He was defiantly narrow-minded, barely educated, and at least close to functionally illiterate. His beliefs were powerful but consistently dubious, and made him seem, in the words of The New Yorker, "mildly unbalanced." He did not like bankers, doctors, liquor, tobacco, idleness of any sort, pasteurized milk, Wall Street, overweight people, war, books or reading, J. P. Morgan and Co., capital punishment, tall buildings, college graduates, Roman Catholics, or Jews. Especially he didn't like Jews. Once he hired a Hebraic scholar to translate the Talmud in a manner designed to make Jewish people appear shifty and avaricious.
The individual described was characterized by a narrow mindset and a lack of formal education, bordering on illiteracy. His firmly held beliefs, though intense, were often regarded as questionable, leading to perceptions of him as somewhat unhinged. He held strong aversions to a wide array of societal elements, including institutions like Wall Street, professions like banking and medicine, and various cultural symbols. His dislikes were broad, targeting everything from leisure activities to certain demographics.
Particularly troubling was his pronounced animosity towards Jewish people. This was exemplified by his decision to employ a Jewish scholar specifically to produce a translation of the Talmud that would present Jewish individuals in a negative light, portraying them as greedy and untrustworthy. Such actions reflect not only his prejudiced beliefs but also an intent to reinforce harmful stereotypes, casting a shadow on his character and providing insight into the toxic elements of his worldview.
