The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-11-20

the public gaze, refused to see report CTS. modestly begged to be kept out of print, and then suddenly faced about, hired publicity agent, jumped into the front page of every news paper in the country, bought and paid for space in which ne advertised what were supposed to be his own ideas talthough he admitted in the Tribune trial that he had not even read much that had been put out un- der his own name), and later bought weekly publication and began to run "his own page" I think he would rather be the maker of public opinion thansthe manufacturer of millioa automobiles year. which only goes to show that in spite of the fact that ne sticks out his tongue at history, he would nevertheless not object to making little of it himself
 This laudable ambition to serve the world, and to some degree, to mould it's thought, has very natur-
 ally aroused to men the desire to
 know more intimately this man who volunteers to take the part of Moses he doesn't put 1t just this way in world-exodus into a new era of peace and prosperity Having made himself world figure, or persisting in being reckoned as one, the world insists, and properly so. on knowing all there is to. know about him. It is the price every man must pay for
 aspiring to such an exalted position. Tell me now In confidence. Is
 Henry Ford as great a man as the
 people generally believe him to be? Is he the brains of the organization
 which bears his name? Is it's suc-
 cess due to him. or to the men he
 has rathared a thing more than a mechanical geni- us? Is it true that he cannot read
 and write? Is he a financler? Does he keep in touch with the details of his business? Is he a hard work CT ? Is he sincere, or a self-advertiser? 2" These are some of the questions peo- pie keep asking you if you chance to have fairly intimate acquain-
 tanee with Henry Ford
 The tell me now in confidence' phrase is significant. It means that
 the questioner has a lurking sus- picion that the popular idol of Dear born is net all gold. There must be
 some clay in his makeup. It would
 be great satisfaction to have a
 well authenticated sample of the | clay.
 Not long ago l delivered an ad- dress on the Ford way of handling
 labor. The membership of the or ganization to which was speaking was composed chiefly of working
 men. The president of the club in- troduced me and closed his remark s by saying, Now that you are no lcnger ip the employ of Henry Ford tell us the truth about him" The same lurking suspicion. If only the
 truth were told. If only those who | know him intimately would tell all
 they knew-well. if it did not take
 the halo from his head it might, at | least. give it a jocular slant.
 | Speaking of haios. am reminded
 of row of saints which oceupiet l the inches above the altar in cer- | tain theological seminary. They ! were made of marble. and each had | upon his head halo. also of marble 1 and resembling nothing so much as a
 large dinner plate. Winter had a dis ] astrous effect upon these halos. Tht ! frost chracked them and they fell off 1 A sudden drop in temperature durins ! the night meant that one or more ro l those blessed saints would be minu. ] nirnbus in the morning.
 l There are those who would like to
 see what effect a frost would have on the nalO or 1enry FOrd They
 want to know the worst. notto have
 1t over" but to help put 1t over'
 If there be such among my readers l they are going to be more or less
 disappointed. was accused not Ions ! ago by prominent labor leader oi
 being moro responsible than any 1 other one man for creating the Fore
 halo. He thought ought to try tc
 take it off But why waste one's
 time? Once a halo is on, the weareI
 of 1t is the only one who can take
 1t off. If he proves himself worthy l the halo sticks; if otherwise, tn,
 halo fades of itself. For the present I I am interested neither in takink the ] Ford halo off. nor in holding 1t on.
 The truth ia. as everybody knows there Is some clay in every popular
 idol. There is some in Henry Ford.
 It would be possible to write s book made up entirely of adverse criticism of both Aimself and his company, every word of which would be true, and yet the book on tho