The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1893-10-17
COncerninq ths Prominent Citizen.


wide expanse of shirt-front, and
pair of neatly trimmed impressive
whiskers, With these accoutrenents
enhanced by dignifed manner and
short vocabulary OF pompous
phrases, the prominent citizen is quail
fed to fulfill the duties which his
prominence entails upon him.
Now, specimens of the class to which
l refer may be found In every town
and hamlet in the land, but to my
mind the most interesting variety Is
that which crops out in the lowe
middle strata Of metropolitan life.
The prominent citizen of this order
expands more generously than he
who dwells in a little. rustic commu-
nifty, where, as the saying goes, every
body knows everybody else's busi-
ness.
The best urban type of the class
that have ever known is Mr.. Jabez
Fairweather, who lives somewhere in
the Ninth Ward, and has for the past
core OF years filled position of trust
in the established wholesale house
of Tierce & Firkin.
People who know Mr.. Fairweather
down town speak of him with much
respect as "a very prominent man in
his district, where he has owned his
own house, for the past twenty years"
In the Ninth Ward he is generally re-
vered as the confidential man of
Tierce & Firkin--the firm couldn't do
business without him--they trust him
every day with untold gold"
Mr.. Fairweather has never taken
any trouble to deny these rumors, but
mas graciously allowed his employers
to respect him because of his standing
in the community in which he dwells,
ond has accepted the tribute which
his neighbors gladly pay to one who
enjoys the esteem and confidence of
the great commercial house which
commando his services.
Mr.. Fairweather is now well along
in years, though his health is rugged
and his step vigorous, and although
fully quarter of century has passed
since he first began to essay the role
of prominent citizen, he is still as
keen in pursuit of the honors which
that vocation affords as If he were in
full vigor of early manhood. In fact
the changing years have added TO,
rather than lessened, his value as an
exponent Of the part, because with
increased weight and superior
length of gray whiskers have come
an increased sense of his own impor-
tance and growing tendency on the
part of ordinary citizens to inquire the
name of the MISUNDERSTANDING
gentleman with the broadcloth suit"
During the early days of his public
career Mr.. Fairweather was assiduous
in his attendance of all sorts of public
gatherings, social, religious, scientific
or political. There was scarcely a
meeting of any description held within
walking distance of his own house
which did not number him among the
present. In this way he soon sue
ceeded in making his face and name
familiar to the reporters, so that he
always had the qualification of read
ing in the papers of the following day
the name of Jabez Fairweather as
among the well-known citizens pres
ent. 4
Before long he began to receive in
vitations to platform seats" at the
different lectures, mass meetings and
other gatherings which he attended,
and it must be admitted that the
world has not produced man better
fitted both by nature and training to
a chair of prominence than old Jabez
Fairweather, one of the "best known
citizens of the old Ninth Ward"
No matter what the purpose of the
meeting was or how pious the speak
ers, he would sit with folded arms and
attentive face, picture of sterling in
tegrity, sagacity and discretion, all
contained within one suit of decorous
black broadcloth. At the outset of his
career he used to go to meetings of
every description entirely regardless
of their purposes, and he was just as
glad to sit on the platform and listen
to the discussion OF plans for the con-
version Of the Jews to Catholicism as
he was to lend dignity to the annual
maatinu of tho Cnoiatu fou Tho Sun