The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-14
A DREAMER AND A DREAM CITY
BY III. ID. CULLEN

A dreamer? He must be, for so he
has been characterized by friends and
enemies for years Why? Because the
plans he has put forth and their carrying
out, so far as they have been carried,
could have been the product of no ordi-
nary, plodding, every day business mans
mind. Not that he is not a business
man of the most progressive type, for
this is proven by his great financial sue
cess, but he is more than that, he is an
inventor, a thinker an originator.
Who is he? His name is an ordinary
one, E. G.. Lewis, and he is president and
general manager of the Lewis Publishing
company of st. Louis founder of Uni
versity City and the Peoples university,
originator of the American Woman s
league and many other projects.
He is yet a young man, perhaps 80
years of age, but one who has and in
spires the confidence of all with whom he
comes In contact, laborers. artisans, edu-
Gators, business men and not last, but
, far from least the great numbers of
true progressive American women whom
he has associated with him in his many
enterprises.
The writer recently visited the plant
of the Lewis Publishing company, Uni
and was impressed with the character of
the employees of all grades, and their APP
parent confidence In Mr.. Lewis and the
success of all his plans. Their confidence
has been demonstrated many times In the
nast few years In the way in which they
stood by him in adversely of all kinds.
The story sgoes that Mr.. Lewis came to
st. Louis not so many years ago with 30
cents in cash and his indomitable energy
foft available canital.
How well his self-confidence has been
rewarded is shown by the positions he
now holds at the head of these great en-
| terpI1ses, capitalized at millions OF dol
lars.
Perhaps one of the greatest secrets of
his success is the fact that he took the
people, and especially the women, into
his confidence. After his dream or a
| great publishing plant. publishing daily
paper and several magazines especially
| for women had come to pass, but threat
| ened to be blotted out of existence by a
government fraud order" because he
advertised in all his publications his plan
! for a great United States bank he ap-
pealed to the women of America for finan-
| cial aid, and in spite of the fact that
he was allowed to receive no mall did
receive many thousands of dollars by ex-
press, sufficient to fight the case through
| the courts and win. This incident in itself
would furnish material for a stirring ro-
nance.
| Although he was not at that time al
| lowed to establish his great bank he did
| not allow this to hamper him, but began
to carry out his plans for the American
| Woman's league, to be composed OF
| American women. and which was to en-
| dow the Peoples university, as well as to
| carry out many other plans for the bene-
| fit of American women. His success in
| this line was demonstrated recently when
| the league held it's first national conven-
| ton at University City, and 10000 women
met to perfect the organic alton, and to
| nut 1t on permanent basis, within two
| years of the time that the plans OF the
! league were first made public
Although this league and the accom-
panying university work were projected
by Mr.. Lewis to aid first of all those
| women In the rural districts and vii
lagos who could obtain the same things
In no other way, Mr.. Lewis himself was
SURPRISED to find that hundreds, yes,
thousands of its members were the
wives and sisters of mllionaires, bust
ness and professional men. and some of
the most prominent club women In
America. Not that the league has missed
those for whom 1t first intended, but
that it has also embraced ALL classes
of women.
| A word as to University City proper.