The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-05-22
THE BRIEFLEss LAWYER AND HUNGRY
DOCTOR PILL BOX.
Common Sense People Take the BusH'
ness which Others Might Get, III
there were no Fool Ethics.

TltLQue(pNtu IHteS.
The code of legal ethics prohibits lawyers
from advertising their business IN the news
physicians from advertising their Skill, and
IL is yet within the memory of many when
unwrtten commercial ethics .prohlDlted
everything In the way Of advertising beyond
a stale regulation card that escaped the impu.
tation of charlatanism because 1t was simply
a waste of money. Let us test these presuma-
bly, elevated standards OF professional and ou'
siness ethics by the ineXorable laws OF com.
mon sense, which now assert themselves In
The legal profession OF this city has lost
two-thirds of its legitimate fees within the
last ten wears, and 1t has been taken from the
lawyers by the. practical common senae that
entered the field and advertised Its mission
every day in all:the Heading newspapers. The
business Of titles and conveyanclng, once an
lawyers, has been taken from them by real
estate and title corporations which adVertis
ed their business from January to January
The large trusts which once gave compe,
taken from the lawyers by trust corporations
and they unhorsed the bar IN the struggle by
systematic and persistent advertising IN the
newspaper. The collection OF CLAIMS was vas
once q large source af fevenus to the bar but
comm ercial and collection agencies have
come in competition end stripped the bar Oh
that branch Of business by appealing to the
public through the advertising columns o!
this sublimated standard OF non advertising
ethics is an improverlsned bar and host oi
prosperous organizations which have won The
advertising. The bar has its ethils; the COM
petitors of the bar have Its business, and
that sums up the whole situation.
The physicians affect to dlscredlt any mem, no ~
newspapers telling where he may be consult
ed and to what particular branch OF the pro
fession he gives most attention. but while
physicians are standing on their assumed
dignity, other physicians OF various grades,
from the educated specialist to the ignorant
ouack, understand that the people now seek
very few in any profession or calling, ana
that all who would succeed must seek *, tne az;
the varied ills of humanity now make hun
dreds of thousands while the regulars are
making their tens Of thousands; and there
IL twice or thrice the amount OF money paid
every year for advertised remedies that Is
paid to the entire regular physicians OF the
"But' they are quacks and are swindling the
people and iujuring their health, }" is the ready
answer OF the regular as he falls back upon
the ethics that shut him out OF the practical,
common-sense channels OF professional sue.
cess. Not so fast, Mr.. Ethics. PeStlferous as
are many quacks, it is q debatable question
whether, taken as body, the regulars or the
irregulars do the most harm in administering
medicine. There are many proprietary med
are accepted as standard remedies in half the
families OF the land and there Is not FAM lily
| in philadelphia. not even excepting the fami-
| ly OF Doctor Ethics himself, In which adver.
| tised remedies are not more or less used. anu
| they are used solely because they have been
made known by systematic advertising.
It was once regarded as lacking respecta-
| bility to advertise merchandise or daily
schedule of bargains for buyers. 1t was con-
| sidered quite respectable TO insert quiet CARDS
| in the Philadelphia newspapers on Wednes-
days and Saturdays, when the country people
| focked to the market-sheds, and 1t was con-
sidered respectable TO put stale card In a
newspaper without convulsing trade by
changing 1t more than once In three or Six
| months: but that unwritten law OF CONNER
cial ethics has been knocked out in disgrace
| by the progressive business men OF the pres
ent day They have offended the dignity OF
| Of going to purchase except as he or she is In
| vited by the breakfast newspaper, and instead
| of wanting in respcctability TO advertise,
none are regarded as respectable business
men now who do not advertise. They nave
| proved TO merchants, rs real estate, trust and
collection organizations have proved to law
! yers and az proprietary medicines have prov
cd to physicians, that legitimate advertising
| Is not only highly respectable, but that IT is
about the only reputable method OF acqualnt T.
| ing the world withthe resources Of those who
can supply its wants; whether professional,
commercial, scientific or industrial. Adver-
| tsing has made Itself respectable, and the
ethics of any profession or calling that as
sumes to make 1t disreputable, only oftends
| the intelligence Of the age and gives to more
practical men the cream that modern ethics
skins for those 1t foolishly discards.