The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-01-05

Merit Man of the Month" is Ed. ward H. Davis, statistician for thu Scovill Mfg. Co.,, of this city, de. clares the January issue of Int Merit Man, monthly publication O the Connecticut Merit System As sociation. MT. Davis picture appear' on the front cover of the magazint and an editorial lauding him is con tained inside.
 The Merit Mans laudatory article reads as follows:
 PICK UP PICK UP
 When the short-statured gentle man with the beard, shining eyes and unquenchable enthusiasm jumped up at the December meet ing of the State Council of the Connecticut Merit System associa- ton and shouted, "ThiS is what I want to see in Connecticut Merit Systems for the four major cities!" everybody knew that dy- mamie Ed Davis was about to launch into another brilliant and challenging speech.
 Edward H. Davis of Waterbury is this months unanimous selec- tion for Merit Man of the Month and it is his familiar face that greets you from the cover of the magazine. Ed Davis modeStly says: T am one of the great mid- dle class who smoke their pipes and pay their bills and eventually get bumped of by stray shot from 8 policeman trying to stop a gangster's Rolls Royce"
 Persistent Advocate
 But those who know genial and lovable Ed Davis better are also aware that this persistent advo- cate of good government is a former professor of economics at Purdue university, a student of in- dustrial statistics, and walking encyclopedia of information about sociology, history, economics, in- ternational relations-and the merit system. If his knowledge seems at times somewhat stagger- ing and inconveniently obstructive in argument or debate, he is prone to excuse it by admitting that the most facile exposition is likely to be the one who is least hampered by facts" Certainly his fondness for controversy has encouraged & versatility in knowing and at times employing both sides to an- argument.
 He was named Merit Man of the Month because he started his in- terest in the movement thirty-flve years ago, at the feet of William Dudley Foulke himself; has been an active member of our associa- tion since 1918, and in 1886 be- came one of the live wires in pro- noting the organization of the Waterbury chapter. He was vice. president of the state association from 1886 to 1888 and has been its organization chairman. He is on the state executive committee and is an unceasing advocate of the merit system form of government in all public discussions on the subject.
 Let us take a brief glance at the background of Waterbury's Ed ward H. Davis.
 Native of Boston
 Born in Hyde Park, Boston, on March 27. 1879, he was educated at the Hyde Park grammar school and private preparatory schools in Boston. In 1900 he received a B. s. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later did one years graduate work in political science at Columbia.
 After spending a year in the de- partment of municipal statistics of Boston he taught for IS years in the history and economics depart ment of Purdue university. For the past 20 years he has been an office executive dealing with sta- tistics and historical research at the Scovill Manufacturing com- pany in Waterbury, one of the country's largest brass factories. He is charter member of the American Sociological society and is a member of the American Eco homie association and the Ameri- can Statistical aSSociatio
 Although Ed Davis has never held any public office and states that he has no desire for any, he was for time president of the Lafayette Indiana Charity Organ ization Society and has not in- frequently identified himself with movements which he regarded as important to social progress.
 Believing that it is one of the finest statements which could have been made about democracy and its relation to human progress, we are publishing what Edward H. Davis calls his "credo."
 Democracy
 Believing utterly in Democracy as the only sound and permanent system of organized society, and realizing that the strength of this must in the last resort rest with the individual component in society, I have conceived it to be inherent in citizenship that every one should be keenly conscious of his right and duty to speak the faith that is in him. From this, 1t follows that regard the passive yes-man in the community as only one degree less social mem