Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-07-08
NEWSPAPER COUPONS.
THE SCHEME WAS ORIGINATED IN
LONDON BY A LAWYER

Few weeks-LIke Many schem es To-
day, ~ Was IA Big swindle-The Ondon
Fine Art Association.
One dismal afternoon during the all of
1876 three friends, all OF whom had sen in
the army and whose pecuniary COZ dition
may be described by the expressive epif bet Of
"husted,n were lounsing in the reading room
VI then very fast London club. Cne Of
them proceeded 10 PROFOUND the perp Iexing
question as TO what his friends cons idered
would be the termination TO their present
financial embarrassments
"Our subscriptions will be d 10 short y, and
heaven only knows where the stuff is Il come
from, as feel certain my uncle WON'T tump
up. He has on many previous occasions ex-
pressed his emphatic opinion that und,r the
circumstances it would be more becomi " for
me to obtain some employment, inste ad of
swelling, as he chooses to call it, about the
West End, and am really afraid mon rfaire
with the Jones' Brown girl is off"
lie had got so far with this exciting 5, biect
when one Of his companions interrupted him
In his usual jerky style 81 saw brother Bill
last night. Be says he has struck a good
thing at last Wants only little really to
make fortune | suppose, however, it is a
wild scheme which will never come tc any
thing He asked me tho silly question il
could get any one 10 go into it with him."
On the principle of the drowning man
catching ut a straw, the gentleman who bad
expressed the very reasonable doubt AS TO The
forthcoming Of the club subscriptions pro-
posed, with his habitual extravaganza that
they should take cab down to the Temple
and interview Mr.. Blu, who was barlister
without any legal business.
THE SCHEME PROPOSED.
The proposition was carried mem. con.
That abOminable mode of conveyance, u
London omnibus, was substituted for han
som, and in half an hour Elm Tree Court was
invaded by three thirsty and impeculious
men.
1--WE hear" said the spokesman of the
party, that you have got the idea of the
century. Let us know all about it, as il IL is
any good can find fellow to lend me iome
money 10 put into it,"
Mr.. Bill compressed his lips with that al Dom-
Unable judicial aifectation so common an ong
young lawyers, and remarked with as much
gravity ns If he were opening an address to a
jury in murder case:
"You SEQ that the British public imaglnes
that it is fond Of art and pictures, and all that
sort of thing, and hine-tenths don't know a
print from an engraving. How propose to
sell Landseer's and Wilkes and works by
other popular painters. However, bait is
wanted 10 make them bite. | therefore in
tend TO issue u coupon, which will lool in
tensely important, redeemable within IA GER
tain date, ontitlng the sender to the bei eft
of getting what choose to call an engravl ng,
and which on the face Of it appears to I've a
marvel Of cheapnC-s The idea is origi ial,
and it's not. | don't know whether it C, me
TO me in an ap0Calyptic dream or whether !
overheard somebody talking about something
Of the same nature. If any of you can rlise
IA hundred pounds it will he enough, as can
make arrangements with friendly adyer-
Using agent to do the needful III that dir &C.
ton, which will be the principal outlay"
THE LONDON FINE ART ASSOCIATION.
The matter was discussed far into the oil
lowing me ming, and the result was that with
"A very slender borrowed capital the Lonl on
Fine Art association started on its gay car ser
a few days after. From the very first it was
n remarkable financial success as the money
flowed IN through the post so quickly that it
proved economical to pay man to sell The
postage stamps without discount 10 the trades
people
The outlay was n triile and the profits at
least 400 per cent. The principal aim Of the
association was stated to be from time 70
time 10 issue genuine works of art in order To
cherish and foster among the middle aud
lower classes that love of real engraviI 6
which they 50 much prize 1t was furtl er
stated that it was earnestly hoped that the
system would entirely supersede the spuriC lis
imitation Of cngrayings,
The advertisement generally filled a c)l-
umn, and informed the public that the AS o.
citation having the exclusive right would,
previous To- destroying the plate, issue at the
cost of production a limited number of gen ii.
inc copyright cugrayI hgs from the origiUa al
steel plate of such and such cele brated piCt-
ures Then followed n very elaborate e.
sCription Of the picture, and the very import
ant coupon with full instructions that il
should be cut out and sent with n postofh &c
order for various sums, aS the case might be
accompanied with full address To secure sa q
delivery, for which special arrangements had
been made for its transmission free of charge.
At the end IL was stated that the usual rets II
price OF the engraving was about ten tims
that asked 10y the Fine Art association.
Under these auspices England was food,
with copies Of well known paintings by celI
bratei artists.
As many years have now elapsed it will lt
no breach of confidence TO state that thes {
print. Tor that Is what they amounted u
were obtained wholesale from a gentleman a
the Hebrew persuasion. He he'd in his POI
session the Old and well worn plates OF the
original engrayngs, and was well Statistic
with his part IT the contract, which was {.
supply the Fine Art association with copies al
three cents apiece The ASSOCIATION retailel
them at an average of thirty cents, and, ca
culatug all expenses, had profit of twenty
five cents on every copy sold, The harves
lasted Tor about three months and nette
over oua hundred thousand dollars, whicl
was divided amongst the partners. As wa
only to he expected, severe competition SO
In, the coupon system being extended to
variety Of uses, 50, we'll satisfied with the ~
suits. the Pine Art association retired iron
business - philadclphia Saturday Review,
The Age q. Man,