The Lambertville record., 1925-04-09
E DIT o RI Al S
A BOUQUET FOR CHARLIE

A BOUQUET FOR CHARLIE
Charles M Meredith, editor of the
Quakertown, Pa, Free Press, COM
pliments me for the editorial last
week on our visit to my brother
members of the Fourth Estate" in
Hunterdon County. It was very kind
of you, Charlie, to say the nice
things you said / had intended
paying you tribute in the same
editorial, but when it ran into near
ly column I thought | had better
cut it short. But l can't refrain
from it at this time.
/ didn't know Charlie Meredith
when he was Sheriff of Bucks Coun-
ty, Pa. But can imagine that when
he "went after his man" he usual
ly got him. / came TO this conclu-
sion by the persistence he demon
strated on our junket to "sign up"
Hunterdon County editors in the Ma
tional Editorial Association. AS vice
president of that organization, I
dare say that Charlie has done
more to strengthen its membership
than any other man ever serving
in that office.
Two weeks ago he had personally
enlisted 115 Pennsylvania and New
Jersey editors in the N E. A. His
sincere belief that the lot of country
editors is bettered by such an asso-
citation has prompted him to devote
days and weeks of valuable time to
helping his brethren of the Fourth
Estate"
One pleasing index of his charac-
ter was shown to me during our
trip thru Hunterdon County. We
were spinning along the concrete
highway above Clinton, seeking the
road that would carry us over to
Milford. It had begun to rain, and
a thin film of rain covered the
streaks along the paving made by
grease from passing cars.
Seeing ahead a man rolling the
lawn before his home, Charlie de-
cided to stop and ask directions.
But when he put on the brakes, al
tho travelling at moderate speed,
the wheels began to skid over the
film of rain coating the grease
streaks. Charlie righted the car, but
it then began to skid in the OPP
posite direction. He again righted it,
but this time it swung so far in
the opposite direction that we left
the paving and crashed into the
corner of the orchard fence adjoin-
ing the house.
Several fence posts were uproot-
ed, the mail box which was fastened
to the corner post went sailing into
the air, and the car came to a
stop with a section of the wire
fencing draped gracefully over the
hood And there is where Charlie
displayed an enviable trait of char
acter.
Calmly ignoring the plight of
the car, he leisurely stepped out
and approached the man who had
been rolling the lawn. He was
standing petrifled, with his mouth
gaped open, but Charlie displayed
an equinamity seldom seen. "Can you
tell me which way to turn to get
to Milford?" he asked in suave
tone.
The man swallowed his Adams
apple several times before he could
reply. In the meantime a woman
had come from the house at the
sound of the crash, and she asked,
"Did the mail box get in your
way?"
After getting the proper direc-
tions, we removed the debris from
about the car and found it was un-
injured except broken bar in the
bumper. A dollar paid for the
damage to the fence, and we re-
sumed our journey.
Hereafter when l am on The verge
of choler, / shall try to remember
the enviable poise that Charlie
Meredith has, and | think it will
help me.