The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-02-04

leading business and professional men
Of Wheeling were gathered In the large
dining room. Pending N" arrival o.
MIR. Fort who was AT the TRACES ana
Iphnr Assembly th" meeting was calico
lu order by nr. lIi!l. who mad" snort
address. telling If The: work being done
in tn, state 10y 'hr food conservation
! bureau, thu efforts IL organize inc
state and the meetings nj Ia" county
food administrators which were l" ~
held at CIarkshurG and Charleston taiS
week. Tho more thoroughly hecomc
acquainted with Iht work. SAID DF. Hlh'
tho more ! am impressed by and adlnlr
the character OF tho mon who are CIV
Ing their services In the govnrnmrnt'
without salary and without expectation
Of reward. except the consciousness oi
y, rfornnng Il patriotic duty. / nave
attended three meetings nf the various
state food administrators nj Washing
ton. and hay" found them tn be OF thH
lypc Of mon that our own food admin
| is1ratnr, col. Oglchay. is which is all
thnt could he said. Mr.. Hoover. HIM
self works without salary and nc has
IN mis- organization nearly fifteen nun
bred lnra all Of whom arc volunteers all
If whom are high class. experienced
business mcu and who are giving I" thr
problems Of food administration ana
food distribution and particularly 10 IN"
/ support of oar allies. tho best Thought
and tho best work that America can
give. Or TIL paid II nigh tribute OF
recruitment To Mr. For; IN introducing
him 10 lhc audience.
Hoover's Career.
| Mr.. For; began his address with 4
short personal trihutr to Herbert Hoover
whom he declared In he one nf the most
modest and most lovahlc Of men, rs we'll
Us one Of tho greatest administrators the
country had produced. Mr.. Hoover was
horni43 years ago on an Iowa farm. the
son Of Quaker parents. Both father ana
. mother died before he was 10 years old.
! and he was sent to California TO live
= with m uncle. He grew up In Calitor-
mia. and worked mis- way through Leland
Stanford University graduating as an
engineer at the age of 81. Every dollar
Of his college expense was paid by hlT-
self with money earned during vacation
rcriods W. while school WIS In session.
! lie decided 10 become mining en-
! Cinccr. and applied for position win
: The leading, firm in San francisco. lie
{ ,yas told they needed no clerks, but
no Insisted and went to work In their
office without salary. whilo working
clothing. In two years the firm picked
him TO manage Il mine in Australia. IN
; that nosition hn made such a record That
three years later. at the age or 70, ne
was chosen to direct all tho mining oper-
ations Of the Chinese government, ana
became tho head Of an organlzatlon em-
ployinE over 2t0.0nn men. Two years
later tho Boxer rebellion broke out ana
Chinese internal disturbances stopped
| the operations Of which Hoover WINS the
head. He was offered and accepted a
, nosition as consulting engineer win a
great English mining firm. and his
, offices were located in London. In two
wears he became q member OF the tlrm
| and when the war broke out he was en-
aged In directing mining operations III
a half dozen different countries IN MS
/ mining experience. Mr.. Fort said. hoover
| has visited and lived in practically every
civilized country on the globe, and IN
many that were only half ciVlllzeo.
Probably no other living man had the
close first hand acquaintance with the
nations of tho earth. that Hoover mad.
sir. Fort thon told OF Hoovers activity
lin helping Americans. who were maroon
/ ed In London when war was declared.
He and number Of friends raised ana
loaned 100000 to Americans IN London
to enable them to set home-men ana