The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15
THE TESTIMONIAL HUNTER.
a WOMAN VINO PREYS ON THE FRAIL-
TIES OF HUMAN NATURE.


duced to Proclaim the Virtues of y
Patent Medicine He Hasn't Tasted.
How do | get them? High class testimon-
ials, you mean? Let me think. In a sense, l
may DO said to run factory. And yet l would
prefer to say briefly, and Complementary, get
them by my wits"
But we want TO know specifically"
Specifically, il will be long story"
This said meditativey by sprgh,ly
little woman who is the representative Of a patent
medicine house. and had been asked 10 ex-
plain the seemingly mysterious methods en-
ployed in securing the pictures and testimonials
used in advertising. What could possibly in
duce the Governor Of this State the Mayor Of
that city, and women in private life 10 testify 10
benefits received from patent medicines? she
was asked and presently came the answer.
AS you know il Is my business to gather these
pictures and testimonials, and have been at
it for several years, although, am by no means
pioneer. With these years OF experience be-
hind me, whatever the difficulties may once have
been, think that may say that now IL has been
reduced TO a science worthy Of respect, certainly
on account Of the amount Of brains and skill re-
CURED. Perhaps you have noticed that in some
oil the largest cities We run each spring a two
page advertisement, one OF the pages being bright
ened with the faces Of prominent business men
or politicians, local celebrities, while tho other
Is solid with photographic laudatory remarks
from wholesale and retail druggists. l have
been told that away back before my time, money
used 10 change hands in the securing OF these not
from the company direct, understand. but from
its representatives rather large salary and ex-
pense accounts Be that as it may, we manage
things better now, and II any cash ever does reach
the actual giver Of the testimonial 1t is because
the many hands through which IL has passed
have not known their business, and what has
slipped away must have made the trip 30 indi-
rectly that Sherlock Holmes would have diff
Guilty in tracing its route.
There few men or women be they ever
so strong minded and self reliant and no matter
TO what heights they may have risen through
the possession OF these very qualities, who have
not some weak points In their characters and
who have not also some friend who can strike
them safely and surely II is my part to choose
the people whose testimonials we want, discover
their weak points and become the intimate friend
Of their friends. The process is simple, though
not easy. Sometimes IL is business man who
thinks himself shrewd in getting haf-column
illustrated advertisement Of himself and his bust
ness at no cost to himself. He does not want
need the medicine probably, but some kind
friend can easily make him see that thousands
Of people must read our advertisements or we
would not keep paying out good money for such
an amount of space rs we purchase for many
years OF course people cannot read our ad-
vertisement when print his testimonial without
learning about his business well. II is easy
enough to word the little paragraph in which he
pays his respects TO the remedy in such a fashion
that only the most painstakng reader would
ever guess that he had not actually ever tasted
the stuff he so highly recommends.
Perhaps il is a good .natured man with an
eternally impecunious friend whom he is always
helping over financial snags. How could there
be an easier way Of helping that friend 10 earn
possibly $25 than by letting him have photo
graph and his signature 10 something which he
has not time TO read but hitch his friend assures
him is thoroughly unobiectionablc' Then again
il is the man who has never had his portrait pub
lShed, but has always had a sncaking desire TO
see what ii would look like. He falls an easy
victim 10 the graphic representation of the unusual
amount of space which will be given in a prom
nent paper to his physiog" omy. II he has single
qualm. II is easily downed by a rapidly recited list
Of his associates; foI our gallery Of photographs
is largely made up of local, national and world
known celebrities
Another man whose photograph is easy to
secure is the over-economical business man. He
probably has no use just now for the bait held out
the pen and ink sketch framed, II he likes and the
sometime; and his habit of never letting anything
etaway becomes our very efficient help Another
offer of eleven out of twelve photographs which
we are quite willing TO have taken for any repu-
table citizen, free at the best studio in his town.
IS helped TO friendly feeling by, timely Contr
button TO the needs Of his church: The phian-
a pushing w his @fp ' Re pS
tcian Is induced TO think that it is well 10 keep his
face before the public in and out OF season and is
told that II is very democratic 10 announce pub
licly that he takes a popular remedy when he
needs toning up, instead Of wasting his money on
| 1TnR oil hfrfn hN-r hsn HFIar q
| coaxed into actually imbbing the medicine and
is made to believe that il has helped him and
probably II has-and so II goes.
There is little difference in the method Of get
ting what We want from either man or woman. 1t
bcS Of .1Ises ts1n Of s sex
chosen victim interested This, must chiefly DO
done through intimate friends We some
might suppose I remember back a couple Of
springs when we published the annual announce
sood
new matter, illustrated and made up in the reg
ular way. The newspaper hired reporter Tor a
approval. Tho young man hired in turn young
with most OF the prominent business men and poll
ticians to suggest TO him whom he should approach
for pictures and testimonials ii and how In less s
| pictures and testimonials had been obtained from
semi-public men, and all the wholesale and retail
druggists in the city had been marshalled into
| line. The two pages were printed in this morn
| ing paper. Two weeks later when all the advcr-
Using men from the other city papers had made
the necessary contacts, the same thing appealed
| in every newspaper in town. Then il was that a
! storm broke. II seems that the young man. anx-
! ious 10 break his record for doing the thing UP
quickly, and perhaps wanting 10 collect his money
and take rest, had told each of his testimonial
givers that the portraits and remarks would be
put by him only in his own paper. II seems that
/ when the two pages first appeared, the pictured
| gentlemen were most numerically guyed by
their friends and fearing repetition Of the fun,
they descended in body, fighting mad, upon the
oNce of the newspaper in which the matter had
first appeared. Then IL that earned my
, salary. The newspaper sent the men 10 me, say
/ ing that il had fulfilled lis contract and refusing
to assume any responsibility for the subsequent
publication. treated them royalty, deplored the
cTror and promised that II should not occur agan.
This was easy since We would not have used the
stuff again anyway.
| Recently l was Tut in more difficult position
In sending me to a large city our superintendent
gave me the name Of a woman who he had learned
would be extremely useful in securing illustrated
testimonials through, her large acquaintance
! which had been gained chiefly by alleged philan-
thropicel work. ] think that subsequent reyela-
lions will show that use the word alleged ad-
yiisedly To save time was recommended TO SEQ
| this woman at once and get her help. did so,
| and the testimonials fairly showed in. As she