Chicago eagle., 1916-11-18
KIRK ADDS TO fame OF
CITY
Manufacturer Has Made Chicago
Products Household Word
the World Over.

On the site of the first house erect.
ed in Chicago today stands the most
famous soap factory in the world.
For 1t is not too much to say that
James 8. Kirk & Company occupies
position in the business world
where its name and product Is as
well known on the other side Of the
world as 1t is within stones throw
Of the factory doors.
It was in 1889 that the soap manu-.
featuring business of the great Ameri.
can house of Kirk was founded in
Chicago. Since then three genera
tions of Kinks have developed the
business until It has become one Of
the modern giants Of industry, call.
ing to its aid the sciences of chemis-
try, botany and geology, and combin-
ing in coherent whole elements of
success which have made Kirk prod.
ucts household names in millions Of
homes.
Progress Has Been Rapid.
From 1889 to 1914, though but a
/ otSp OtuCl 10 ldl
stride in Chicago, where progress Is
being made at rate the old world
has never seen. From the struggling
line of shanties, which lined the low
marshes, to the magnificent skyline
of world capital, there is separa.
ton Of far more than seventy.flve
years. From the pioneer days to the
bustling present there Is q change as
great as between England and
Cathay. The change il not SO much
In men as in mind, in methods more
than In products. The soaps manu-
featured In the tiny factory nearly
four score years ago were as good In
cleansing power, as pure In their con.
stituent parts. as any Kirk product Of
this year of grace. But how far the
cry between the methods of that early
day and the vast machinery which
hastens and controls with automatic
precision the Kirk products now! 1t
is safe to say that not single man,
woman or child In America able to
read either English or any Of the mod.
ern tongues, but has become &C.
quainted with the fact that Kinks
soaps are good soaps Familiar with
the name. they have tried the prod.
uct, and, finding 1t all right, they con.
tinued to buy ever after.
Products Known Everywhere.
It is not chance which has wrought
this tremendous industrial success.
II Is no lucky stroke which has
brought the name and fame Of the
American Family Soap or Jap Rose
to tho attention Of the civilized
world. There Is the meritorius prod.
uct, which is the basis Of growth, as
In every industrial success through.
out all time, and there Is the per.
sonality, the real active presence OF
the man behind. This suggestive
phrase, which sticks In the mind with
a persistency suggestive of it's funda'
mental truth, answers the eternal
| question, "Why this success?" by pic
turing the driving force, impelling
the hundreds and thousands Of loyal
employees to their best efforts all the
time.
Mr.. Holloway's Fine Record.
! To Edwin G. Holloway, president
OF the James s. Kirk Company, may
be credited very largely the new era
In the business. Twenty-seven years
ago Mr.. Holloway, then young emil
grant just from England. started In
the packing room of the Kirk estab
lishment as clerk. He noted, learned
watched and studied until, having
| vpootarad tho v,,yot ortoo ~ the nm ocL
ing room, he was transferred to other
departments, learned the why and
wherefore Of their being, saw how
business was routed through the
plant, came to understand the under
lying principles of the industry, and
found out that there were processes
he could better learn without than
within the factory.
Having been thoroughly grounded
in the principles Of chemistry, he
asked to be transferred to the chemi
cal department in the factory, stating
: that he was studying In night schoo
and wanted to learn in practice the
! working out Of the formulas taught hin
theoretically. As assistant chemist
he sought to know what methods
} would result In better soap rather
than in cheaper soap. He studied tt
learn economy in methods, scientific
management, and right buying, short
ly rising to higher position in the
Kirk laboratories, and finally becom
ing chief chemist.
Learned Industry Thoroughly.
His thorough knowledge of the in
dustry, combined with high ability al
chemist, enabled him to originate
several new processes of soap manu-
facture. The now world famous "JaI