The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-05-11

TUE QUESTION OF ADvERTlsNs.-Some of the
journals in the interior of the State and else
where have discovered q new phase of mental
aberration--to wit, the insanity of advertising.
The chief victim of this new form of delirium is
the extraordinary Bonner, who publishes the
literary weekly called the Ledger. and who
advertises il so extensively as to make the
journals ask
Is the man who pays these enormous amounts for ad
versng crazy the crazy confined to the bu
sincss men who do not advertise at als
The subject has attracted great deal Of at
tcntion on all hands, and has even attracted the
attention of the Wall street press; more than
friend Aminadab Sleek of the Journal Of CON-
merce, who has just found ont that somebody
has been doing something out of the common
way, and cannot exactly make it cut. Some
body. il is quite certain, is crazy on this adver
Using point, and we are quite willing to give
Aminadab Sleek. and all others, o. much light
as We can upon 80 important subject. 1t will
be necessary to look into the philosophy and
facts of the CASE
We have heard that when the remarka-
bic Bonner took hold OF the Ledger 1t was a
small and not over profitable concern. He
| originated O new and original system of ad-
vertising, which has had many imitators In
small way. Public attention was directed
to the paper, and its sales speedily increased
Finally came the great financial crisis Every
body cut off the Injuries The newspaper and
book trade was much depressed The publishers
generally bent before the storm publishing
nothing, selling nothing, advertising nothing
Most of the old fashioned merchants and traders
followed the same course, taking in sail and re-
lapsing into q state of stagnation- A few, how
ever, had the boldness to take different course.
Bonner was crazy enough 10 advertise still more
extensively than ever, filing column after
column with the announcements Of the contents
of bis paper. Other men-architects Of their
own fortunes-such merchants as Alexander
Stuart, also increased their advertising expenses
during the crisis. Some of the wholesale dry
goods men moved up to Broadway, scattered
their advertisements broadcast through the
columns of the HERALD, sold off their stocks of
goods at retail for cash on the nail, and we're
ready to meet their payments But Of all these
insane persons Bonner was the worst. The
melancholy result of his insanity is that his
paper not only sustained its circulation through
the hard times. but increased it to considcra-
bic extcnt-that notwithstanding the "enor-
nous amounts" which he pays for advertising,
he is rich man, with country house, two or
three fast horses, &C., &c., and We soon expect
to see him ealing his own yacht and making
more of show than Chemung Smith himself;
and that without robbing the Corporation Of a
penny.
Now, look at the old fogy traders who did
not advertise at ALL or who gave their sixpenny
worth TO Aminidab Sleek and his sleepy friends
in Wall street. Where arc they nowI Smashed
irretrcvably, irrcvocsbly smashed, and obliged
TO give way to younger men, who will not he
crazy enough to walk in fhe old way.
The public win Judge as TO the crazy ones
from the facts in the case. II will make mp its
mind that there is good deal Of method in the
madness of the extraordinary Bonner, which
brings him in clear profit Of twenty-five OF