The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1914-10-15
: :. :. :. =. :. 4
! Wa1li1lgford...
: In His Prime
; BY GEORGE RANDOLPH CHESTER .
. Copyright. 1918. by the Bobbs- .
! Merrill Co.
BY GEORGE RANDOLPH CHESTER
Copyright. 1918. by the Bobbs-

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'nes his auditors laughed every tine
ne said anything at all. Finally. hoary
headed Dan Blessus. who ran a furni-
rure factory on the profit sharing plan.
with daily chapel attachment. and
obtained the manufacture of his output
'heaper than any OF his competitors.
.sked Wallingford the question that
,ad been sprouting at the root OF every
mans tongue for the last half hour.
"1f it were not presuming too far he
suggested. I'D like to ask you what
your own line might be. but I'm afraid
20 do SOL
"1'll save you the embarrassment Of
asking" returned Wallingford cheer
fully. II am an industrial physician"
And surgeon" inquired fat little
Woods, whose sense of the ridiculous
was far keener than his sense of pro-
priety.
There was laugh upon this, and
Wallingford laughed the loudest; then
he slipped quite naturally back into
the serious conversation upon which he
mad started.
aside from the fancy language" he
stated. Il have made it my work to
find the commercial needs OF one city
after another. l study each case as
carefully as if We're physician or
in engineer. Sometimes find that a
city has undeveloped natural resources.
such as bed of suitable clay for max.
ing pottery. In that case l would pro.
mote a pottery. finance it, even invest
my own money if necessary, put it upon
paying basis. sell out my interest. in
Guiding the modest amount of stock
given me for my services in promotion.
and go elsewhere. Every city is more
or less commercially incomplete and
has one crying need"
six people asked it at once. "What does
Prize City need!" they chorused.
IAN amusement park" replied Wal
!ingford promptly.
He was told that the Commercial
club had often talked this over.
"That's where you need me-" Wal
lingford laughingly Informed them.
You do nothing but talk. largely be-
cause you're absorbed in your own
business affairs. People need amuse-
tnent more than they need anything
else. What amusement do you give
them in the summer? III tell you. On
Saturday nights you let them come
down and walk around and around
Monument square and when their legs
get tired they can carry the children
home. It's no wonder they go to Riv-
erton and Capitalia to ride on the roller
coasters. as our friend Hammond puts
it. incidentally, while they're there,
they buy dry goods. clothing. groceries.
shoes and millinery. You must reverse
those conditions.
Nov is the time for action" he said.
LET us make this private enterprise
on good. sound, sensible basis, but
under Commercial club auspices. Some
body appoint chairman and let's or
ganize."
With tumultuous fervor they nomin
mated j. Rufus Wallingford. but h'
firmly declined the offer and put hi:
happy friend. Hammond. in the chair
Before the meeting broke up thu
Prize City Amusement Park compan!
had been fully organized. a committed
had been appointed to 60 out with Wal
lingford and inspect Dad Thompson!
farm. with its brook fed lake, Its wood
ed terraces. its natural amphitheate
and its providentially arranged cam
pus. and the entire $4,000 worth o
stock had been subscribed. including
Mr.. Wallingford's modest but adequate
20 per cent for promotion. If they coul,
have found Dad Thompson that nigh
they would have bought his farm, blu
Dad, they discovered, had gone to Prin
gleville.