St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-06-09
HOW TO ADVERTISE.
The Experience of the Oldest and Best.
Known Business Man

1he Experience of the Oldest and Best-
Known Business Man.
100 much money is spent on ssnap's
advertising schemes. Venture the as
sertlon that fully one-third of the MON
eey spent in this country for advertising
is squandered on the new schemes
'fakes, they are called in the LAM
guage of the craft-introduced by itin.
Grant solicitors.
The oldest, and perhaps the most
worthless OF the schemes devised to
pull the dollars from the business mans
pocket is the 'hotel card" printed on
common colored cardboard, and vary.
ing in size from 6x9 to 11x14, or a omar.
ter sheet of card board according to
the gullibility of the business men an
preached in the interests of the scheme.
These cards, which are fastened to the
inside of the bedroom doors, contain
the rules of the hotel, occupying COM
paratively infnitesimal space, and the
remainder is filled with advertise
ments. representing every business in
the town. Imagine the spectacle of
traveller, on cold morning, with one
trousers leg on, and hopping about the
room IN the effort to preserve his equil-
lorlum while he encases his neither
limb IN the other refractory division
imagine him, with chatterine teeth
ana 'goose-pimplcd' anatomy, stop
ping to read about 1.-The Leading Dry
Goods House, staple and Fancy
groceries," Free Delivery" Our
Motto-One Price to ALL" large
Stock of Cooking Stoves "Capital
Stock, 500, 000,' Satisfaction Guaran-
teed, and other information of like
nature!
From twenty to fifty of these cards are
printed, at cost to the getter-up of
four or five dollars; while he NAV re-
ceive for the advertiser ents s35 or $40
very good wages for a few hours
work. The cards he gives to the hotel
in exchange for his board.
One of the grandest swindes l call
to mind now was that perpetrated on
the business men of Southern Kan
sas town about two years ago by a
"town clock scheme. Two smooth
strangers induced twenty or
more merchants to take space on
circular board about three feet in d.
which was hoisted on pole
at street corner. In the center of
the board was cheap clock, and
around it spaces in which ADVERTISE
ments were painted. The expense of
this Loard to the advertisers was, if nv
serves me right $3.50, at least
sl4O OF which was clear profit for the
s three days work In week
the clock succumbed to old Sol and the
rain; while the same forces caused the
paint to fade and peel off-and there
t stood, and yet stands for aught !
know, a one hundred and sixty-dollar
Advertisements in directories and
theatrical and other programmes are not
worth the time consumed in writing
hem; and money so expended is abso-
utely thrown away. The same is true
# fence-board advertising, except the
of the farmer be gained for he
will, nine times out ten, resent the
liberty taken with his boundary lines
" knocking off the board and mailing
t on again with the sign inside. Again,
'oards are broken, and when the fence
5 repaired we behold these startling
announcements: Bargains in purga-
i've pellets at John Smith So Charter
lax Stoves Cure Sick Headache.
A well conducted paper is the only
aedium through which the advertiser
an reach the people with profit to him.
ELF. Such, at least, has been the ex.
erience of the oldest and best known
dvertisers. who arrived at the conclu-
ion through the expenditure of many
housand dollars in experimental adj
ertising.-Supt Thompson, in Indus
-ialist
MERELY a Deem Ditch