The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-27
OF Interest to Women
BY Winona Evans Reeves.

\ Perhaps the women VINO signed inc
food cards here recently know the
history of Herbert c. Hoover and just
! why it was he who was chosen by
the president to be the head OF food
conservation in this country. He was
born on farm in Iowa, and is forty
\ three years old. He is Quaker, his
father and mother both came from
families which belonged to the old
school of Quakers. His father and
mother both died when he was little
more than baby, and he was reared
by one and another Of his aunts and
uncles. His father had left him
small estate with which he was to be
educated His uncles agreed that he
must go to Richmond, Ind, to Erllam,
leading Quaker school. He was
living with an uncle in Portland at
that time, and there was much talk
through the west Of the new college
: about to be opened in California,
Stanford university. Young Hoover
declared his intention Of going to
that school. His uncles held con-
ference and told him that he could
not use the money his father had left
him to go to Goddess school," He
said all right, he'd earn his way,
which he did He worked during the
day and studied at night, and on
Il uludyS, dlu W do LILO III ~ IVY W
enter the Stanford university when
it opened in 1891. He eXcelled in
arithmetic and in science. He pass
ed up English, grammar and rhetoric
and said he preferred to talk and
spell as he wished. Having special
lied in geology and mining, he went
to work in a mine, beginning in the
lowest position, working with PICK
and shovel. He stayed there until
he became boss Of the gang with
which he began. He then went to
leading mining engineer who gave
him Job which paid $45
month. He took it and made good,
and at the end of year and half
went to Australia to accept very
responsible position. Here he ex-
amined scores OF prospects and dis
covered one great mine which has
paid large profits ever since. He
next became director of mines for the
Chinese empire. He was in China
all during the Boxer trouble. Next
he accepted a junior partnership with
London firm. six months later the
senior member made away with
million dollars, most Of which belong
ed to small investors and with 1t
all of Hoover's savings! He took
upon himself the responsibility OF
saying that the firm would make the
] loss good, and in six years every
creditor was paid off. Hoover was
then still in his twenties. He then
went into mining interests for him
self and made a vast fortune. When
tne war broke out he was living in
i London 1t was he who brought
=. order out of chaos at the American
4 embassy and in two months got 150,-
900 Americans back to this country
1~a1~ Il
4 gantzed the Belgian relief and spent
! fifteen millions of dollars month
. and saw to the wise distribution OF
q that enormous amount of food: He
had the confidence of those in author
ity in every land. He was most mod
iest and even the Belgians did not
} know the name of the man through
whose genius they were fed. Now he
/ has undertaken the task Of feeding
3 the allies, from the food supply Of
9 America and has undertaken at the
same time to see that there is enough
for every American. AS the small
3 boy says, some job"
r In the June issue Of the Atlantic
! Monthly is a most delightful article
: Iby the Keokuk author, Corneila
Meigs. 1t is greatly to be regretted
! that the article is unsigned because
a for that reason some have missed
, seeing it. The article is The Sleepy
: Road and is written in Miss Meigs
best style and to those who know
: her, sounds" just as she talks. 1t
=, is a description of the river road
q from Anshutz hill for several miles,
: and the description Is true and beau
tifully written The charm Of the
;. whole article is in the Dream Road.
; She explains in the beginning that
I once when she was a child, i'll and
I sleepless in a hospital, the old doc
tor recommended as a sleep producer,
that in fancy with closed eyes, she
should travel some familiar road and
he assured her that she would never
get very far on the journey. He told
her that when he was sleepless he al
ways started in memory to travel
the country road which he travelled
c as a child to the district school, and
that he never got farther than the
first turn Of the road before the
sand man overlook him. Following
the suggestion, Miss Meigs chose as
n her sleepy road our own river road
n It is worth a trip to the library and
{ a half hour, because you will wish to
:. read 1t the second time. It's a charm
i ing piece of writing and it's an I'M
:. failing recipe for insomnia.
y Some time ago in this column we
0 told of Miss Bertha Favard's pre-
t senting the French hero Joffre
bouquet of roses for the French
o pupils in Chicago when the great
/ general was in this country. Some
q one told me not long ago how she
J. made the presentation. The recep-
ton was held in the Blackstone and
) admission was by card. For some
. reason Miss Favard didn't have a
i card. but in the lower corridor she
: met a friend who had a card and
g who said, Come along with me and
= there will be no difficulty There
, was difficulty, however. and Miss
- Favard was refused admission, not