The Washington herald., 1915-12-09
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER
Special Correspondent Of The Warrington Herald.
Copyright. by Mcclure Newspaper sy.dc.teD

hours preceding the sailing Of Mr.. Henry
Ford's peace ship" was a period of
glee for the New York reporters. They
had a joy hunt and they hunted Henry
Ford. They chased him over to Hobo
ken and back to New York and then
harried him from room to room in the
Biltmore Hotel like a frightened rabbit,
until finally he took refuge behind the
ample skirts of william Jennings Bryan.
Misplaced Affection.
For the New York reporters had dis
covered that Henry Ford was an easy
mark for ridicule and Henry Ford had
had no more respect for his millions
than to make fun Of him and his outfit
right to his face. OF course 1t is not
Henry Ford's fault that his manner and
speech are about as impressive as Eddie
Foy's, but it was the reporters oppor-
tunity They took advantage Of 1t and
now he likes reporters about as much as
he does smallpox. In the beginning he
announced that he wanted all the pub
lcity ne could get, reporters were his
most valued aids and friends and he
would talk his head OF to them at any
time and place.
He put himself In the lions den and
they pretty nearly ate him up. The more
he talked, the more they guyed him.
until an air of ridicule was thrown on
the whole scheme and it became a ma
tional joke. 1t got so that he dreaded
to open a newspaper. for Mr.. Ford Is
very sensitive and not at all thick skin
ned. That's why he spent the last day
in lodging the reporters. He was afraid
to meet them.
1 saw him a few moments with Mr..
Bryan. and even then. with fifty re-
porters scouting trough the corridors for
him, he maintained that publicity was
the thing most desired. that 1t was the
strongest factor in the accomplishment
of his scheme.
He got the publicity all right. Whether
it is for advertising purposes or not Mr.
Ford knows best.
When / asked Mr.. Bryan what his
plans were he assured me that he ex-
pecter to Join the peace-trippers at The
Hague some time. but he did not say
what he expected to do when he got
there. When I pressed him for details he
made a characteristic reply. He said: Il
never know exactly what my plans are
until after 1 have talked with the re-
porters."
A Novelty in Press Agents.
Mr.. Ford brought on from somewhere
to add to his teeming staff of assistants
and secretaries a brand-new press agent.
so new that the price tag was still on
him. This guileless youth cherished the
idea that to impress the New York re-
porters he must act and talk tough, like
a cross between an Avenue gunman
and a drunken cowpuncher. He said to
the assembled representatives of the
mighty and fearless press:
Now. listen here. These here guys
what's goin' on de ship amt de real
goods at all. When they gets on the
other side they pick out bunch Of guys
from de countries what amt fighting and
leaves 'em to do the job of fetchin' out de
boys from the trenches. Do youse get
me?"
They got him. They got his goat. The
next day he was seen no more around
the peace headquarters. He was not
dove Of peace. He was homing pigeon
and he new back. o. -
Ten floors above Henry Ford's peace
were the apartments Of
Baron Shibusawa. the japanese finan-
cier, who Is making his honorable pres
ence conspicuous in several of our honor
able cities by making speeches at lunch
cons and dinners every day in the week.
The official reason given for the visit
Of the distinguished baron to this coun-
try is that he il arousing interest in an
Sunday school convention
to be held in Tokyo when the war is over.
How interesting: a. the English say. It
30 happens that the honorable baron has
never been converted to Christianity and
has about as much real interest In a Sun
day school rs an Eskimo has in an ice
The idea of his touring the
United States az a publicity agent for q
Sunday school conve0tinn u about ~