Pep

Great homage is poured out on the head of a large bank. Less homage goes to the president of a great life insurance company, and for no good reason except that it "does not seem as large." Consider, however, the New York Life Insurance Co.: it has assets of $1,789,000,000 (only three U. S. banks, Chase, Guaranty Trust and National City, surpass it in resources). The president of this 86-year-old corporation is a person of importance. When he goes in to his directors (on the second Wednesday of the month) there are among others present the Republican boss of New York (Charles Dewey Hilles), the chairman of a great railroad (Hale Holden), the chairman of the largest bank in Chicago (George McClelland Reynolds), the president of the largest university in the U. S. (Nicholas Murray Butler), a onetime president of the U. S. itself.

For 24 years this presidency has belonged to Darwin Pearl Kingsley, 73. It will soon be conveyed to Thomas Aylette Buckner, 66. Mr. Kingsley will become chairman of the board, a post created for him. With him Mr. Kingsley will carry the memories of his early adventurous days in the roughneck towns of Colorado; also his secret hobby (he is a member of the Hobby Club): Shakespeare. He owns four early folios, including the fabulous first, picked up at Quaritch's in Piccadilly. In the library of his office (in his company's new building on the site of Madison Square Garden) a secret spring opens a secret panel revealing a miniature picture of Shakespeare meditating.

The new president, Mr. Buckner. has a slightly different past. He entered the service of the company at 15 as an office boy* to his father (a onetime school teacher who ran the Milwaukee agency). In 50 years and more of his employment he has acquired the following list of hobbies: 1) his family--two children; 2) the company; 3) reading;/- 4) bridge; 5) radio; 6) golf.

The American Insurance Digest says that messages of inspiration from Mr. Buckners gifted pen have sold millions of life insurance. New York Life agents receive such messages regularly. Extracts from one:

PEP vs. PIP

Which is to say the difference between a man and a hen. . . . Pep is something that makes a man straighten up, throw out his chest, stick out his chin, and do things. . . . It brightens his wits. It sharpens his tongue. It creates sunshine all around him. . . .

Pip is something that sends shivers down the back and saps all the energy in the body. Did you ever see a hen with pip? Her wings are drooped, her feathers ruffled, her head hangs down . . . her cackle is gone, her eyes are watery. . . . She is sick all over.

Have you PEP or the Pip? . . .

PEP takes the "t" out of can't and the "i" out of pip. . . .

* A maxim-maker he. One of his maxims: "Show me a GOOD office boy and I will show you a future executive."

/- He has said: "Every reader of Lincoln's life will be benefited immeasurably. As to fiction among those I like best are Dickens. Bulwer-Lytton, Stevenson, Scott, Dumas, Hugo and Mark Twain."

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