Show Secretary Meredith During College Days Days L Earned Courting Money as Waiter I S S i 1 kj F UI L. L LF S S S Sa Si a i w RI r f B ET T ii ea nea i Meredith Meredith N. N By N NEA EA Service DES MOINES May Is Edwin s-Edwin Edwin T. T Meredith secretary of agriculture agriculture ture lure In President Wilsons Wilson's cabinet waited table during his college days In In Des f 1 Moines Ja In to earn mone money to buy candy and buggy rides for his sweetheart and future wife Edna Elliott His father gave him an allowance allow ance which would cover all expenses expenses ex expenses ex- ex except the expenses of oC courtship After figuring v vainly for or some days Meredith decided that hat though he could not lower the high cost of ot living he could raise his Income to meet it Then he was offered the waiters waiter's job for which he was to be given his meals free That meant that he could spend the 2 a week he had been paying for board on the pretty little Des Moines girl with whom he was already infatuated He took the job And with that 2 he bought about three times Umes as much happiness for his girl as the sum would buy today That was In th the winter of ot 1893 when Meredith was a freshman a-freshman at Highland Park college His courtship courtship courtship court court- ship lasted three years ears and was marked by gay Ch Christmas parties sleigh rides and dances in the winter winter winter win win- ter and antI hay rides ride's swimming parties parties parties par par- ties and tennis In the summer E. E T. T Meredith and Edna Elliott were married January 8 1896 Soon after the marriage Merediths Meredith's Merediths Meredith's Meredith's Merediths Mere Mere- grandfather editor of the Farmers Farmers' Tribune neared bank bank- At young Merediths Meredith's re request request re- re quest the plant was turned over overto overto overto to him for a final attempt at re re- re ta tion The total assets were about 1000 In type and machinery Edwin Meredith kept the foreman of the composing room dismissed all other and set out with this one helper to revive the farm paper Mrs Meredith l went into the office with him kept the books managed the circulation files read proof and tind nd helped sell a advertising The paper lived In 1902 It was renamed Successful 1 Farming From time to time several other periodicals periodicals periodicals cals of ot t similar type were vere established in the j plan t. t The combined circulation o of the Meredith Mere rere- publications today 1 Is more than During the lean years the Merediths Merediths Mere Mere- lived In a modest frame house housein in an an unfashionable district of Des Moines Alpines Mrs 1 Meredith was obliged J to give e up her office work and care for her son and daughter She is a woman of v varied Interests Interests interests Inter Inter- ests and great executive ability During the war var her canteens for soldiers at Camp Dodge won recognition recognition recognition from national Rea flea Cross authorities During the period of the war her husband says ne never saw her without a pair of knitting needles In her hands But her prime interest Is her two children The is sa married now now an and the son Edwin Meredith Jr is a a senior in college and the apple of ot his mothers mother's eye His friends say he has Inherited his mothers mother magnetism and democratic democratic demo demo- cratic tastes In Washington Mrs Meredith I soon established herself as one of I the most graceful or of official official of- of i circles In leaving her unassuming unassuming unassuming un un- un- un assuming Des Moines life for the dignity of a social position In the nations nation's capital she has kept perfect perfect per per- feet step with her husband But nut she still slips into the kitchen once In a while to bake a lemon cream pie for Mr 11 Meredith who Swears that nobody else can make a lemon cream creim cream pie worth eating |