The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1907-03-14
SAUk CENTRE
PRODUCT
Fred w. Carpenter Receives the
Following Comment in the March
Number of The World Today:

The duties of the private secretaries
of the cabinet differ chiefly in degree.
Their personalities differ widely
enough in kind but not in quality
They are there because, either through
long association with their chiefs in
other spheres or long association in
the departments where they serve,
they have all developed the genius Of
work-of handling men and things
quickly and correctly-and the capaci-
tv to have and to hold thorough
knowledge of their chiefs, their pri-
vate business interests, their idiOsyn-
crasies, their aspirations, their weak
ness and their strength. 1t would
surprise the world to know how often
the private secretary's advice is asked
how often it is accepted; how much
of the department business bears
only the impress of his submerged
individuality.
One of the most energetic and
successful workers among these men
is Fred Warner Carpenter, private
secretary to Secretary TAFT, in the
overworked War Department. When
he comes from his office into the
grand reception room Of the depart
ment, where every visitor must be in
spected and his mission weighed
before he is admitted to the sanctum
of the ponderous chief-when Car
penter comes in to inspect you, you
see, coming across the room, a boy
looking fellow smaller for the
bigness of the room about him,
where everything looks small-with
smooth face that is rather narrow,
under an overhanging brow some
what obscured by low-growing hair.
You note dominant nose and a
mouth that is firmly closed. BY that
time you get a look under the eye.
brows, into a pair of big brown eyes,
and YOU forget about the rest. His
voice is as low, as gentle, as solemn
as his face. His words are as dellber'
ate, as dignifed as the way he comes
across the room. No one was ever
more cordially, almost deferentially
courteous, but the chances are tina,
YOU feel indescribably ratified. There
is no indication of haste about him
but YOU are irresistibly impelled tt
rush your errand impossible knots ar
hour. Presently you realize that ne
has possessed himself of the meat O
YOUR mission and decided whether
YOU are to see the Secretary. You
stop to catch your breath, and hi
quietly gives you all the information
the department will vauchsafe, or
whatever subject you have preached
You may as we'll be satisfied with it
for you will get no more. He eithe
tells you to wait and the Secretary
will see you in a moment, or-wha
is more likely-starts you down tn
corridor, half dazed, wondering who
the dickens that boyish-leokini
fellow is, anyway.
1t is only the private secretary
the Secretary of War, doing his dut,
as few could have done it if they triet
their best. If you should see hin
half second after he has got rid o
YOU. it would be back in his Office
which guards the entrance to hi
chiefs, surrounded by clerks, up t.
his ears and eyes in work, going abou
it all just as quietly as he went abou
you, and accomplishing it as quickl.
and correctly as he accomplished you
He stumbled into the place AM
has but the luck of things to than
for tossing him where he belongs
He did most of his growing on hi
fathers ranch in California, studie
law and took his bachelor and maste
degrees and was admitted to the ba
in Minneapolis. Then he returne
to San Francisco and for want Of
better way to make a quick start
entered the law office of Bishop
Wheeler, as stenographer. Away il
the Philippines Judge Taft, presiden
of the Philippine Commission, wante
a stenographer. A friend spoke 9
Carpenter. Taft cabled an offer
Carpenter started for Manila. Tha