The Pensacola journal., 1914-12-20
MISS ERNESTINE NOA
An Interview By Celia Myrover Robinson.

as you recall, was so prominent
identified with the vice investigatfon.
in Chicago and was the first grea-
merchant in the United States to raise
the salary basis OF a large mail order
business. Our friend in New York
| had written him and he had written
! back that he was not at all interestaa
! and did not care to see US. But W..
| wanted to see him, and so we went tg
him and presented our cause. We con.
| vinced him so quickly and so thor
| oughly that 1t almost took our breath
| away, but we got IL back again. and
lost II again when he wrote US a chec'.
| for one thousand dollars. That was the
beginning, and we raised altogether
| twenty-five hundred dollars FOR this
/ work. One problem confronted ug
The pamphlets were printed by the
United States Department OF Agrlcul-
ture and could be sent out under
government frank, but the distribution
was the troubling question. It was
overcome by asking Sears, Roebuc,
and Company, il they would send this
literature out for US from their mail
ing room. They said they would and
they did, thus saving us at leas,
$4,000"
i4dL NEaG a SpAcuAAu 4dEdt FLlse
Noa," was here interpolated
yes" she said, simply. THE idea
just came to me all OF a sudden, while
was talking, and so asked the vice
president, with whom ! was then talk
ing If they would mail it out and he
sent Immediately for the head OF the
mailing room. The man looked en-
tirely taken aback. He said it would
cost several thousand dollars, and no
should be compelled to hire severa.
hundred girls in addition to the force
then employed. But the order was
given, and so we were saved this
tremendous amount Of labor and
money.
"The men in Chicago were wonder
fully generous to us. There were othe.
large contributions in that city And
DR.. Johnson and l each gave five hun
dred. Very little was secured in thu
South, which has not yet walked up TO
the Importance of this work.
"In Chicago we were met most en-
Enthusiastically for these western men
believe in agriculture for they know
it is the very backbone Of their com
merce. / had the pleasure once In
Chicago, by the way, Of being asked
to speak to the Chamber Of Commerce.
Another distinction enjoyed oy DR..
Johnson and myself, was the Confer
ence Of Governors, which met in Rich
mond, and also at the White House,
where she had the honor Of speaking.
"But to return to my story-they
a considerable sum OF
money in Chicago, and believe I told
you that had three jobs offered me,
while in that city. which, so far as I
know, are still open to me. Anyhow,
we got our money and had our
pamphlets printed and circulated ana
we were appointed to go as delegates
from Tennessee with the American
Commission to study Agricultural CO.
operation abroad. The u. S. Commits
sion consisted of Senator Duncan L.
Of Florida, Senator Gore o.
Oklahoma, Representative Moss OF
Illinois, DR.. Kenyon L. Butterficld
President Of the Massachusetts, ARri-
cultural College, DR.. John Lee Coulter
If the Bureau OF Statistics and a noted
Agricultural expert and now. though
lnder thirty-five, at the head Of tho
Rural Economies Department Of Pea
,ody College, Of Nashville, Tenn, Mr.
Harvey Jordan of Atlanta and DR.. {.
T. Owens of Washington.
"The United States Commission was
Continued on Next Page.)