The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1899-08-02
BONNEkS UNIQUE AID.
HOW THE GREAT PUBLISHER SOLD
HIS COUNTRY HOUSE.

/
and Effected n satisfactory Sale.
Horace GreeIey's Blunt views on
Newspaper Advertisements.
In the course of ESQ years advertising
has developed into an art, but 1t doubtless
has many new and surprising features
held in reserve for the future.
Some intelligent people profess singu-
lar ignorance of the nature of an adver-
tisement, and they are all the time urging
newspapers to publish, free of charge,
reading matter which plainly serves tho
private interests of those who hand 1t in
or request its preparation.
This sort of thing used to make old
Horace Greeley mad and it drew from
him the following pertinent advice;
"When you want an article inserted to
subserve somo purpose Other than the pub
lie good, you should offer to pay for 1t. 1t
is not just that you should solicit the use
of columns not your own to promote your
own or your friends private interests
without offering to pay for them. The
fact that you are subscriber gives you
no right in this respect; If the paper is not
worth its price, don't take 1t. II you wish
to use tho columns of any journal to pro-
mote your own or some other persons
private interests, offer to pay for 1t; there
is no other honest way"
When Swain published the Philadelphia
Public Ledger, he held Grceleys views
about advertising.
On one occasion gentleman asked him
to insert without charge an advertisement
for poor widow.
Cant do it, said Swain; "business Is
business, and charity is charity.
"Won't you reduce your prices" asked
tho gentleman.
"No, sir You will have to pay the reg
ular charge, 81.
With great reluctance the other handed
over tho money and was about to leave
when Swain took Il $40 bill from his vest
pocket
"Please givo this to the widow" he
said, land hope it will help her"
For many years ingenious advertisers
have filled the papers with business notices
which open with the announcement OF
some important event and conclude with
few lines about a patent medicine or
sewing machine.
This style of advertising is very old.
More than 90 years ago Henry J. Ray
mond was engaged to write every day q
fancy advertisement of some Vegetable
pills, and his contract made it necessary
for him to connect the pills with some
leading event of the day in order to at
tract the attention of his readers. Ray
mond did this work with the same ability
and energy which he afterward displayed
as the editor of great paper.
| ~ how n
try residence may be of interest. He want
cd to dispose Of the place, and, having no
confidence in ordinary real estate adyer-
tisements, ho published the following in
several daily papers:
81 hereby offer for sale my country resi-
dence, near Melrose station, where have
lived for the past three summers, but do
not think l could live much longer.
have heard that people desiring to pur-
chase country home could never find one
where they had chills and fever; it is al
: ways a mile or two off. but never right
there, at the place that is for sale. Now,
offer for sale curiosity, something rare,
the precise, exact spot where you will find
! chlls and fever will warrant it to be
there. Three of my children have it; my
gardener has it; my groom has the pre-
monitory symptoms, and l have touch
, of it myself Any doctor with n large fam
| ily who has sure cure for fever and aguC
, would find this most eligible situation.
, The neighborhood is full of the disease,
, and if he could keep it out of his own fam
lily it would give him a reputation that
would insure his fortune. Besides the
fever and ague, the estate consists of a
fine double house, with all the modern
conveniences and two acres of land, with
a good barn and stable. 1t is really q
beautiful place. The grounds are hand
somely laid out, with choice trees an6
shrubbery These trees afford not only g
delightful shelter, but harbor for mos
quitoes. The mosquitoes thus far have
not been so much affected by fever and
ague as to prevent their biting-in fact, II
is a good place for mosquitoes. l bought
it to please my wife and shall leave it tC
please the whole family. Terms, cash.
am afraid any security would get the fever
and ague and become shaky. The towT
authorities are improving the adjoining
streets, and If they drain the place as thor
oughly as they do the pockets of the land
owners it may become healthy.
This remarkable advertisement wa'
talked about and copied, and thousands o
people made inquiries about Melrose sta
ton and the Bonner place. The fact cam'
| out that it suffered no more from feve
and ague and mosquitoes than other local
: ities in that region and the result wa
: that it was sold for very satisfactor.
price.
F, The New York Herald once got som
profitable advertising in queer way
1t seems that The Herald refused t.
: print the advertisements Of the Maretezl
5 opera and Barnum's museum. The theat
rical managers of the city held meeting
!, and withdrew their patronage from tn
= paper. But they made the mistake of an
nouncing in the other dailies and on thei
s posters the fact that they did not advertis
n in The Herald. This attracted attentio
G to that paper, and its independent cours
s made it so popular that, before man
: months, the theatrical managers wer
t glad to return to it.
s OF course good newspaper is alway
: the best advertising medium.
o Signs painted on rocks and fences, fanc
: wagons and balloons, and circulars an
pamphlets can never do the work of pol
ular journal.
Henry Ward Beecher once said:
y "In the United States every worthy ci
{ izen reads newspaper and owns 1t.
8 newspaper is window through whiC
, men look out on all that is going on
the world Without a newspaper, a ma
10 is shut up in small room and knows Ii
> tie or nothing of what is happening on
IL side of himself A good newspaper wi