Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-11-15
Henry Ford Has No Private Office But Usually Will Go
Out to Meet Anybody, Any Place, Any TimeGriiffin
VIM. GRIFFIN PRESENTS AN ORIG.
INAL PEN PICTURE OF MOST
INTERESTING MAN IN US.
BY WILLIAM GRIFFIN
Vice President, American Press
Association


you at the office of the Dearborn In
dependent at five o'clock.
These were the words which were
conveyed to me through Detroit,
Michigan, telephone exchange a very
short message, which outside of the
making of an appointment meant
very little under ordinary circum-
stances, except that the man on the
other end of the line was Henry Ford
That, of course, makes it different
and the circumstance is no longer ordi
nary. A casual observer might won
der Just a bit how much longer Mis-
ter Ford would have to stay around
Detroit before he could have an Of
flee exclusively his own. Another
item of interest in that message was
that he made the appointment in the
office of the Dearborn Independent,
which sayored of a suggestion that
his interest in the field of Journalism
was perhaps greater than | had mag
ined. Last but not least in my pre-
vious to five o'clock conjectures was
chow come" Henry Ford going out to
meet anybody-any place-any time?
Thru a Detroit friend of mine, a
little later, l found that Henry Ford
was peculiar that way of course, de-
pending on how desirable the person
to be met-but nevertheless he does
1 0csOT
and does meet many people from all
over the world And, as Emerson said
about building mousetraps- l
started to say that thru this friend
had learned that on the previous
day Charley Chaplin had been in De-
troit. Henry Ford came into the city
and met him at his hotel
81 came all the way in from my
farm to meet you said Mr.. Ford
rather jokingly to Chaplin.
"a very great honor indeed" re-
piled Mr.. Chaplin, but permit me to
suggest that I came all the way from
Los Angeles to meet you.
An interesting bit of pleasantly be-
tween two men who have contributed
substantially to the country's budget
of humor-screen comedy and Ford
jokes, lacking only George AIDE to
complete a triangular trust; but be-
yond this there was the carrying out
by Mr.. Ford of one Of his personal
policies. He is not only easily Access
sible to his friends but is always
ready to omit ceremony and himself
extend his courtesies There is moth
ing up-stage about Henry Ford.
Ford and Advertising.
A certain United States Senator
spoke to large group of advertising
men in Atlantic City, quite recently.
l heard him make the statement:
"There are two classes of adver-
Users those who pay for space, and
Henry Ford"
With this statement, | take issue,
foF Henry Ford is both. I do not
say that he does not realize great
amount of personal publicity which
may properly come under the classi-
fication of free advertising, for he
does. During the past three months,
only one man has been SO widely
chronicled, and that man is President
Coolidge. AS matter of fact, during
the last month, more has been written
about Henry Ford in American publ
cations, than anyone else, not even
barring the President or our illus
trious visitor David Lloyd George.
The answer is that here is a person.
atty so widely known that his utter
ance on any subject constitutes news.
Last February, l read in the Wall
Street Journal that Henry Ford was
the richest man in the world, and
mention was made in that story that
he was an automobile manufactures,
and Ford Cars were talked about.
This was about the time statement
of the business of the Ford Motor Car
Company was filed in the State House
at Boston, Massachusetts, which
broadcasted the fact that two men
owned the full hundred per cent of
the stock of that company-Henry
Ford and Edsel Ford. This story also
talked about Ford cars. Lately have
read that there are a number of Ford
plants in the process of construction
in various parts of the United States
and that next year his car is going
to have a steamline body No deny
ing, the business of Henry Ford was
being advertised.
But, l also have noted an announce
ment that during the coming year,
Henry Ford has made arrangements
to spend some seven million dollars
to advertise his business. So, | say,
the Senator is wrong on both counts.
Personality of Ford
Speaking of Henry Ford-the man
the personality, interested in many
4h;oo,s cenarate and anart from his