Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Childs, R. W. January 17, 1877 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com June 3, 2007, 1:54 am Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company R. W. CHILDS. Said Fred Lockley in one of his contributions to the Oregon Journal: “There is no class of men that can do more harm or good to a state than the hotel keepers. The tourist or newcomer receives his first impression of the state from the reception given him by the hotel keeper. The cordial, genial, accommodating host makes friends for his hotel, his community and his state. To the traveler and some time guest the hotel is a temporary home. The hotel man’s job is to live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man. Sam Walter Foss has written many a true and clever thing, but he never wrote anything better than that little poem, worth reading and rereading. Here are two stanzas: “‘There are hermit souls that live withdrawn In the place of their self-content; There are souls like stars that dwell apart In a fellowless firmament; There are pioneer souls that blaze a path Where highways never ran; Let me live in a house by the side of the road, And be a friend to man. “‘Let me live in a house by the side of the road, And be a friend to man. They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong, Wise, foolish; so am I— Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat, Or hurl the cynic’s ban? Let me live in a house by the side of the road, And be a friend to man.’” R. W. Childs, of Portland, has chosen a vocation of much importance and usefulness, and that he has a special talent for this line of work is indicated by the prestige enjoyed by the Multnomah Hotel, of which he has been manager since June, 1923. Born January 17, 1877, in Braintree, Massachusetts, which in the old days was a post village in Norfolk county, about ten miles from Boston. Until 1792 Randolph and Quincy, now suburbs of Boston, were parts of Braintree—the only town in the United States to become the birthplace of two presidents. These were John Adams and John Quincy Adams. John Hancock was also born there. J. Ward Childs, the father of R. W. Childs, achieved success in the advertising business and later in life turned his attention to the work of spiritual uplift, taking charge of the Bowery Mission in New York city. After the completion of his education R. W. Childs obtained a position in a bank and for eleven years was identified with financial activities in the east. The close confinement undermined his health and his physician advised him to go west and work out of doors. With depleted resources he went to Wendell, Idaho, and obtained employment as a farm hand, grubbing sagebrush and plowing the raw land. Later he was made secretary of an association of farmers and on leaving Wendell assumed the duties of assistant secretary of the Boise Commercial Club, of which he afterward became secretary and manager. Of his subsequent activities Mr. Lockley wrote as follows for the Oregon Journal: “A few years ago, when I met R. W. Childs at the Commercial Club at Boise, I had no idea that within a few years he would be a resident of Portland and be in charge of the Hotel Portland and later the Multnomah Hotel. I had still less idea that he would be the chairman for Oregon for the work of restoring Hotel Noble Rose in Furnes, Belgium. If five years ago you had announced that the hotel men of American were going to dig down in their jeans to raise a fund to rebuild a hotel in Belgium, that they had never so much as heard of, your friends would have looked sad, tapped their foreheads and whispered, ‘He is not all there,’ or ‘He has bats in his belfry.’ They would have thought so too. But five years have wrought wondrous changes. We have all done things whose mere mention would have amazed us five years ago. “I happened to be in Belgium, which, oddly enough, was not in Belgium at all, but at Ham, France, at about the time the officials of Belgium had notified Baron de Cartier, the Belgian minister to the United States, that, in response to the generous offer of the hotel men of the United States to restore the Noble Rose, the Belgian government accepted with gratitude their offer and had set aside the Noble Rose as a national memorial and historic monument. For all time this wonderful old hotel, when it has been restored, will be the property of the Belgian government and will be operated by the government. It was here in this old Flemish town near the Yser that the Belgians stopped the vast gray human flood. But, though the German hordes were held in check, they shelled and well nigh destroyed the historic old hostelry. De Graeve, the well known Flemish historian, gives the following interesting facts as to the history of this old world inn: “‘The origin of this house seems to be very ancient, and the date, 1575, which it bears upon its gable, does not in any way correspond with the date of its foundation. The quarter of the town in which the Noble Rose is situated still bears the name Kroonhof. This designation is applied to the collection of buildings and gardens lying between the old town hall (now known as the Pavillon des Officiers Espagnols) and the remains of the cloister of the Capucin monks. A local tradition attributes the derivation of this designation Kroonhof to a princely mansion said to have existed in this locality in very remote times. The archives of the town, however, explain the name in a more precise manner. An old tavern bearing the sign “de Kroon” stood indeed upon the site of the original town hall. This tavern was destroyed in 1647 and a garden was made upon its site; naturally enough this garden took the name Kroonhof.’ “In discussing the matter of the restoration of this beautiful and historic old Flemish edifice, Eugene Dhuicque, chief of the mission of the Belgian ministry of sciences and arts and corresponding member of the royal commission on monuments, says: “‘The present house, which was built between the years 1572 and 1575, rests upon arched vaults of much more ancient date, the arrangement of which does not in any way accord with that of the building erected at the rennaissance. There is no doubt that these arched vaults belonged to a residence of large dimensions, dating back to the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Indeed, the archives of these vaults are supported by columns with sculptured capitals, whose style recalls that of ancient parts of the Church Sainte Walburge, which was commenced about the year 1230. Perhaps we find ourselves in the presence of some substructure of the princely residence, for the luxury of construction of these vaults indicates that they were intended for some unusual purpose. “‘This hall still contains an extremely beautiful fireplace, with marble columns, and upon the beams of the ceiling is the date 1572. On the upper floors are found the old ceilings with uncovered timbers, large fireplaces of molded brick and old elm woodwork, whose curved lines indicate the tradition of naval construction. Along the left gable wall runs a narrow passage. This is still called a “brandweg,” that is to say, a fire passage. “‘On November 1, 1914, a shell came through the roof and exploded on the first floor. On February 16, 1915, another shell came through the roof, exploding on the second floor. The concussion was such that the roof was blown to pieces, and with the entire gable, breaking lose from its holdings, fell into the street. By good fortune, all the ornaments of the charming window which decorated the gable have been found among the wreckage. They have been carefully collected and will permit a faithful reconstruction of the old facade. “‘Not only does the Noble Rose belong intimately to the history of the town of Furnes, but it belongs already to the history of the present war. The general headquarters of the Belgian army were fixed there before the battle of the Yser. They remained there from October 14, 1914, until January 23, 1915. King Albert, the president of the French republic, and Marshal Joffre passed through here. In granting to this house the title of an historic monument, the Belgian government will only ratify the general sentiment which from now on classes the Noble Rose among the edifices around which are clustered the most touching recollections.’ “In the course of a conversation with Mr. Childs while he was conducting the Hotel Portland I asked, ‘How do you manage to have things run so smoothly?’ and he replied, ‘By having a loyal force of workers. I talk with them, never at them. We do things together. Every employe realizes that he is helping to build up or tear down the good name of this institution by his individual acts. Every one of us is helping to make the world either a better or a worse place to live in. We are all striving together to establish an atmosphere of comfort, pleasure and “homeyness” here. I try to keep my poise, no matter how trying the circumstances. If I cannot control my temper and be cordial, just and kindly to my employes, how can I expect them to be cheerful, willing and friendly to our guests. If you have a sincere desire to serve your guests they are quick to recognize it. They will come back, and send their friends. They recognize that when the guest receives cheerful service the employes do not consider their work servitude. I do not believe in extremes. Someone has wisely said: “Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the new aside.” In other words keep to the middle of the road. Here is something I learned many years ago. I don’t know who wrote it, but I have made it part of my life. Write it down. Possibly it may help someone else: “Be even-tempered, satisfied rather than self-seeking; progressive in a sensible way. Avoid fads and extremes. Be content to see the crocuses come with early spring and to have the roses bloom later on in the summer. Don’t want everything at once. Be content with the recurring seasons as God has planned them. Don’t complain because the sun is too warm, the wind too cold or the rain too frequent, for all of this is in the dispensation of Him who careth for us all. Avoid demagogues and disturbers. Envy no man his lot. Let your life be a voyage of hope and discovery, not one of repining and despair. Let neither riches nor poverty change your disposition, but be content with either, for contentment is from within, not from without. Such a man crowds nobody, oppresses no one unjustly, provokes no controversies, seeks no quarrels, has no time for revenge, invites no attacks, but is always prepared and always ready at the call of duty.”’” In 1921 he was placed at the head of the publicity department of the Multnomah Hotel, later becoming manager of the hostelry, and has since so continued. His capacity for detail is supplemented by executive ability of a high order and a specialized grasp of the art of hotel keeping which amounts almost to an inborn talent. Mr. Childs enjoys his work and under his progressive administration the hotel is constantly growing in popularity and usefulness The Multnomah Hotel Company was organized in 1911 by the R. R. Thompson Estate Company and Roy E. Yates was elected president, while Mr. Bowers assumed the duties of manager. Early in 1916 the hotel was closed and in the latter part of that year it was purchased by the Smith Securities Company, a holding corporation, for Grant, Smith & Company. On September 9, 1916, it was reopened under the direction of the Multnomah Hotel, Inc., of which Eric V. Hauser has since been the president. He is also sole owner of the hotel, which he purchased January 1, 1920. It was managed by H. H. Cloutier from 1916 until 1918, when his place was taken by A. B. Campbell, who tendered his resignation in May, 1921. R. W. Price, the next manager, served until June 1923 and Mr. Childs was then chosen as his successor The Multnomahs were a powerful tribe of Indians who once lived in the dense forest, afterward chosen as the site of the beautiful city of Portland, and the name signifies “down the waters.” A unique feature of the Multnomah Hotel is the Indian room, which is nationally known. The broadcasting station is in constant operation and has established communications with stations south of Florida, reaching to Alaska in the north, and in the antipodes the service extends to a point within four hundred miles of Australia. During the World war the hotel was a center of patriotic activities and has also become a serviceable factor in civic affairs. Many civic organizations hold their meetings at the Multnomah, which for eight years has been the headquarters for the local Masonic Club. It has housed many conventions, seating over one thousand persons at one time, and has fed more than three thousand people in one day. This was one of the first hotels in the United States to adopt the open court style of architecture, and in point of operation it is modern to the ultimate degree. The Multnomah generates its own electricity and maintains a private laundry, tailor, carpenter and paint shops, and also does its own printing. In this establishment the hotel prints over one hundred and twenty- five thousand pieces of advertising matter per year for distribution, and an information bureau is maintained for the convenience of tourists. On the roof of the hotel Silas Christophersen, the aviator, had a platform constructed in 1914 and was one of the first airmen in the United States to fly from a building. About three hundred persons are employed in this fine hostelry, which contains six hundred rooms and ranks with the largest and best in the Pacific northwest. The building contains five hundred and thirty-eight guest rooms and three hundred and fifteen are supplied with private bath. The elegance and refined taste reflected in its appointments, the genteel appearance and courtesy of its staff are among the visible evidences of the excellence of the Multnomah, and unfailing service, smoothly rendered, makes each guest pleasantly conscious of its efficiency. The hotel may well be termed the modern “city gate” where the people congregate. Following is a partial list of the celebrities who have been entertained at this notable hostelry: The French Marshals, Foch and Joffre; President Harding; Sir Esme Geddes, the British ambassador, and his wife; Queen Marie of Roumania; Secretaries Hoover and Work; Mary Garden and Lucien Muratore, whose names are well known to all lovers of grand opera; John Philip Sousa, renowned as a composer and band leader; Helen Keller, one of the most remarkable women of this generation; Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.; and Colonel Lindbergh. Mr. Childs belongs to the Progressive Business Men’s Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, the International Exchange Club, the Ad Club and the Multnomah Athletic Club. He is one of the Sons of the American Revolution and his fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masons. His demeanor is marked by that courtesy, tact and consideration for others which characterize the gentleman, and a frank, genial and kindly disposition has won for him the esteem of a host of friends. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 347-350 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/childs386gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 16.1 Kb