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In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America, the nation's largest weekly circulation magazine, The Youth's Companion, published a 22-word recitation for school children. Published on September 8, 1892, the original version was:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

The story of this simple recitation is both a fascinating and instructive story. In a sense, the creation of the Pledge of Allegiance is a uniquely American expression. It brings together many facets and philosophies and harmonizes them. It involves the genius of three men and their mutual belief in American patriotism despite deep philosophical divisions.

The first of this American trinity was Daniel Ford. Daniel Sharp Ford, though largely forgotten today, was a major influence on American culture as both an editor and businessman. Taking over The Youth's Companion (which had been founded by Nathaniel Willis in 1827 to publish material for juveniles submitted to Willis' Boston Recorder) in 1867, Ford quickly formed certain conclusions. The first was that a juvenile magazine was limited, it's readership changing every five years. His first innovation as owner was in the area of editorial content. In restructuring The Youth's Companion by featuring more adult oriented material and introducing such then unknown literary talents as Emily Dickinson, Jack London, and Willa Cather as well as going to established writers such as Mark Twain and W. D. Howells, Ford created the first "family" Magazine. This innovation was an immediate success. From a circulation 4,800 at the time that Daniel Ford and John W. Olmstead assumed ownership, it neared the half million mark by 1892, and had the largest weekly circulation in the United States.

Ford accomplished much more during his tenure at the helm of the magazine. His, then-innovative, premium marketing strategy and his use of his juvenile readers to promote circulation had a major impact on both marketing and advertising that remains evident even today.

Ford was a capitalist in an age of capitalists. He was one of the most successful and brilliant entrepreneurs of the Gilded Age. What Carnegie was to steel, Rockefeller to oil, Daniel Ford was to advertising. He was what might today be considered a liberal. He was a friend and admirer of Edward Bellamy, the socialist author of Looking Backward. A capitalist and a realist, Ford was by no means

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