Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1916 — WHEN DEWEY MET BANCROFT [ARTICLE]

WHEN DEWEY MET BANCROFT

Little Incident That Illustrates the Natures of Two Great and WellLoved Americans. In the late seventies of the last century Admiral Dewey—then Commander Dewey—was stationed at Washington, where he was serving his term of shore duty as naval secretary of the lighthouse board. With the passage of time, he says in his “Autobiography,” I had lost none of a Vermonter’s fondness for good horseflesh, and riding was my favorite exercise. On my afternoon “constitutionals” I often came up with a finelooking, white-bearded old gentleman who always wore a German cap. Sometimes as I overtook him I would draw ‘rein, and we would pass the time of day. Then, as I liked to go faster than he did, I would draw ahead of him, always receiving the politest bow in exchange for my own. He struck me as a most delightful person, and I conceived a real liking for him. One day I asked the watchman at the gate of the Soldiers* Home who this gentleman was. He answered, “His name is Bancroft, and he Is from Berlin.” From that I knew that he was the historian and former Secretary of the Navy, and that he must have acquired a liking for German caps when he was our minister to Germany. The next time I met him when 1 was riding I introduced myself and said: “As an officer of the navy, who owes so much to the Naval Academy that you established, I want to thank you.” I could see that he liked the compliment with its reference to a service that many of that generation had forgotten, so we became good friends. I was at dinner later when both he and General Sherman were present Menus were passed round with a request for autographs. General Sherman wrote his, and underneath it a word that Mr. Bancroft could not make out “What is it?” Mr. Bancroft asked. “General,” answered Sherman. Mr. Bancroft, who had already wriw ten his autograph, asked for the menu back, and under his name he added, “Octogenarian.” One day when I was walking with Admiral Porter and we passed Bancroft; I heard his valet say to him, “Lift your hat That is Admiral Porter.” For it was a custom in Washington to lift your hat to the admiraL Mr. Bancroft obeyed the valet’s military direction, and Porter said to me, "Here he is Void to lift his hat to me when I used to salute him as a superior.” Porter had lifted his own hat in a manner that showed the old feeling of a junior officer in the presence of a former Secretary of the Navy had not passed.—Youth’s Companion.