The New York herald., 1921-10-16


the opinion that among the college presi-
dents would probably be found the man
of greatest learning. Then in the days of
our early newspaper career we were con-
yinced that among the editors would be
found the man who read the most During
later years we We're rather inclined to the
telief that among the statesmen of our day
probably was the man of real learning.
How wrong we were, The best read man
Of to-day is the business executive.
This conviction has been forced upon us
by the solicitors for business magazine ad-
Vertising with whom we have been holding
some conversations recently. All of them
claim that from so to rs per cent. of the
business executives read their particular
magazine. If their claims be true, and We
have no way of disproving them. certainly
the business executive spends his entire
time in reading. because there are stin only
twenty-four hours in the day.
We are speaking OF the man who was
once known as general store keeper, who
later hecsx-le merchant prince. then a
captain OF industry. and who finally grabbed
on the title q business executive and has
held on 70 i ever since. They are the men
who sit behind four or five doors who call
their stenosra pliers secretaries" who never
talk but always hold conferences who
never knock off work but are gone for the
day When you get by their secretaries
however. you find that their conferences"
are about a Kelly pool game on the previous
evening, that when they are gone for the
day" they have beat it for the golf links and
after you get 10 know them you find out
that they are just simply old Bill Smith or
Sam Brown, who used to keep books over
at the general hardware" on Main street.
They have simply come to the city looking
for a job and have done mighty well.
The development of the business eXecu-
tive was much the same as that of the
territorial sales manager. Once he was
drummer. later a travelling salesman then
a commercial traveller and finally he re-
ceived his present title
More power to them, we say. Change the
titles whenever it is to the best advantage
to do so, but let's not change Bill Smith or
Sam Brown
Once we almost became a business execu-
tive. A kind fate saved US for more glori
fed if less profitable career. We drummed
We sold cigars, or rather we attempted to
do so.
The excellent group of ladies and gentle
men who trying to suppress the use of
tobacco need not have an extensive cam
paign to accomplish their object but can
do so by employing us to seal the output of
the tobacco factories of the world. We will
guarantee that we will not be able to sell
enough cigars for consumption at one direc-
tors meeting, or enough cigarettes for one
afternoon sociable among the girls in Green
wich Village. The tobacco industry would
cease if we had the selling of the output.
For proof we point to our record. We
know what we cannot do because we have
tried
TDI-k
up the question of the unemployed
~ We forget just how many millions
are out of work in the United States, and
Just how many hundred thousand in the
large centres would like to go to work, but
we know the number is considerable We
also noticed a letter to the editor of THE
Sun from some one in the rural districts
who stated that he and his neighbors were
begging men to go to work
In trying to reconcile the two conditions
there came to our mind a story that was
told once by a confrere of the Hon. j..
Hamilton Lewis, who went from the South
Georgia, we believe) to Seattle Wash.
where he held some political position from
there to Chicago, where he became Cor
poration Counsel, finally landing in the Ma
tional Congress. We do not vouch for the
story because it came to us second hand, but
Lewis. and we are going to tell it.
1t seems that Mr.. Lewis went to Seattle
to practise law He registered at one of the
good hotels. hired an office bought some
law books hung out his shingle and sat
down at his desk. following the ethics of his
profession to wait for clients. They did
not come. His money was soon spent. He
found himself without funds
Two weeks later, when he asked for the
lrexy tn hf- of 81 he toll
that the manager wanted to see him.
"Mr. Lewis said the manager of the
hotel, your board bill is now two weeks
overdue"
"It is overdue" was the response because
! have no money"
Then followed an explanation of the fail
ure OF clients to materalize. how he could
not advertise, and how he must simply wait
What are you going to do about it2'
asked the manager.
Mr.. Lewis spent little time in thought
before replying.
"Ill tell you what / am going to do" he
finally answered 81 am going to pay you a
part of this board bill next Saturday night
and the following Saturday night I will pay
you not only a weeks board but something
i'm addition, and I will keep that UP every
Saturday night until do not owe you any
thing"
There was the ring of sincerity in his
voice. The manager was satisfied. Mr.
Lewis did exactly what he said he would do
month later he was told that the manager
wanted TO see him again. He went to the
Office.
"The clients must be coming around to
see you. The practice must be growing
congratulate you" he said genially
mo, you are mistaken" responded Mr..
Lewis. II have no clients I have no law