The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-04
Mr. John NJ Capp, Famously Known as Secretary
Of the American Speech League, is an Educator But
Before That He is Business Man Who Knows
All There is to Know About Business Books
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE

no JOt5N M. CLAPP of the Ronald
! IWII Press of New York is an educa
0V0 tor: but before he is an educator
lfand affair he is a business man. IL Is
bred in the bone. To use his own lue@
- +be matter he laughingly asked me
when T met him the other day when ne
was in birmingham to appear pelore tne
Alaba,oe educational association, ana
tho Drama league, If / had expected TO
meet "a hoary- haired professor Win
horns and all sorts of high-hrow con-
versation," said yes ana mean ~
but instead | found rather younsisn
looking person, keen, alert, real human
being with all the sympathy and toier-
apce for the ordinary things of life that
tho lea.t of us has and just as nice as
he could be.
7 mentally observed: "Hs has recov'
cred from educational measles ana De-
come a business man epidemic" But
even so. in truth must admit that what
ever other diseases he may nave ac-
ouired. the measles are chronic for the
minute you talk to him you detect the
suave. elegant, high-hred professor
finesse even in spite of things, ana 80
thoueh went to interview college
professor on education and Fne Drasla
league" | stayed to talk with lnan
Of business, and such nice business,
too. the business of business books,
which ,fter all is merely first cousin
once removed from all the other matters
educational which Mr.. Clapp has been
connected with.
Whoever said, "of the making Of books
there is 70 end" certainly uttered
PEACEFUL. Was it Mrs. Browning or the
Bible? It's perfectly surprising now
many things are in the Bible that l al
ways thought came from secular sources,
like the perfectly good English OFFICER
who liked Hamlet, but thought 1T was
deuced full of quotations"
I thought [ had my share of the World
best literature tucked away in my small
brain until met Mr.. Clapp and heard
him talk Then | found out that there
was a brand new line of books, "ousl-
ness books none of which | had ever
read-indssi, had never even SO much
as heard Of, except vaguely, and so here
was a pretty "howdy- o. for what was
/ to ask the distinguished gentleman
a bout ana appear knowing" If / hadn
read any of the books he likes best?
The situation resolved itself beaeti-
fully, however when Mr.. Clapp said:
"Of course, the Drama league is mere
interesting perhaps to others, but BOOKS,
business books appeal to me more IN
sistently
up to the time that was-well, well
say some years ago. Mr.. Clapp con-
tinued, II was foolish enough to follow
the bent of the professors calling when
suddenly | awoke from deep dream 10
find that business was the thing thar
appealed to me most how the transit
ton came I do not know, but it came,
and in an interesting form, to me.
II would like to tell you something OF
the business books published in the
United States today" said Mr.. Claep.
zone other firm publishes practically
all the business book which are read
that ours doesn't publish. Let me point
out the relative positions in the book
world of the various classes of literature.
Fiction last year came first, as usual;
next were war books, and third on the
list were business books. BY business
books / mean books that teach business,
written not by theoretical formulas, but
by men who have actually achieved sue
cess and who write books on certain
business in which they have been en-
gagged all OF their lives. Principles OF
Salesmanship,' for instance; The Ac-
countancy Of Investment 'Advertising;
Its Principles and Practice; Corpora
ton ACCOUNTING The Economics of Re-
tailing.-such things as those.
During the war when a mans work.
ing force has been depleted, as all
working forces have BEEN" Mr.. Clapp'
said, 'he is able to inform himself by
books on certain business of the require
ments of everybody in his employ and
teach the others to take the places OF
those who have left for various reasons.
Just to illustrate my point: The Income
Tax Procedure is written of by a man
who knows his subject from beginning
to end; who himself knows what such
things mean, and is qualified by sue
cessful achievements to write true story
of such subject; it is an invaluah BILE
thing to the business man, this BUSH
ness of business books, practical and ac-
curate."
Mr. Clapp, connecting the business OF
books with the aesthetic side of .he