The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-12-20
SPIRIT OF ADVERTISING.
Remarkably Clever Article on the Sui
ject by n Sixteen Year Old Girl.

Remarkably Clever Article on the Sub.
ject by n Sixteen Year Old Girl.
1.-THE spirit OF advertising" is ths
theme which sixteen-year-old Ruby
Brooks dwelt upon at the Commence
ment exercises of the California
School, where she was student, and
this Is what she said:
ITO advertise is to make known and
to attract public attention to some
particular article. That 1t Is, or rath-
er has, become an art, in fact. a
science. no one will question. Not
every one has 1t In his power to con-
coct something that viii attract pub
lie attention and at the same time
make something known; and these
are the two essentials Of a good adj
vertisement.
"It Is interesting to notice how the
movement of written advertisements
commenced. 1t originated In Amer
lea, as so many Of the advanced ideas
have. In the old Colonial days a man
found cow which did not belong to
him in his pasture.
HE conceived the idea Of going to
the editor of their little paper and Of
having him make a little item that
stray COW had been found. The edit
or did so, and in a few days the own
er came after his cow.
"This man to whom the cow be-
longed had ship coming in from
England, so he went to the editor and
told him he would pay him so much
If he would make q list of the things
on the ship, which he, the merchant.
would have for sale.
"He sold great many goods because
Of this little notice, so others did 1t.
Soon a distinction was made between
advertisements and news, and great
movements began in this small way.
"There are over $2O0,000.O00 spent
yearly in the United States alone for
advertising. But surely, all this ex-
pense and trouble is not taken by
some few who wish to make attrac-
tive signboards and to fill up the mag
azines and daily newspapers. No. the
parent of it all is competition. AS
competition is the life of trade. so.
too, it is the producer and instigator
of advertising.
"There is constant struggle to
make ones goods more acceptable to
the general public than the next ones.
Did you ever notice that there is
scarcely an advertisement but con-
tains the adjective In the comparative
or superlative degree? 1t is always
better than that one. the best of all
the hest known. and the very best that
can be made.
This great competition OF rival
parties In the form of advertising.
while 1t may cause hard and antag-
onistic feelings, Is the best thing pos
sible for the country. With 1t pro-
gress cannot stop.
"Let me give simple illustration
from school life. A senior said this:
L never studied so hard as did when
was freshman. never failed In
recitation, simply because l was try
ing to get ahead of another pupil
You see. competition was the life Of
his study, Of his progress. His reel.
tations were his advertisements.
Besides this competition between
rivals. there is the striving Of the new
against the old, although It Is hard to
overcome a rival. 1t is even harder for
the new. the different thing. to over
come routine. But 1t must be done.
so that progress can be made. and Il
is this spirit that permeates America
the land of progress and opportuni-
ties."-Fourth Estate.