Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-09-16
HOW TO BECOME GREAT.
SOME VARIED OPINIONS UPON A
SUBJECT REAL INTEREST.

why Social, Political, Literary and
Business Ambitions Enchain Mems
Observation-Disclosures Perseverance,,
and Genius May Be of Some Help,
but 1t Is Ingenious Advertising that
Tells in the Long Run-Many In
stances that Prove This True. 81
Every .man who is worthy of that title
desires public recognition. Socially he
would be better known and respected. II
he assumes to ignore what IS generally
known as Society he surely turns to
some other kindred ambition. Politics
may engross his attention, and, II he
would rise in that line he must, by per-
sonal address, by party services, or by
public speaking, win the confidence anu
good will not only of his own party, but OF
the wider public. If as student he
buries himself in library, and works
through lonely days and nights, still, 1t
is only in the hope of leaving some work
80 writ as future ages shall not willing
~ let de-" Socially, politically, in art or
literature, yes, even in commerce, the de-
sire for wider publicity is inspiring and
ennobling.
Ambition is strong virtue until it steps
beyond prudence or proper modesty. by
that sin fell the angels and thousands OF
thoughtless mortals who try to rush IN
where the better angels fear to tread, de-
stroy all hopes of public approval. Their
rudeness ruins them socially. Their Gag
erness for office defeats their political as
pirations. Their ambition for rapid rec
ognitiOn clouds their literary efforts .Ihelr
penny dips" are blown out before they
| have set the river afire. In business lit
| tie fools ape the actions of successful men
until whole hordes are following Wan
amaker's advertising or initiating the Rls-
| ing Sun stove polish, or copying the plans
of really successful houses. The public
measures them quickly-they are asses
clothed in lions skins.
The first rule of real success is to be
original. Not strangely, queerly original
| but that every act and utterance snal
spring from an honest interior. 1t is not
| possible to achieve greatness by imitation.
Real greatness often. comes to men OF
humble birth and surroundings, whose
hearts are true and firm, while IN times
which try the souls of men the feeble and
vacillating ones are swept aside as by a
plague Arnold of Winkelried was prl-
vate soldier, but his brave act IN burylng
| dozen spears in his own breast to make
way for his fellow soldiers won him de-
served Immortality. Bunyan's simple but
heart-told story surpasses in vide pup
licity any literary effort of the greatest
| Of scholars. The simplest articles nave
| built up the greatest trade successes. 1t
was a farmer who was kindly trying to
amuse his little children who invented the
now famous "Pigs in Clover" and it paid
! him better than a gold mine. But as an
instance of solid success, built up by
honest means, used to popularlze simple
oil oily
| capital Illustration. 1t is solid cake or
securing soap, but it is the best of its
! kind-its manufacturers have never alter
ed or neglected it's quality. 1t is an article
naturally of moderate consumption, but 1t
is used everywhere. Not in the United
States only. where, from California to
Maine, it is household word, but in In
dia. China, and Japan, in Australia and
all the countries of South America, 1t
marks the progress of civilization by it's
mere presence Its travelling statesmen
can claim in common with itself that they
scour the world! The methods used in
conducting it's vast business rival IN care
full consideration the conduct OF enter
prises apparently more important, but the
secret of it's success is that no honest
method of obtaining and of retaining pub
lie attention is neglected. Look at the
simple little cake of Sapolio, lying half
used, perhaps, on the kitchen sink, and
try to realize that the sun never sets on
it's sales. Consider that it cost you but a
few cents, although its manufacturers
spend hundreds of thousands in advertls-
ing it to the millions whom they wish to
remind. It is like fairy tale Aladdin
rubbed his lamp to no better purpose than
the public does Sapolio, for, as universal
servant, its services are without measure,
| and its worth brings back goluen returns
to it's owners.
How has such wide popularity been OBJ
| tanned? By original merit and patient
perseverance. Probably the most interest
ing side of the story lies in the well-known
advertising which has been used. We can
reveal some of its methods. It's adver-
Using department is presided over by a
man who talks proverbs at breakfast,
dinner and supper, and twists them to fit
| Sapolio while the rest of the world sleeps
An artist is employed by the year, al
! though countless sketches and ideas are
contributed by outsiders. Poets-not mere
rhymesters-are paid to tell its merits in
original verses, and the most novel
schemes are made use of to attract atten-
ton. Two hundred and fifty thousand
| boxes of dominoes were sent out last year.
Japan furnished twenty thousand feath-
cred owls and fifty thousand puzzles, be-
sides thousands of hand-painted panels,
Domestic puzzles passed away long ago,
! but not until millions Of them had been
used. Pamphlets are printed in vast num-
bers, and the famous Sapolio alphabet has
nearly reached its tenth million. Five
hundred dollars will rent a large farm, but
it goes to pay for one half-page insertion
in daily paper. Yes, one thousand dol
lars has been paid for single column in
a weekly paper, but of course the circula-
ton, like the consumption of Sapolio, was
enormous Bold methods they may well
be called when over two thousand dollars
is paid for the rental of one sign on the
most prominent building in America. AS
odd methods we may mention the employ
ment of an advertising orator. who made
stump speeches in all the principal cities,
and the posting Of signs reading keep
off the Grass" on all the snow banks in
! New York after its great blizzard. But
our readers know only too well how thor
oughly it is advertised Every city, town
and railroad is decorated with its signs;
the magazines publish its pictures; the
street ears are enlivened by its proverbs;
the newspapers continually remind the
public of it's merits. But even if it was
not so prominent in its own behalf, the
dozens of imitators who try to impose
their wares on the public, as ''just as