The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-08-01


prominent people of America While
over in the Library the other day L
pulled down a book entitled 'Prom-
nent People in America. In turning
the leaves of this book L caught sight
OF a picture of Mr.. Roe with MS
biography. For a moment l could not
believe my eyes. I read his biOgra-
phy and it sounded like he was some
body | knew most of the dO1nSs OF
his life, but there were some things
in there his grandfather did that l
did not know of. / don't understand
why they should put the acts OF MS
grandfather in the biOgraph OF MI.
Roe"
We'll" said I, they are put in to
show that Mr.. Roe is lineat de-
scendant of noted people and is real
~ a scion of an illustriOuS family.
Il never knew of Mr.. Roe doing
anything worth mentioning" said the
Young man. He seems to me TO be
only an ordinary man. l can't IN
derstand why he should be put in
book of the prominent people OF
America. This is a mystery TO me
and 1 don't understand ii"
May be l can explain this mystery
to you" said l.
/ have had an opportunity to know
lust how the Prominent People OF
America" are gathered in book form,
and if you desire to know l will eX-
plain this TO you.
The enterprising publishing house
which undertakes to do so much LOT
the people and themselves, believing
that Mr.. John Doe will make good
material for their work, direct the
followin gletter to him:
The Progressive publishing Company
Publishers of Prominent People OF
AranFfRQ ~
March 30, 1909.
Dear Sir:
You will probably be gratified to
learn that you have been selected by
this company as one OF the persons
in your state to go in our new work,
prominent People of America This
work is a gathering OF the dlstln-
guished people Of this country with
out regard to party. A citizen who
has been selected to 90 in this work
must certainly feel proud when ne
finds he is lined up with such men
as William H. Taft, VIM. j. Bryan,
Theodore Roosevelt, Benz. K. Till
man. Hoke Smith of Georgia, and
Henry WatterSOn of Kentucky IL
was only after a very careful exam
ination of the prominent people OF
YOUR state that this company select
ed your name as one to go In TINS
great MOEh. NJ NOlh AAhAO 1AAAn -
has ever been issued before. we
have been engaged for year in max
ing preparations to publish this work
All the latest improvements in print
ing and binding will be used IN this
great work.
If YOU desire to take advantage OF
YOUR good fortune in being selected
to go in this great work, 1T VIII be
necessary for you to answer the en-
closed list of questions. so that we
can put your biography IN proper
shane. After you have filled out the
questions send to us with one OF your
hest photographs. Send both to us
at your earliest convenience and
obliSe.
Yours truly,
The Progressive Publishing Co.
I. Give your full name and ad-
dress.
2. Give the date and place of your
birth. -,
3. What was your fathers full
name and his nationality:
4. What was your grand father S
full name and did he ever render
any distinguished service to his
country, either in peace or war!
;. What schools did you attend
and what premiums, diplomas or de-
grees have you?
6. What public positions have you
filled and how long did you fill them?
Z. State what clubs or aSsocla-
lions YOU are a member OF.
s. How many children have you,
the name and age of each.
O.. State anything else not covered
by the foregoing questions.
10. Answer each question fully.
On the day this communication
with the questions was received Mr..
and Mrs. John Doe went to work al
ter supper in the sitting room, pre-
pairing the answers. Mr.. Doe would
saw every now and then to Mrs Doe,
who was doing the writing: Write
finer and closer up, so that we will
have room to put it all in 1t re-
uuired two nights work to properly
prepare the answers to these QueS-
lions, read them over, put in the in
terlineatiOns and attach the memo
randums. Finally the great work of
preparing the material for the bio
graph of John Doe was completed,
placed in an envelope. addressed to
the publishing house, sealed. the
necessary postage placed thereon
and placed in the mail
After which for whole month
nothing was heard of the great work
which was to tell posterity what a
great man John Doe was in his day,
aud how his life compared with the
lives of the men who handled the af-
fairs Of the nation.
After receiving this communication
for his biography. he did not mention
the fact to any one. except his wife
who had to assist him in preparing
the answers. Then for the first time
in his life he realized his real value.
and how important a man he was.
He took a renewed interest in all
public matters, and assumed a more
important appearance in every way.
Before this. he only scanned the
headlines of the papers touching on
the affairs of state; but after this he
read the Washington correspondent
letter daily. He got a congressional
directory to brush up on a few of the
public men. He borrowed the Con-
gressional Record from a lawyer who
never read it. After borrowing the
Congressional Record for few days.
he said the Record was printed to
tell the people everything. except
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