Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-07-12
HISTORY IN ADVERTISEMENTS.
An Interesting and Valuable Part OF
Newspapers Contents.

An Interesting and Valuable Part of
Newspapers Contents.
1t is no longer an objection to news
paper that it contains advertisements.
On the contrary, there is reason to be-
lieye that a paper which Should contain
no advertisements would be not only
behind the times, but fail to give its
readers feature containing much cur
rent and useful information, and, withal,
much entertaining reading. Thousands
of people regard the advertisements in
daily paper as part of its local news.
IN late years the writing of advertise
mants has become a special feature in
iournalism-a branch of literature re-
quiring information and calling for
brightness and versatility. The man or
woman who has genius In that dlrec-
ton has a more profitable place III cur
rent literature than have many of those
who see their articles in magazines or
their names on the title pages of current
fiction. The wideawake business man,
who sees the great advantage OF space
IN newspapers columns has come to
understand the Importance OF having 1t
filled with matter which VIII be sure to
so attract the reader that he, and par
ticularly she, will look at it every day
and will experience feeling of disap
pontment if it is not found.
If one should assert that a history of
any recent period could be written
from the data supplied by the adver-
tisements of the newspapers, the state
ment would scarcely be believed until
one could give it consideration, after
which he would conclude that it might
be done. From the advertisements of
newspapers an expert might write the
history of the railroad development IN
L: #
motives and cars would furnish an out
line, while the improvements and adj
vantages set forth in the advertisements
would furnish a writer, if he possessed
a fair amount of originality, with the
filling for the work The financial his
tory of the government could be fully
written from the advertisements of
treasury officers and banks dealing in
public securities. Doubtless advertise
ments in New York commercial papers
would show that, late in 1860, a United
States loan could not be placed at par
bearing per cent. interest. Similar
advertisements would show not only
the rates of interest such securities bore
during different periods, but the fact of
the issue of legal tender greenbacks and
the premium which gold commanded
from time to time The results of great
battles during the war and the popular
feeling, whether hopeful or Respondent,
could be told in the ups and downs of
the price of bonds in gold or in cur
rency Without other record, the col
lapse of the rebellion could be told from
the fall in the premium on gold and the
sale of seVen-thirty bonds.
The advertisements of the treasury
and banks directly after specie reSump-
ton, announcing the sale of millions of
1 per cent. bonds and of the premium
which these bonds commanded after a
brief season, tell us eloquentlv and &C
cUrately the story of the achievements
by which the rate of interest paid by
the United States and the people was
reduced nearly one-third, as aid the of
fetal report of Secretary sherman The
development of American industries
can be traced in the advertisements an
nouncing novel home products Tran
Sient as are the fashions of dress, the
clever writer could tell their rise and
fall from the outlines supplied by the
dealers in fabrics and millinery The
enteTprising dealer with an eye to bust
ness has never failed to give the public
1.-The correct thing in dress for both
sexes
In the years to come the writing of
advertisements which will always at
tract attention will become more and
more a literary employment, since the
writer must not only be well read, but
possess in high derree the literary art
of putting things. At any rate this
branch Of newspaper-rnaking is being
developed; the time is not far distant
when it will be announced that TINS or
that noted advertisement writer will
contribute a special advertisement to a
forthcoming issue, for the same reason
that publishers of magazines NOW an
nounce that the next number win con-
tain story by Howells or a poem by
James Whitcomb Riley.-I1didndpolis
Journal