' Our friend, if ever under the spell of this delusive glamouring, soon passed out from it and saw with the clearest eye that the real glory of wealth is not in its possession but in its ministry. He saw that he truly is first, not who is ministered unto, but who ministers. Our friend's business success, so long as it centered in himself, tended to pale and deaden to his own seeming; his own great heart saved him, and wealth to him came more and more to assume its subordinate place to the spiritual man. So the impulse to give, to help, he gave way to more and more in the lasl years that were granted him. He came forward more and more as a helper in the spirit of the friend. He came to look upon all wealth as simply a means to worthy ends. To this spirit we yield him our mosl apprecia- tive response. This whole city full finds delight in calling him friend." The lasl words at the grave were fittingly spoken by Dr. Stryker. Adjourned out of Respedt THE COMMON COUNCIL HONOR THE MEMORY OF ARTHUR W. SOPER. •J When the Common Council met in regular session lasl evening Mayor Caswell slated that out of consid- eration for the loss which Rome had suslained in the death of Arthur W. Soper it seemed but proper respecl to the friends and relatives of the deceased to adjourn until such time as the Council saw fit. Alderman Hall moved that the Council show its appreciation of the interesl in Rome which the 10 deceased always manifested by adjourning until Wed- nesday evening at 7: 30. The Council concurred. Resolutions of Resped. THE ROME CLUB. 11 At a meeting of the Rome Club on Monday even- ing the following was adopted : Whereas, Arthur W. Soper, a member of this Club since 1 888, has been called hence at the zenith of an honorable and successful business career; Resolved, That in his death we deeply mourn the loss to ourselves of a genial companion, of a valued member and an esteemed co-worker ; and the loss to this community, as well as to the metropolis, of whose busy life he formed no inconsiderable part, of a pro- gressive and public-spirited citizen, a business leader of broad views and of noble and unostentatious char- acter. His benefactions were numerous and munifi- cent, and the spirit and manner of their bestowal ennobled them. His influence made nobler and man- lier men, and intimacy with him added a new signifi- cance to the relation of friendship. That in the loss of his society and whole-souled hospitable spirit, each member of this Club feels a personal bereavement. That we respectfully tender to his family our sin- cerest regret that we cannot convey to them the sym- pathy we feel. 11 That these resolutions be spread upon our records, and a copy presented to his family and furnished to the press. TEUGEGA COUNTRY CLUB. At the annual meeting of the Teugega Country Club on Monday evening the following was adopted : Whereas, in the death of Arthur W. Soper of New York City, the Teugega Country Club has just lost one of its honorary life members; Resolved, That in this death the Club has been deprived of a generous patron, a valued member, and a constant and devoted friend ; That, in company with many other institutions of our city, the Club, in his death, will miss the assist- ance and counsel of a good citizen, a cultured Chris- tian gentleman, and of a warm-hearted and munificent benefactor ; That these resolutions be engrossed upon the rec- ords of the annual meeting of this Club, and that a copy be sent to the family of the deceased. FARMERS NATIONAL BANK. At a meeting of the Directors of the Farmers Na- tional Bank of Rome, N. Y., at 1 1 a. m., December 3rd, 1 90 1 , the following memorial and resolutions were unanimously adopted: Whereas, the members of this Board have learned, with the deepest sorrow and regret, of the death, in New York, on the night of November 30th, 1901, of one of its most esteemed members, Col. Arthur W. Soper who, as a director of this bank, not only felt and manifested the keenest interest in its very best success, but toward Rome, the home of his youth, always exhibited the greatest interest and contributed largely, thro his noble and generous nature, toward the general prosperity and happiness of all our citi- zens; and, Whereas, we appreciate that his services here as well as everywhere in the broad field of his useful and ever-adtive life, were the embodiment of the highest qualities of character, and feel that, in his death, we have lost an invaluable co-worker, the citi- zens of Rome a noble and generous friend, whose efforts were ever in the direction of continued pros- perity and intelligent improvement ; therefore, be it Resolved, That we take this means of expressing our deep sorrow over the affliction that has befallen us, as a Board of Directors, as well as the general community, and of paying a feeble tribute to the memory of one who has endeared himself to our affections, and gained and maintained our highest respect and esteem; and be it further Resolved, That we extend to the deeply bereaved family our most sincere sympathy, with the heartfelt regret that we cannot utter adequate words of kindly 13 comfort to reach the depths of the great sorrow which has befallen them and, as an evidence of the appreci- ation of our great loss, that this preamble and these resolutions be spread upon our records, a copy be sent to the bereaved relatives, and that the same be published in the newspapers ; and be it further Resolved, That this Board of Directors attend the funeral of our deceased member in a body. By W. J. P. KINGSLEY, President. ROMAN LODGE No. 223, F. & A. M. At a meeting of Roman Lodge No. 223, F. & A. M., December 4th, 1 90 1 , the following resolutions were adopted : Arthur W. Soper is dead ! Such were the words which broke in upon the stillness of the Sabbath morning of December 1 st, 1 90 1 . Here, in his boyhood's home, where the slreets echoed to his joyous footsteps, where childhood merged into manly purpose, and youth first caught the inspiration of achievement — where should sym- pathy bow lower in grief? We need not recite his early struggles nor his sub- sequent rise to fame and fortune, but would think rather of the greater success which came to him as a man among men ; a disciple of the religion of help- fulness. In the mighty commercial activities of the present 14 day, Mammon is the fetich of human worship. But there may be a step in advance — a higher and nobler life possible, even on this earth. It is a hopeful sign of better living, exalted ideals, and a deeper meaning to " the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man n when we consider the character and life of our deceased brother. To him, business activity and acquisition were rather a means than an end — of wielding power to upbuild enterprise and lighten human care. His genial soul never tired of speaking the cheering word; his generous nature ever prompt- ing him to bestow with a loyalty that never consulted expediency, and a liberality that revealed a nobility of nature with princely munificence. Brother Soper had long been a member of this lodge. For the greater part of his life absent from his native city, seemingly he could not bear to sever one remaining link which bound him so closely to the sacred ties of early life. And so our lodge, these many years, has had the benefit of his sympathy and thoughtful care. No Masonic cause sought his ear but met a quick and liberal response. He typified the great heart of Masonry. He ministered to the destitute and contributed to the needy. To his gen- erous nature many lives are indebted for the only burst of sunshine in their dreary experiences. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the family of our deceased brother ; that a copy 15 hereof be spread upon the minutes of the lodge, and that the same be published in the Rome Daily Sentinel. Arthur W. Soper. [EDITORIAL FROM THE ROME DAILY SENTINEL, DECEMBER 2d, 1901.] tj The death of Arthur W. Soper is a great shock to this community. Here he was born, here he spent many years of his life, and here was his heart. Wherever occupation or business interest led him, his loyalty to the city of Rome followed, and, as time passed, his affection for the home of his early days grew in substantial form. In the broad field of the nation's industrial activity, which was his field, his worth and his capability were rated very high. He was a prince among men — one of nature's noblemen, a friend to everybody, and a friend of a rare sort. His sympathy with mankind was innate. He felt with others and thought with others. In every acquaintance he had not only an admirer, but one whose staunch admiration was based upon the qualities which make the true man. His heart was so large that it overflowed with kindness and charity and good-will. He loved to see others happy, contented and prosperous, and delighted to help them to be so. His enthusiasm and his enter- 16 prise and his earnestness were so abundant that they combined with his other rare characteristics to give him that personal magnetism which drew others irresistibly to him. Mr. Soper rose in life by hard work and business acumen. He was a natural organizer of men, a nat- ural leader. All had confidence in him, and their confidence was never shaken. He had high ideals and he reached for them with a vigor and a vim that a less powerful mentality could not possess. He was thoro and practical, with a wide and liberal concep- tion of affairs and a keen personal interest in all that made for progress. In matters of public policy he had firm opinions and he not only lost no opportunity to present them forcibly to others, but he also created opportunities to do so. Tho he never held public office, he was an intimate acquaintance of many of the nation's statesmen, and they measured his friend- ship by the same high standard as did the humblest citizen, to whom he always was accessible and sympa- thetic with a whole-souled cordiality. Among the railroad managers of this country, especially, was his commercial acquaintance strong. He knew the railroad business from A to Z. He had been thro it all himself, from clerk in a freight office to general manager of a large system, and everywhere he had acquitted himself with marked credit. Upon any subject pertaining to railroads he 17 was an authority, and it was his personality and the respect of railroad men generally for his opinion that enabled him to make such a success of his greatest business undertaking — the introduction of the Pintsch gas light on railroad cars. Mr. Soper was a firm believer in the efficiency of compressed air as a motive power for street railways, and his influence and his encouragement were all- powerful in pushing air cars to their present state of perfection and in bringing them into favorable notice against the opposition of powerful competing interests. Not only in this country, but also abroad, was his ability known and appreciated, and in some of the highest industrial circles of the old world his name was honored as a man of affairs. And yet this man, with the world before him, successful, and honestly and deservedly successful, with acquaintances and interests that naturally would attract one away from the scenes of his childhood, was proof against attraction of that sort. As he broadened out in life, as his affairs grew rapidly in scope, as his duties multiplied, and he became a very busy man, his love for the community where he was born grew with equal pace. In the myriad of things that came before him for disposition, in the multi- tude of intricate business problems he was called upon to solve, he attacked none with greater pleasure and more hearty desire for success than something 18 that would benefit or advance the city of Rome or the welfare of the warm friends he had here. It is a touching thing indeed — the patriotism and loyalty of this industrial leader to the town where he once lived and to the people of it. No circumstance could better illustrate the largeness of his heart, unless it was the fact that in all his efforts for the betterment of Rome, and the surrounding community, it never seemed to occur to him that he was doing anything unusual. He enjoyed it sincerely, and no resident citizen could exceed the gratification he felt at some material local benefit. It would surprise a great many to know how often and how generously he contributed to worthy causes here, for, by his wish only the immediate ben- eficiaries ever heard of many of the evidences of his liberality. It is eminently fitting that his last earthly resting place will be in the Rome Cemetery, where his choice designated it. The world has few men like Arthur W. Soper. The loss of one of them is a calamity, the crushing force of which is lessened only by the thought that a noble example remains for the emulation of others. SAFETY CAR HEATING & LIGHTING CO. Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Safety Car Heating & Lighting Company, duly and legally called and held at the Company's 19 office, 1 60 Broadway, New York, on Wednesday, December 1 1 th, at 3 o'clock p. m. : The meeting was called to order with Vice-Presi- dent Andrews in the chair. There were present Messrs. Andrews, Barbour, Baker, French, Kimball, Read, Lathrop, Lauterbach, Wyckoff and Hepburn, constituting a quorum. The following memorial was presented by the Vice-President : It is with the deepest sorrow that the members of this Board record the death of their revered Presi- dent, Arthur W. Soper, which occurred on Sunday morning, December 1 st, 1 90 1 . In the death of Mr. Soper this Board, as individuals and as a body, has suffered a great and irreparable loss. After a long, successful and honorable connection with many important commercial interests, and with some of the great railway systems of this country, Mr. Soper organized the Safety Car Heating & Lighting Company. From the time of its formation in 1 887 to the date of his death, he was a director in, and for the past thirteen years the presiding officer of, the company. Its accomplished success is due in the greatest measure to his indomitable will, his inde- fatigable energy and his ever-active hopefulness. He possessed those lovable personal qualities which engendered in all whom he had associated with him a desire and determination to help his efforts. 20 Mr. Soper was peculiarly gifted with the qualifica- tions requisite for success and having once avowed the purposes of this company his conviction never faltered for a moment. Neither did he grow weary, but, with his great heart in the enterprise, he worked by day and night for its success. With such a man at its head it is not surprising that this company has flourished under this watchful and judicious guidance until today it may be placed among the great corpo- rations of the land. Notwithstanding all the energy given by him to the interests of this company, he has found time to give his valuable judgment and wise counsel to many other large corporations, in which he has been closely and prominently identified and where his loss will also be most keenly felt. This Board wishes, therefore, to place upon its minutes this brief memorial and to express its personal grief at the loss of Mr. Soper, as a loyal friend. He was, as has been said of him, "A man with well-nigh a genius for friendship, who was swayed by generous impulses and who would have embodied in himself the gospel of helpfulness. n Warm-hearted, sincere, loyal, frank, outspoken, inspiring in those with whom he came in contact absolute confidence in his integrity and ability, gener- ous in the broadest sense, always first to go to those in distress, and with open hand and words of 21 tenderness and sympathy to give timely aid. It is given to but few men so to impress themselves upon their time. Certainly to no one could the words of another be more applicable than to him, " He added to the sum of human joy and were everyone for whom he per- formed some loving service to lay a blossom on his grave he would sleep tonight beneath a wilderness of flowers. n Remarks of George A. Posl, PRESIDENT OF THE STANDARD COUPLER COMPANY. ANNOUNCING TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS THE DEATH OF MR. ARTHUR W. SOPER. LATE MEMBER OF THE BOARD. Gentlemen: For the sixth time within the brief space of six years, it is my sad duty to announce the death of a member of our Board of Directors. The first to pass beyond was Sibley. Then followed Richardson, Andrews, Hobart and Blanchard, all men who, in their respective spheres, had achieved success and distinction, and who, as Directors of this Company, gave character to its efforts in the com- mercial world. Now, with deep emotion, I add the name of Arthur W. Soper to those whose earthly labors are finished, and whose presence as a potent factor in our work shall henceforth be denied us. 22 In company with our confrere, Mr. Sessions, I was m Salt Lake City when the painful message was received that Mr. Soper had passed away, and while, even at that distance, the blow was daggering, it was not until my return to this city that a full realization of the event possessed me. When I stood in the room so long occupied by him as his office, my whole being was chilled by the sight of the closed desk, the vacant chair and the solemn hush that per- vaded the place wherein I was accustomed to witness the procession of captains of industry who were wont to gather about the genius who presided there, for conference with a kindred spirit. Then it was that I comprehended that, indeed, that great heart was stilled, that intrepid spirit conquered, that busy brain at rest, that friend of everyone and enemy of none gone from those who revered him. And, as I speak, his absence from this meeting is the capstone to the column of dread reality. He does not answer the roll-call. The grievous truth is pressed home that as this commercial barque shall in the future breast the waves of competition and con- flict, Arthur William Soper will no longer bend the laboring oar. From the organization of this company Mr. Soper has been an important factor in its operations, and its welfare occupied a large share of his thought. Thro his influence, or upon his solicitation, most of us who 23 now survive him as members of this official circle, became interested in this company, and thro his wide acquaintance and friendly relations with railway officials the company derived mosT: substantial benefit. For nine years, thro the medium of the affairs of this company, it was my good fortune to be thrown into intimate contact with Mr. Soper, and, while we frequently differed upon matters of policy and of administrative detail, there was never a moment when it was not plainly manifest that he was ready, willing and anxious to do anything and everything to advance the welfare of the company. I never sought his co- operation when it was not instantly granted ; I never depended on him in an emergency when he failed fully to measure the necessity. Of his good repute and of the warm regard in which he was held throout the railroad world, no one has had ampler evidence than I have had. And I bring this personal tribute to a conclusion by the statement that I never knew a man with nobler impulses, tenderer heart, or who was actuated by a keener desire to see everybody he knew happy and prosperous, or who would do more to help to accom- plish such a result. That he was a man of uncommon intellectual parts is proven by the conspicuous success he attained in the arena where the metal of men is tested. 24 ACTION OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE FIRST RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF ROME, NEW YORK. In the providence of God, the life and earthly activity of our friend and former fellow-townsman, Arthur W. Soper, has ended. Remembering with gratitude his cheerful and tireless liberality, so constantly manifested toward the charitable and other enterprises of the City of Rome, which liberality he so lately signalized by his generous contribution toward the erection of the chapel of this church, we, the Trustees of the First Religious Society of Rome, N. Y., speaking in behalf of the membership of that society, do hereby express our great sorrow that so useful, beloved and honored a life has ended. We join with the multitude who have rejoiced in his benefactions, and who have been benefited by his far-seeing, skillful business activity, in mourning his loss. Not this community alone, but every community with which he has been connected, has lost in him a wise, generous and honored friend. In honor to him, and with heartfelt sympathy for his bereaved family, we desire thus to express our grief and our grateful memory of one who was always a faithful steward of the gifts God had given him. We hereby order that this memorial be spread upon our minutes, and that a copy be transmitted to Mr. Soper's family. By E. L. DENIO, Clerk. 25 An Appreciation. BY PROF. OREN ROOT, D. D., L. H. D.