The weekly Thibodaux sentinel. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1898-1905, 1902-04-26
Keeping Up With The Times.

A story is told of q soldier Who
that the entire regiment
vas out Of step with him. We often
see men struggling desperately alone
to succeed along their own lines re.
fusing to accept what they call "new.
tangled" business improvements,
which they ridicule as fads that will
SOON 60 out of date. Such men nev,
er make their mark in the world, and
usually die in obscurlty, If not in &C,
tual poverty.
We know of newspapers which
have fallen into ruts and are practi.
catly sidetracked, simply because
their editors refuse to adopt up.to
date methods. They cannot see Why
"plate matter" which they get for q
song, is not just as good - original
articles. They do not see the adyan.
tage of spending mu b money for
telegraph or cable service; nor can
they appreciate the necessity of pay
ing fabulous sums to able writer's
when they can procure average arti-
cles for fraction of the cost. They
cannot understand the policy of re.
jecting worn out type, simply because
it is old, as long as it. can be real.
They argue that it is foolish to pay
large salaries to expert proof readers,
because little mistakes 10 a daily pa
per are of no consequence aud are
usually overlooked and forgotten.
They urge that they cannot afford to
discard old presses, which have cost
great deal Of money, and put in up.
to date ones, because their competl.
tors have done 90. They cannot see
why an "evening edition" should not
he made up from other papers, In
stead Of paying large sums for origi.
nal matter. Nor are they able to
understand why it is that their circu
lation is diminishing and their adver.
tising falling of.
But their up--to-date competitors
know the reason why. They know
that this is progressive age, when
everybody wants to pa:ronize the
most modern things. They know
that, if their subscribers buy q paper,
they want to he sure that they are
getting one which is pubIised by the
most enterprlsing, progressive put
fishers; that, If they wish to adver
tise, they are looking for the most
popular newspaper, the one tina,
reaches the largest number Of rea
ders. A reputation Of being out-of-
date-hehind the times, no matter
what your business or profession, =
will soon make itself felt 10 loss ot
patronage, and your patrons WI;
leave you to do business with thos,
who progress with the times. VI
know men who have kept country
stores for years, who have never beer
able to make more than q bare liv-
ing. simply because they have go
into ruts and are too conservative OF
too indolent to try to adopt improved
methods. They are always behind
the times in styles, and are constantly
running out of thing that their cus-
TONERS are likely to call for. Theil
goods are scattered about in q hapha
gard fashion, without any attempt Il
make an attractive displsy. They d.
not keep their books In q systemati,
way; their accounts are all in disor
der; they trust everybody, are very
loose IN their collections, never taxi
an inventory Of their stock, and neve
know just how they stand. When q
bright, vigorous, up-to-date youns
man, who knows how to conduct {
business according to twentieth Gen.
tury ideas, enters into competition
with '.old fogy" storekeepers of this
type, the result is foregone couclu-
sion. Before they realize it thei
customers, one by one, have dropped
away, and their trade is almost entire
ly in the hands of the newcomer
There are teachers, who have taught
successfully for many years who hav'
been hopelessly sidetracked, simply
because they cluug to old methods
and decried every new educatiOna
idea brought forward as super6cia
and subversive of the true interests o.
education.
Lawyers lose their clients because
they do not keep up with the marcl
of progress. They do not buy th'
latest law hooks or Law publications
they cling to old methods, old books
old precedents, and to the archai,
style of oratory once 90 popular viii
juries, but now utterly out of date
Their Offices are dingy, and they
themselves are indifferent ~ to thei
personal appearance, yet they wonde
Why their clients forsake them ant
put their business in the hands o
comparatively inexperienced youns
men.
A physician is sidetracked becaus
he stopped growing soon after he lef
college or medical school. He sav
the importance Of keeping up appear
ances then, and of keeping posted il
regard to the latest discoveries ant
l;unnrouanonfa In madlcal s1.iance. hnl