Evening star., 1939-12-10

mass mental maneuVerS are on Oils
he goes to ball game. The Veneti
for a five-hour show at the peak of
fertile Marshall mind unblushingly
performs publicly-as it prefers to
perform. The same idea is some
times used by newspaper publishers
In putting their presses behind plate
glass, so the public can see them
run.
1t is no accident that the Office of
the guiding genius of one of the
most valuable football teams in the
world-and, incidentally owner of
a Washington laundry, promoter of
the pan-American games, founder
of the Roosevelt Raceway, conf
dante of Mayors and Postmasters
General, ex-soldier, ex-newspaper
publisher and ex-rabbit raiser-is a
stage. All the world is a stage for
George Preston Marshall; and be-
cause this is so, the son OF
q modest West Virginia news
paper publisher, T. Hill Marshall,
has in less than 20 years built him.
self something more than COM
Portable fortune and made amazing
steps in his drive to convince Wash
tngton and the rest of the United
States that football. not baseball, is
the national pastime.
Early in life, the theatrical bug
bit deeply into the Marshall hide
and spat greasepaint venom into
his veins. He never recovered. He
Joined a stock company, went on
tour and even hit New York. No
John Drew or Barrymore was George
p. Marshall. but no Drew or Barry
more loved the footlghts or rose
more readily to an audience than
our hero. No accident, then, is his
ground level Office, with busy main
street for an aisle, an entire city
for his audience George Marshall
always is at his best when playing
before a good house.
Stage Settings.
The backdrop is of bright blue
with slender, rounded wooden strips
of gilt running vertically to give
the effect of hundreds of miniature
pipe organs. On these walls are
hung scores of framed pictures
ITO my friend, George Marshall
Franklin D. Roosevelt" ITO my
good friend, George-Jimmy Walk
er" ITO an all-American boss
Erny Pickert," etc.
The stage settings include desk
equipped with telephones, dicta-
phones and a loudspeaking term
inal which is capable of reaching
any department in the building, and
an array of blue, modernistie
chairs. Mr.. Marshalls own swivel
chair Is closest to the window. He
always Is the star of the daily show
His supporting cast varies. Rarely
too, Is Mr.. Marshall without this
cast-a sportswriter or two, a Sen
ator, a famous college football
coach, baseball manager, ma
tionally famous gridiron star.
Here, then, is where the great
mind produces. Here is an idea
foundry that has few peers in the
world of athletics or even of enter
tainme.lt. AS a sports promoter
he ranks with the Richards ane
Jacobses. AS a Snowman, he be.
longs with Billy Rose. AS a busi-
nessman - we'll, he parlayed $50(
and a few obsolete laundry tubs into
a laundry with So chain stores anc
a total of 96 retail outlets and him.
self into the modestly wealthy class
and on the brink of society.
It isn't necessary to go back more
than three years, give or take 6
stray month or two, to recognize
the promotional genius of George
Marshall. After a 5-year stand ir
Boston, during which period Mar
shall and his partners lost $85, ,0O(
trying to sell professional football tt
the City of Culture, he brought thu
Redskins to Washington in thu
summer of 1887. Cartoonist jim
Bergman portrayed their arriva
by drawing caricature of Marshal
leading a huge, ferce-looking In
0AoAA Wy VIC 4ldllu dllu 1OAAS ASooAAAe
"Mr. District of Columbia" copy
righted by Berryman) thus:
You'll like MIN when you get tt
know him."
Man of Action.
Actually, Mr.. Marshall did no
wait for Washington to cultivate
the company of his Redskins. Tha
was too slow a process, and Georg'
Preston is not a slow-moving man
Fist of all, he drafted from Texa
Christian University the most color.
full football player in shoe leather
"Slingin' Sammy" Baugh. His Red
skins had an arrow in Cliff Battles
the great ball-carrier. What the.
had lacked was good bow. The.
got the bow when they got Baugh
although Marshall was forced II
guarantee Sambo from Sweetwate,