The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-11
Without Prejudice.

He handed me the evening paper. point
Ing to an advertisement II was the we'll
known periodical advertisement Of Jol-
lands Business Pill You will probably
recollect It. 1t represents a tall, hand
some. stern man, with a waxed NOUS
tache, fur coat. and patent boots-baby' s
size. He Is standing in a chemists shop,
ana waving away pill box which the
| Oosequtous chemist Is proffering. Under
| meath is line Of explanatory lettef-press
'Barenet: No, No! viii have hollands
| or will have none''
said that had seen it. but had not
noticed 1t particularly.
Well" he said. that pictures doing
lot Of HARM
''How?'
Take the case OF that baronet-you
might have guessed he was a baronei
from his dressiness without being told II
at the bottom the picture. He's III. isn't
hep"
He doesn't look it."
But he Is, or he wouldn't be buying
| pills. What's more, he's been In the habit
| OF taking pills, and found out that Jol-
lands are the best for his complaint. But
what wicked, foolish thing 1t Is for
| him to say that If he can't get hollands
| he'll have none. I speak without preju-
| dice. I've no interest in the pill trade
But do think Jollands' ought TO be pros
ecuted for putting a thing. like that
about"
didn't see why it was as bad as al
that. and said so.
Other pills mayn't give him the stimu-
lus. as II were, that Jollands' would. but
| still they'd help him bit. / suppose be
| don't know what disease may become II
| not checked. But the whole spirit OF me
| thing Is wrong. Suppose you have a
handsome vase. and drop it. and you
break of one handle. what do you do?''
/ confessed with shame what l should
| probably do.
Yes but after that you'd send It to be
mended. You'd stand It up on your man
telpiece, twisted round, cornerwise, II
| may use the expression. so that the rivets
didn't show. 1t mightn't be absolutely the
perfect thing, but 1t would be better than
breakage. You see what I mean?"
I owned, with truth. that I did not. My
| chance companion Of the railway carriage
became laboriously emphatic in trying, as
he said, to make the thing clear.
iii give you another case then. Sup
pose you just miss a train, what do you
do?"
There you've got 1t. You'd take the
next. And that's what term a moral
action, and the action Of a sensible man.
That does you credit. But the baronet
in the picture wouldn't act like that. He'd
say, IF can't get the train I want, III
walk right out OF the station So ne
would, too. He'd go off to some hotel
and leave his family a prey to anxiety
And II they were touchy as may hap
pen, n family quarrel and the breaking
up Of a home might be the result. There
YOU have the whole Of the spirit of the
thing"
You mean that II a man cannot GET
just what he wants, he should put UP
with the next best"
THAT is one view Of It. I say that
picture of Jollands' is doing harm. Hers
you have a man who is a baronet. He l.
handsome and has a dashing way with
him. He Is rich, as you see by his clothes
and speaks dictatorially. That is the kind
Of figure which makes an impression on
the young mind. They want to be like
that. They initiate him as far as they
can, leaving out the title, Of course. Then
that proud, contemptuous kind of sullIi-
ness gets common. Ever read the sui
cides?"
Always"
81 dare say more than one suicide might
be traced back to some such picture as
this of Jollands'." He tapped the offend
ing advertisement impressively with one
finger. THAT may seem strange to you,
but strange things happen. Suppose q
man has an accident inzcourtship. He Is
engaged to a girl, and she throws him
over. She may be right or she may be
wrong-that doesn't enter into II. Let us
suppose that the girl was a clipper and
the man much attached. He falls into
semi-despairing state, and while In that
condition he happens to PICK up a paper
with this advertisement He reads that
line L will have hollands or will have
none Think what effect that might have
on his mind. He wouldn't think OF the
wickedness and the foolishness OF Il.
He'd only see how il fitted his case. Then
one darksoine night"-my friend seemed
to enjoy this expression: ne fingered over
it-"one darksome night he goes down 10
the Thames, and all Is over. But for this
picture he might have married some other
girl, and become a happy husband and
father Yet, II you told anyone that this
advertisement could lead to suicide you
would hardly he believed"
I agreed with him. He returned 10 a
point which he had made before.
mind, I speak without prejudice. ]
speak as mOralist. I don't let business
considerations come in-though It was as
a moralist 1 entered my business. And as
a moralist I say that Jollands' ought 10
be prosecuted. get out here. sir. Good
morning. 1t has been pleasure this little
talk"
The train was just moving of. when
he returned tn the carriage window,
threw something In, and calculated: My
business card
The card informed me that his name
was Peter Bansmith. and that he was a
manufacturer of glass eyes.--Barry Pain.