Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-09-27
ADVERTISING A TOWN
VARIOUS METHODS OF GETTING BE.
FORE THE PUBLIC.

Points to Emphasize In Enumerat-
ing Community's Advantages
Publicity In Metropolitan Papers
Value of Souvenir Editions.
The question has not infrequently
been asked, "Why not advertise your
town and let the world know what its
advantages and capabilities areT"
The question Is worth serious discus.
sion. When the questioner also says,
1T Is also passing strange that people
who have whole counties full of fertile
acres to sell will not crook finger or
spend cent to introduce their goods to
the attention of the people who would
be so glad to have them," it presents
subject sometimes spoken of but never
thoroughly acted upon.
Property of this sort and the features
of urban centers and established towns
are sometimes advertised, certainly
but how? BY the village or urban
papers near by, by boards of trade in
the large towns-and in scarcely any
other way. These things are we'll to
do, but they do not reach very far
People living in or near town or farm
ing region may like to know what par
ticular places or blocks are for sale, but
they do not need to be told what the
climate that they live in is or what the
soil hereunder amounts to, or what
mining or forestry privileges, or water
power or crop raising, or CONNER
cial facilities, or travelling conveyance
means there are there. To them oil
these things are as potent and familiar
as the day.
But the people afar off who are
about to move somewhere and those
who have money to invest seek just
this information. The board of trade
of a town may issue a pamphlet,
but it never meets many eyes. and it
does not lombard the whole public as
an advertisement in some faroff metro
politan daily would. Besides, boards of
trade sometimes fall into innocuous
desuetude and fail to furnish the PAM
phlet. If they do furnish one, it is
once for all only and is not kept up to
date or made so as to be constantly
impressive.
paper in lively town may get out
what is called souvenir edition." in
which everybody's biography of those
who have helped to make the town is
written and his face pictured and in
which the various businesses there are
described. But, we'll as it Is to do this
and to send a few copies of it to dis
tant parts of the country, it's influence
is mainly momentary. 1t is only a
somewhat magnified and illuminated
edition Of weekly or daily paper, and
no single copy Of any papers issue
abides long.
If the board of trade or a combina-
ton of citizens in some sparse neigh
borhood where board Of trade does
not exist should arouse themselves,
they might do better than this. If it Is
town or county in the south or west
that seeks publicity and has commerce
or mining or tilling possibilities to
show, why not take a large section or,
If it is warranted. a full broadside Of
some metropolitan daily in which to
say to all people in explicit and pun
gent terms just what advantages there
are which capital and emigration can
find there? More than one paper in a
town can be used of course, whether
concurrently or by alienation. Lesser
towns than these larger cities can be
used for this sort of advertising and
with effect
1t will cost something, it may be urg-
ed, but the cost need not be very great.
A mere fragment of the expense which
some towns have hopelessly thrown
away in bonding themselves for some
not very important railroad would
make a southern or western town vocal
and familiar all over the United States
and in Europe for ten years. Some
time ago California corporation ad-
vertiSed itself in the London Spectator
and how much farther do not know
as being able to offer tracts of land
for moderate sum to the younger sons
of the titled classes that will secure
them a home of unrivaled interest and
make them Independent for life. 1t is
an advertisement not over three inches
in length. but it tells it's story and
avails itself Of the tendency which ex-
lists to some extent in the more recent
England of the higher class element
there TO get some sort of an interest or
1oothold in our great west.