Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-17

| valuable, but then t;Ez,s
! that happens to be the "a Is
! hobby he has been COLONEL CA E,.l.
! riding nearly all his Photo by Haeseler. Phila.
life, so he has never counted the cost.
The Colonel got his title from the Army
Navy Union, in which he is staff officer
and honorary member. He is probably one
of 'the most widely known after-dinner
speakers in Philadelphia, and easily the man
most often heard outside the city. In the
last six months for instance, he has spoken
in 3s different cities and towns delivering
las addresses and always his subject has
been Philadelphia, its resources and advan-
tages for all types of good citizens. AS to
his official job, the Colonel is not satisfied
merely TO collect statistics and let it go at
that He works out all his statistics into
easily understandable numbers. He can tell
instantly, for instance, exactly how many
times the yarn made in Philadelphia would
stretch around the world, and he never uses
such an illustration more than two or three
times. Nearly every day he figures out new
ones from records furnished by manufacture
ers so that he will always have fresh ma
terial for his out-of-town talks
Colonel Cattell has served Philadelphia
under five Mayors. His first job was at the
Commercial Museum, in which office he
wrote the Foreign Commercial Guide of
South America" commercial history that is
still used by travellers Men like Roger w
Babson, the statistician, have complmented
the Colonel on the thoroughness of this book
within the last year so. although it was
published about ten or twelve years ago.
Not Extra Dry" But Sparkling
He is Of an old Philadelphia family one
that has taken a large part in the shaping
of the city's paths. Although the bachelor
Colonel is proud of his ancestors he dislilxes
to talk of them because he says he thor
oughly believes in the old story that the
man who talks Of his ancestors is like the
potato7-the best of him is under ground His
uncle was Alexander c. Cattell, United States
Senator from New Jersey who brought about
the establishment OF the Philadelphia Navy
Yard at League Island. Senator CatteI also
was founder of the Corn Exchange National
Bank of this city, and the man who raised
the Corn Exchange Regiment in the Civil
War Incidentally, Colonel Cattell is named
after Edward James, noted business man of
that period, who seconded Senator CatteIrs
motion that a regiment be raised
II must not be supposed that because he
is a statistician Colonel Cattelps speeches
are dry. If they were he hardly would be in
demand in other cities, by Chambers of Com
merce and Boards OF Trade, to the extent
that he is. The fact is that he has an an
parently inexhaustible fund Of stories and he
mixes them up we'll with his innumer
able facts Of Phiadelphas greatness that
the latter do not become tiresome
One story the Colonel frequently tells can
not be understood without a description of
its teller. He is below the medium height
and rather stout. His hair-what is left-is
quite white; he has large round blue eyes
and round red cheeks and short, dignifed
whlte "mutton-chop" whiskers also a long
white mustache. The Colonel dropped into a
hotel rather late one night on his way home
to get a cup of coffee. There was a
masked ball going on, and while he sat there
a man and a woman, masked, came in. Both
gazed at the Colonel for some time in deem
admiration.
Where did you get that make-up?" said
the stranger at last, TITS a beauty"
isn't it?" agreed Colonel Cattell, but the
trouble is have to wear 1t home"
Remarkable Memory
Not the least of the Colonels accomplish
ments is his wonderful memory. He can re-
peat word for word almost any conversation
he has had for years back. At one time he
demonstrated this in the London Times office
six months after the conversation had oc-
CURED, even repeating a note that had been
dictated to a stenographer His memory
applies even to his most lengthy speeches.
After he has dictated an address to his ste
nographer he never has TO refer 10 il again
prior TO the time for delivering Il.
The Colonel is one of the most widely tray
eled men in the city. He has visited nearly
every country on the globe. II 1t hadn't been
for misfortune in his youth II is probable
he never would have gone far from Phila-
delphis, and today he might be In the bank
ing business but for this same misfortune
He was a student at Princeton when his
eyes began 10 weaken, and steadily grew so
bad that II was almost impossible for him
TO see Finally. when he was almost ready
to abandon hope. he went abroad for treat
ment An operation restored his sight and
he has worn the same spectacles for the last
25 years.
The Colonel has some pet aversions One
OF them is the man who does not vote. In
his capacity as city statistieian he has fig-
ured out that more men did not register prior
to the last election I'm Philadelphia than the
entire population OF Camden. n. j., the city
just across the Delaware River The total
OF those who failed TO register was 100000
He thinks such men ought TO be prosecuted
for treason
Ac MApR npuU IN Sam