The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-12-12

such an editorial! on his way. to the
store in the morning, scribbllng 1:
on the back Of an envelope or any
odd scrap OF paper he had in his
pocket
He was always looking for better
and newer ways Of doing business
and aside from providing convex.
ences for buyers and securing able
management, Mr.. Wanamaker paid
great attention 70 the welfare nH
his employees, establishing among
them many institutions for culti.
waiting spirit Of comradeship, eda
eating them to improve their earn
ing capacity, providing retirement
of.old employees on retired pay, aril
! creating a court OF appeal chosen
by employees to which any con-.
Ilaints could, be taken. "
Merchant Prince
One Of the greatest tribuNG
over paid to an American mer.
chant was that given to Mr.. Wan.
amaker In the fall OF 1911 on the
Eiftieth anniversary Of rs bust.
ness career. Thirteen thousand OF
his employees from both the New
York and Philadelphia stores
greeted him in his Philadelphia
store and presented him with the
house in which he was born, and
Jubilee book 50 which each OF
the thirteen thousand had written
thotr names. A similar tribe.
was paid at that time in New
York where a committee repres.
enting the merchants Of the Unit,
ed States, including 1870 Of his
business associates and competl.
tors, met to do him honor at a
luncheon. He was presented with
a handsome silver loving cup and
heard his rivals .laud Kim as a
merchant prince OF the country.
In political life Mr.. Wanamaker
was prominent as an independent
Republican. In 1889 he was OF.
fered the Republican nomination
as congressman-at.large for tI4
state OF pennsylvania, but declin.
ed It, and in 1886 he declined to
be an independent candidate for
mayor Of Philadelphia. He took IN
active part in most Of the presl
dental campaigns and gave q
great amount OF work to the Re.
publican National Executive Con-.
mittee, Of which he was a mem.
Der during the Harrison cam.
paign. Upon the election St Har.
rison, Mr.. Wanamaker was invI..
ed to enter the cabinet, and 81.
though there was much criticism
to the effect that a merchant was
unfit for a cabinet position, MIR.
Wanamaker became Postmaster
General and was. acknowledged
later by his critics to have work
ed many desirable reforms in. the
postal system. Organization, sys.
TEN. method and business mech.
anisp SO essential in the postot.
flee department were all In M.
Wanamaker's line. He spread the
fast mail service and opened sea
postoffices In which foreign mails
are distributed and made up on
the sea, and, among other things,
advocated the parcels post ami
postal savings which were later
realized, and also 'urge;l govern.
mont ownership OF telegraph lines.
The religious side Of Mr.! Wan.
amaker's life was one Jess known
to the general public than any
other, but one in which he was
deeply interested. Very early I'd
life he became a member OF the
Rev. John Chambers's Pr1sbyter-
ian Church in Philadelphia. end
1t is related that when DR.. Cham.
bers appealed to his congregation
for church suitable to its needs
Mr., Wanamaker, then boy,
shouted enthusiastically "I'll give
q load of bricks from my fathers
brick yard" Later he gathered
together a handful OF boys in
shoe makers shop and formed a
Sunday school, which was the
NUCLEUS OF what is today the Beth
any Presbyterian Church Of Phi.
adelphia. The Bethany Sunday
School, OF which Mr.. Wanamaker,
was. superintendent has.a6, 0nol
members, and Is said to be ito
largest Sunday School In the
United States Mr.. wanamaker
lh.lilfs z 81 ~. q