The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-12-26
Advertisements.

"What lots of advertisements Who |
reads them, l wonderH I'm sure
dontw
Until last week 1 confess myself to
have been in sympathy with such senti-
ments, and to have often spoken words
to the same effect, unwisely, as l now
see. For, being forced to be idle, like a
traveller waiting at railroad station for
tardy train, 1 took up my paper and
actually readits advertisements through,
and with profit, found.
A newspaper, as it is provided for all
ages, and as advertisers purvey for all
tastes, offers, as it were, a scale of life, by
which one may measure not his years
but his age; for years belong to the flesh
only, but age is matter that lays hold
of more subtle and spiritual qualities.
If any one would know how far they
have travelled or how much they have
backslidden, they will find in the adver-
tisements of large newspaper scale of
spiritual miles, by which they isay meas
ure themselves with vividness and ac-
curacy.
The questions that arose in my mind
as I read, which my present information
was not able to questions of ge-
ography, history, and mechanics, and
finanoe-these questions have suggested
to me the value of advertisements in the
school-room. suspect that any teacher
will find the foundation in the adver-
tising columns of any commercial news
paper for better lessons in geography,
and better, because more intelligent
use of aliases than in any textbook now
in use.
Lessons of language, its use and abuse,
and profitable criticisms of the same, will
be found teeming in the columns of our
newspapers, where every advertiser is
allowed to express himself as he will
My boys is it in good taste to say " A
patent lightning saw? Shall we ad-
vertise thunderbolt axes? Shall we say,
ladies solid gold hunting case watch
sewing machine" good EnglishY 1--WE
are assured that the Songs of Salvation
gives entire satisfaction" Is this q
correct sentence? "Any 20 pieces OF
sheet music for one dollar" Is there
any fault in that?
10 that great number of outlying
people waiting for something to turn uI
by which they may get living, what
better reading is possible than page after
page of advertisements He must be
of sluggish temperament, indeed, who
stimulated by the unbounded variety Of
suggestion found in advertising csl
umns, is not quickened to some usefu
motion.
1t is very difficult to sit in ones chail
and think up what to do but when the
panorama of busy life is set in motor
before q waiting mans eyes, it woulc
seem as If, sooner or later, something
would come along which would set hin
thinking in new channel, and promp
him to a possible industry. By this
do not mean that people who are wait
ing for place will probably find plac,
advertised. For if place be advertised
and they rush to fill it they will prob
ably find fifty or five hundred more be
fore them. But l mean that highei
good which comes to an intelligent MAJ
when he himself is set on thinking b,
noticing what it is that other men ar,
thinking and wanting. A true maj
will make his own place.
And this has set mo wondering wheth
er the children of this world are not wise
in their generation than the children o
light; in other words whether the pub
fishers are not wiser than the editors anC
preachers in being willing to publisl
good things about their so-called rivals
wonder whether minister in his pul
pit is wise or foolish when he refuses t
give notices, real hearty notices. abou
his brother ministers and sister church
es. / suspect the truth to be that b
helps himself and his own work best VIII
reaches out hand of greeting an
shouts word of welcome to the me
around him who are working for th
same ends. Master, we saw one castin
out devils in thy name, yet he walket
not with us. Rebuke him not, replie
Jesus, for there is no man that can do
good work in nay name that can lightl
speak evil of me. May not our denomi
nations themselves learn lesson
Christian sagacity, not to say charity
from our denominational newspapers
their different claims?
And clerGymen, too, who have need [
bring forth things new and old out of th
treasury OF their pious imagination, wi
they not find on the advertising pag,
OF newspaper suggestion as to the o,
cupations of men, and consequently the
habits of thoughtY Will not the who
community, first and last, pass before h
eyes if he read with intelligence the fla.
which they hang out declaring WIKI
they are doing and what they are wan
ing, and how they propose to win
themselves the gain which all desire
Will not the preacher who reads the IL
terances of advertisers learn the dale
of the people? And when he is all aglo
with some magnificent Christian tru-
will he not be able to cause it to shil
reflected by new and unexpected ol
iect, when his imagination is peopled n
merely with creations flor it is very e:
hausting work to create), but also wi
accumulations of fact and experienc
that will come rolling in upon him if
reads the advertising pages of new
paper.
A Possible Peril.
Mr. Graa1ao,c 6oafb will barn