The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-24
LEADING EDITORIALS.
from the indianapolis Journal.

Indianapolis to San Francisco. a very large
the advertisements. Some do this becaus,
they wish to find particular thing or are
Interested in some particular line Of busi-
ntie; others because their eye Is caught
by good display; others to see how bust
ness Is; others in search OF bargains and
80 on. Tho regular patrons OF paper, III
home readers, read the advertisements al
| most as regularly as vhey do any other
part OF the paper, and II regularly followed
| up they are good picture and reflex Of
the times. daily newspaper without Its
regular grist OF advertisements, changing
every day In the year, and giving with
every change Kaleidoscope view OF trade
with It's reflected lights OF social llfe
mould be very poor sort OF paper.
The evolution OF the art OF advertising Il
as interesting as that OF any other feature
OF modern life. In the infancy OF the busl-
ness there was no art about 1t and not
much business. It's value was not appre-
ciated either by advertisers or publishers
ana probably 1t had not as much value In
former times relatively as II has now, be-
cause II took time for people TO become
educated up TO reading advertisements as
they do now. One reason why they are SO
much more read now than formerly is that
| U
NOT only better worded. but fresher, and,
beihs changed 80 much oftener. are much
more reflex OF the times. badly
worded advertisement Ia almHt as ad as
none at all. and stale advertisement, one
that shows on its face that II Is out OF date,
is as offensive to readers as 1t should be
TO publishers and advertisers
| To be effective an advertisement should
be well constructed. adroitly worded right
10 the point and changed as often as pos
sibie NO doubt one reason of the great
growth OF advertising In recent years is
tnat business men, having learned to OPP
preciate It's value are more careful than
they used to be In keeping faith with the
public and living up to their advertise
ments. In these days OF sharp competition
q merchant who should break faith with
the public by advertising one thing. or
one price, and Offering another. would soon
ma the public letting him severely alone.
shrewd advertiser would almost as soon
let his note go to protest as not to live nm
to his advertisement. Shrewd advertisers
100, look carefully to the wording of their
advertisements. and y no one In the estab-
lishment is skilled IN that direction thew
nIre somebody else to do 1t. In all cities
now there are professional writer's of ad-
vertlsements, who do nothing else and re.
celve large salaries. The business has
grown enormously In every direction CIV
ing EMPLOYMENT 60 great many peopIe
maintaining large and costly agencies. and
involving the expenditure OF hundred, ot
millions OF dollars annually.
me art OF advertising has been progress
siye from the beginning. It has never ex-
peIienced any check-except bank checks
ana 1t Is as expansive and progressive today
az 1t ever was This Is the best poss,bIe
PROOF that It pays.
From the Washington Post.
SOUTHERN COMMERCE-An article on
the trade revolution wrought by the South
Just printed by the Atlanta Constitution 10
a valuable contribution to the history OF
'noustriai ana commercial progress in that
section. 1t Is chapter OF a story that has
no parallel in our history, and II ought n
BIO n source OF qualification and rride to the
people OF all sections OF the country Tho
facts collected by Mr.. Avery furnish con-
yincing proof that a restored Union with
the blight OF slavery eliminated. means as
e'ea' chhnse In foreign commerce as
III domestic industry and trade. Before the
war the South had few manufactures few
railroads. and but little farming excent
that which had for its object the production
OF cotton. rice, sugar and tobacco. lts great
staple was cotton, and that Is still its chief
p'oducl. But IL Is no longer content with
ehe inohotony OF the old time. and its agri-
culturlsts are producing every variety Of
cereals, vegetables and fruits that can be
crown In any part of the Union
nc fost has heretofore shown the won
Sriui development OF the manufacturing
ana railway interests OF the South. and
mas not neglected the growth of her for
,sh trade Hut the paper prepared by
~, avery presents the whole subject in a
more comprehensive and impressive man
ner than 1t was possible to do without
mat perfect familiarity with the situation
'i%t ne has acquired through long study
OF ana deep interest in it, He cites officiol
hsures TO show that the increase in foreigr
1raue al all our ports during the last fiscal
year as compared with the next preceding
year was 100000, 900. or 10 per cent whjIs
tweniy-one Southern ports did sion oOo nm
or tV per cent. and the ether i05 ports did
the rest, or 40 per cent. The whole decrsasa
IN imports Is shown 10 have been sl5 OO0
wv. or nearly per cent while eishteen
southern ports did S. 900, 900 OF Increase ar
70 per cent tabulated statement shows
that OF the 1876 United States ports twenty
one Southern seaports, Id. &c per cent of ~.
number, did 1854 per cent of the whole W.
s'tNSe' WINE the rest. los seaports. 81 "a |
per cent OF the whole number. only d,d |
sVoo per cent OF the Increase or tha |
s ssN sn ports, Galveston led with SCI |
,oo,So2 Increase; New Orleans. sol 194st5, |
nai'imore, Vi9,25S,659: Norfolk, slI $40
JAS Newporv News, $6923.7lS, and Psrse
cola, NsiS,3S7. The total export increase |
OF the United States was only l9.1 ner |
sent, while he twenty-one Southern ports,
lncisase was 1888 per cent aud over the |
resi- was Ss2,lSl,Isl. or is 81 per cent
Mr. Avery is fully justified in his ron.
ciusion that what has thus far been accom-
piished In building up the trade of south
ern ports Is a forecast Of ''the gigantic fn
lure OF the movement" Shorter lines ~ |
transportation to Southern Atlantic and
Ruii ports inevitably draw away tho ewN
port business that formerly conferred in
..ew .ork' The State OF New York is now
expending s9,ooo0oo for the enlargement,
OF her canals in the hope of regainins lost
trade The effort will not be sucressfn,
Tor nature Is against 1t. As Mr.. Avery wall
says, the change lis the natural sn,,
Telsnty Of the short haul asserting i,ss,f
~ Is revolutionizing lines of transror,s,,a,
anu massive foreign trade. II Ia q resist,ass
actor OF development and Of equalizat,on
VI expansion and money power And the
Only course for NIL L.. N,HN fhe