The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1888-05-24
THOUSANDS OF NOTICES.
How Mercantile Signs About Credit and
othcr Things Are Made.

How Mercantile Signs About Credit and
othcr Things Are Made.
II is something q little startling to
hear man say that he ''has 5000
notices" just one good all round,
working motto for everyday use is
about as much rs any body ought to
try to have and live up to- But a
manufacturer on Canal street claims
TO have % 900. and all different, the
largest stock in the world. of various
siz S, in all colors and styles" At
that point the thing begins to look a
little clearer He doesn't keep so
many in order to live up TO them him
self. or pretend to- as he might if they
were glittering generalities, such rs
II d rather be right than President"
or C cd bless or boarding house.
He constructs them for others. and
they have directly pertinent bearing
upon trade interests that keeps them
iu constant demand; as for instances:
Poor Credit is dead. but Cash still
lives Credit tomorrow, not
to-day" or the outburst ac-
companying picture of 8
man dangling from a gallows 1:
This man was hung,
But don't you fear,
For hanging up
Is played out here.
Sometimes he descends from those
playful fancies to such presumably
mattor-of-fact statements rs "Omr
goods are unsurpassed, ''come in and
sec our new stock" Our prices are
the lowest" and he calls those mot
toes, too, He is not quite positive that
This style. So" or Simply elegant.
75e, should not be classed as motto,
by reason of the words added to the
figures raising the description to n
dignity above that of mere price
card Call it what you like if you
only buy it. and you must be hard to
suit il you can find in his stock the
trade motto you want But if you can
not he will produce it for you in few
minutes. His notices are painted up
on earl board of various colors. and
upon black or white oil-cloth, and are
in almost infinite variety Of tints and
styles They are executed with very
rapidly-drying paints, water colors
when laid upon cardboard, and a more
durable preparation when put upon
oil-cloth, which is intended TO make e
wet-weather sign. Out- of-town mer.
chants buy his largest and gaudiest
products, country elothiers especially
affecting styles that seem to be a cross
between circus poster and Good
Tomplar's regalia- The opposite ex-
treme is reached in the big square
block-letteTed legends, in plain black
and white. Portions Ice Cream or
'Husselps Ice Cream" for city use.
These he paints literally by the thou
sand.
Cardboard "mottoes, " 11x14 inches,
In assorted tints, are sold for 81 q
dozen, and for Sc per dozen one can
buy them 22x2S inches in size and of
such gorgeous variety of co!ors as
would discount Jose phs famous coat.
Oil-cloth signs come rather higher.
but last longer. One that is 21x27
inches cost IS cents, and a very big
ono, 2lx54 inches. 81 so The little
price cards are so cheap that their
prices hardly seem to cover the cost of
material
III employs four men to lay out the
letters in outline, and n couple of boys
TO fill in the solid colori in the larger
letters; work that is done with sur
prising rapidity, accuracy and taste.
From the facts that he has been called
upon 10 supply considerable quantities
of his pretty-colored cards for use
in England, and that English painters
he has employed tell him they never
saw such work done over there. he be-
lieves that our American styl3 of
card board color decoration for COM
mercial use is practically unknown in
Great Britain. His business amounts
to about $40. 900 per annum, and is
good all the year through. except in
the months of July and August, when
it temporarily willis. 1t is his boast,
which seems to be sustained by the
facts, that there is not a trade or BUSH
ness, or hardly even an office require
ment for any thing in his line that he
is not ready TO meet at any moment
from his stock. The principal strain
on the Intellectual department of his
establishment is in the invention of
new and forcibIe ways of presenting
the mo credit idea, and he has
done so much in that line that he has
come TO regard that as The principal
ono of his three thousand notices"
for his own observance. N J. Sun