Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 186, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 August 1915 — NEARS CENTURY, IS STARTING ON A NEW CAREER [ARTICLE]

NEARS CENTURY, IS STARTING ON A NEW CAREER

A. Maynard Lyon, Possessor of Millions and of Mental Vigor and Ambition.

WOULD WRITE "THE” ANTHEM

Declares He Would Rather Win Recognition as a Successful Author Than Own All of New York City.

New York. —The average person who, being ninety-seven years old, owned real estate and securities worth several millions, besides a city home in New York and country homes in New York, Mermont and England, probably would feel that he had earned a rest and would not be seeking a new Interest ’

But that is not the way A. Maynard Lyon looks at It, and he is ninetyseven years old and is the owner of an estate of the character indicated above. In his ninety-seventh year he aspires to be a writer, especially of serious songs. “I am starting out fresh on a new career," Mr. Lyon said to a reporter for the New York World. “To crown my life by the composition of a National hymn that will be aqcounted great and accepted by the people of the United States and to write a book is my present ambition. I intend to put in this summer in my country home in striving for this great triumph of writing the anthem.

“Never in my life have 1 felt as much ambition or as much enthusiasm as I do now, and never have I found it possible to get so much out of life. I have always had an ambition to be a writer. I love to write poems and to have them set to music. I would rather make a success as an author than own all the real estate and stocks and bonds in New York.

Full of Verse.

"I can write better now than ever before. It seems to me that more thoughts that can be made into verse crowd into my mind than when I was a much younger man. I do not feel that my work in this world is anywhere near completed. Living is sweeter to me now than ever before. "Sometimes when a thought has occurred to me that I regarded as worth while I have got out of bed at mid' night to make a memorandum of it.” Among the songs Mr. Lyon has already had published are a “Universal Patriotic Anthem,” for which Warre"h R. Heddn and C. G. Petraske composed the music, and "I Wandered Here and There Among the Vales,” which was adapted to the music of Beethoven’s “Funeral March.” While Mr. Lyon has retired from active business, he takes time oft from his literary work to look after his material affairs. He does not look a day over

sixty. He walks with agility and often reads without the aid of glasses. At a recent reception he w - as one of the liveliest of the party and stayed it out until the early morning. A Green Mountain Boy. Mr. Lyon was born at Brandon, Vt.. in the shadow of the Green mountains, on August 29, 1818. After going through high school he became a clerk in the village store. A couple of years later he came to New York, reaching here without a cent. “But I have never been without a cent since,” he said. He got employment with John R. Pitkin, a realty dealer. In 1845 the legislature was considering the enactment of laws governing manufacturing in New York. Mr. Pitkin called a meeting of real estate men and manufacturers to determine how to work with the legislature to the end that the proposed laws might aid in the development of the metropolis. Mr. Pitkin not only insisted upon Lyon attending the meeting, but made him chairman.

Lyon was then only twenty-seven. Furthermore, the meeting intrusted him with the ask of keeping in touch with the new legislation, and it is said that his\ influence In its final shaping was very great. In Business for Himself.

Mr. Lyon went Into business for himself in 1851. William B. Astor, J. J. Astor, John D. Wendell, Henry Brevoort and men of that class highly valued his judgment in real estate matters. Mr. Lyon constructed the St. Augustine and Halifax River railroad between St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Fla., and was its president and controlling stockholder for many years. When the American Bible society in 1851'decided to build, Mr. Lyon was made a member of the building committee and he selected a site, and he has been a director of the society ever since. ■»

He has been active for many years in the Society for Improving the Condition of the Poor and for many years was its manager. In 1854 he became a director of the Northwestern dispensary at Ninth avenue and Thirtysixth street and has served in that capacity ever since and for many years was its president. He was a member of the New York city union defense-committee to disburse $3,500,000 to families of Union soldiers. For many years he was an officer of the Forty-second street Presbyterian church. Later he was an underwriter in stocks, in which business he continued until his ninety-second year. Although Mr. Lyon's wife is an ardent suffragist, he has not as yet been converted to the cause. He believes, with the antis, that “a woman's place is in the home." Nevertheless, he admitted while his wife looked on with twinkling eyes that he has not yet decided how to vote on the suffrage amendment, but that he “might vote for it, after an.”

No Hard and Fast Rules. Mr. Lyon has no hard and fast rules for longevity. “I have just lived the normal life that would suggest itself to any rights minded man,” he said. “I eat three meals a day; I don’t smoke; I drink a little wine occasionally on my doctor’s orders; I don’t chew tobacco and never did, but I used to smoke moderately up to the panic of 1907. I eat always plain food, have drunk tea and coffee, and like oatmeal for breakfast. I was always fond of coffee, and am now, and though I have never been troubled with indigestion the doctor thought it was net good for me, and now I am under orders to drink it but once a week. “I walk at least half a mile every day and feel better for it. lam very fond of the open air and country life, as you may .assume from the fact that I have three country homes—one at Nassau, N. Y.; one, Peterborough house, at Harrow, England, and one in my birthplace, Brandon, Vt, where I intend to spend the summer. Up there I mean to get down to work on my national anthem. “On my last trip abroad I was elected a member of the Authors’ -club in London. While on that trip, lasting

two years, I bought Peterborough house.” Mr. Lyon heard his songs sung by Mmea Hurst on the Olympic on his way back. Besides the poems mentioned, he has written “The Inspiring Refrain,” “Holy Waves,” “Jewels.” “The Tolling Bell” and hymns published in religious periodicals.