South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-07-13
A Master of
Acquaintance
By FRED G.. KELLY.

This little tale is about a man who
is a master of the Art OF Getting Ac-
quainted
Robert Fl. Davis, who edits Frank
Munsey's clump of magazines, is the
man. and he makes getting acquainted
a speciality, a hobby. a business-al-
most a mania. He likes to know a
W hole lot of people, and does. Years
ago he started in TO make acquaint-
ances from ecessity-because he
needed acquaintance more than any
thing else. Today he still keeps at it
partly from habit and partly from the
sheer JOY of the thing. He adds to
his string of acquaintance with the
zest of a man who collects stamps,
or rare tapestries, or hotel keys.
There may be somebody who knows
more people than Bob" Davis does,
but it is doubtful if there ever was
a person who knew so many by pre-
meditation and method.
Davis never walks a mile or rides a
mile without acquiring at least one
more acquaintance And he doesn't
care whether his new friend is
banker or a painless dentist.
Every man." says he. has story
that l would like to hear if L had
time 10 listen"
When Davis is about to ride on q
suburban car he first buys two news
papers, which he tuckS under his Left
wing. One is for himself and the
other is for the stranger who sits
next TO him-provided the stranger
wants IT, When he opens up his own
paper Davis chances out Of the tail
OF his eye TO note If his seat-mate is
looking at the headlines. The in
slant the stranger shows the slightest
interest in the news Davis smilingly
whisks forth the other PAPER and
hands il to the stranger.
If there breathes a man with soul
so dead that he can resist the capti-
waiting geniality OF the Davis smile
under such marked circumstances. go
mark him well, for he must be
crab indeed.
Having given the man the paper,
Davis uses the Invest news topic as a
fulcrum on which to pry open q con-
versation. Before they separate he
knows the mans occupation, street
address and views about things
Sometimes when he is merely walk
ing along the street, Davis will think
IL is about time TO make a new ac-
quaintance, whereupon he will turn
his engaging smile upon some limo
cent bystander and begin to talk
about the architecture or the color Of
a passing automobile.
AS we sat at lunch noe noon in
quiet little cafe. Davis suddenly
turned TO the waiter and inquired:
lis all the coffee in the world get
ting better or worse? Don't you get
a great many complaints about cof-
fee ,"
Indeed do. sir" replied the
waiter, earnestly. 1T seems impOs-
sible to get good coffee any more"
How long have you been
WAITER" pursued Davis. And soon
he had learned enough to show that
the walters life story would have
been interesting If one had time TO
hear IL
about the Coffee" remarked Davis
more food. Ask any man about
something with which ne is familiar
and youth get a hearty response"
When he was graduated from the
printing office 20 a Job as reporter
out in San Francisco, DAVIS was an
extremely poor newsgatherer-that is.
at first. In order TO get news one
must know people. and Davis knew
scarcely any. Moreover. eveo aside
from business reasons. Davis keenly
felt his lack OF acquaintance. He
was brought up in a small towr-
Carson City. NeV.-and in the big
city he was lonesome He missed
having men wallOp him on the back
and inquire: "How's the ishin'?"
So he came 20 the logical conSlu-
sim that he ought 10 set about get
ting the thing he most needed and
most desired.
AS rapidlv as he made an acouaint-