Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects Who's Who in 1921 & 1922 John Wesley Ward

"The Fairfield Tribune"
Thursday, October 27, 1921
Page SIX

NO. 34 (sic - should be 35)

JOHN WESLEY WARD

Lest there be some misunderstanding as to who this pleasant looking chap is we hasten to introdue you to John Wesley Ward, much as the schoolboy who draws a pecture of a cow and then writes under it, "This is a cow." The cartoonist, when called down for the lack of resemblance of this picture to the subject of it, explained that he was not attempting so much to make a likeness of John Wesley as he was attempting to draw a picture of what a young man who was the son of a minister should look like. The editor-in-chief and the art editor held a conference and decided to go ahead and use the picture anyway, only because John Wesley is known to be a pretty good natured sort of a chap and will even stand for this misrepresentation.

John Wesley boasts of being a native son; born and "rared" in Fairfield he will tell you, and will tell you so all the world may hear. In fact, John always takes occasion to tell strangers about Fairfield and acquaint them with the fact that he was born there, whenever he visits any other town.

John first leaped into prominence when he began working in Thorne's dry goods store some years ago; since then he's been doing quite a bit of leaping, having proved himself so successful as a leaper that he has secured the position of beating the big drum in the local band. John is said to be creating quite a stir in the musical world with this example of his musical knowledge and skill.

John's father is a minister, and, judging by the name which he has bestowed upon his son, you might suspect him of being of the Methodist faith. When John reached man's estate his father had a heart to heart talk with him one day about his career. Said his father:

"You are now old enough to think about your future. I will not attempt to dictate to you but it would please me much if you should enter the ministry. You have had bestowed upon you an honored name and it is meet that you should follow in the footsteps of your illustrious namesake."

John thought the matter over and made some inquiries concerning the salaries paid to preachers. He came to the conclusion that while John Wesley founded Methodism he failed to find a very remunerative method of paying the men who preached it. Commercial pursuits looked more alluring to the hero of this tale and he took a greater interest in his father's lumber business than he did in his sermons.

John Wesley's first venture into the realms of commercialism was as a dry goods clerk. Some clerks made as high as $40 a month in those days and John Wesley had visions of building up a John Wannamaker or Marshall Field business. Then he went to work for the Kresges store--ran a store for them in Belleville, Ill., for a while, later being second in charge of their East St. Louis store. When he came back to Fairfield he went into the business of proving himself a benefactor to the farmers of this vicinity by selling them Ford cars. After seeing to it that practically every farmer in the county had a Ford John sought other fields of usefulness and landed fairly in the office of the Dexter Washing Machine company as their advertising man.

And it is here, busily engaged in his work, that the cartoonists fancy has pictured him. For, be it known, John Wesley is about the busiest person about the Dexter plant. Machinery may break down and new bought to replace it; workmen may strike and others be found to take their places; but if John Wesley lays off the advertising of Dexter machines for a time the machines become a drug on the market. For John Wesley's trifling little task is to convince critical housewives and skeptical dealers that the Dexter is the only washing machine which a self-respecting woman would give house room. He's doing a bit of convincing too.

John Wesley feels that he has not wandered so far astray from his father's wishes after all. He hasn't followed the preaching game but, says John Wesley, "cleanliness being next to Godliness, and me being a great preacher of cleanliness, I'm a sort of a brother-in-law to the ministry I think." Which isn't a bad line of reasoning either.

Now, merely because John Wesley chances to be the son of a minister you must not pass the usual remark about the wickedness of preacher's sons. Fact of the matter is that John Wesley Ward is really a pretty straight kind of a chap, and has rather successfully lived down that old tradition, or myth, regarding the sinful sons of preachers. He has a code of morals which seem to be of the workable sort and he hews pretty close to them. Once in a while he is tempted to use an adjective or two in preparing his advertising matter which might be considered by some of the rival manufacturers as slightly stretching the truth. John resists the temptation. You see, he wouldn't tell anything approaching an untruth even for the Dexter washer, and that's carrying the truth far. But John Wesley Ward is a pretty square, up-standing sort of a chap and he's having no small part in the task of making the world cleaner, even though he has selected the Dexter washer as his text and printer's ink as his pulpit. He may not be helping people very much to wash away their sins but he's an all-fired lot of help in aiding them to wash their clothing.