The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-01-21
HE GETS THE BUSINESS
The Earnest Man in All Avenues
of Life is Winner.

Lldhc LUZ accompaniment
And the greatest of these is earn
estness.
1t is cornerstone and keystone,
bedrock foundation and towering
walls--the whole masonry of success.
1t sweeps before 1t all doubts and
difficulties; prevails against brute
strength; surpasses genius.
Enthusiasm is the tickle fash;
earnestness, the steady glow.
1t is that quality which shines
through and glorifies the simplest
deeds and plainest words.
Earnestness impresses where all
else is powerless.
A shambling beggar accosts you
on the street and in a mumbling mon.
otone recites tale of hardship that
rings as false as a leaden quarter;
you pass him by with brusque re
fusal and his real earnestness CRATES
upon your ear in the curses he sends
after you.
But have you never seen the CLEAN
Of white face in the night--a tor
tured face that told of hopeless mis-
cry? Have you never listened to a
faltering appeal choked with shame
and faint from priyation; voice full
of deadly earnest that left no room
for doubt; and have you not given
gladly and freely, instinctively know.
ing the worthiness of the recipient?
Earnestness proves itself and can
not be counterfeited
Take, for example, two statesmen,
one of whom is saturated to his
hearts core with an earnest desire
to further the interest of his employ.
err; the other, for whom life" does
not begin till closing time comes
who impersonates earnestness and
puts on interest as an actor dons his
wig.
Think you that the FULLEST custom
er will not be able TO distinguish the
real from the spurious?
Earnestness in advertising is the
prime essential. Other qualities may
be lacking. The ad may be crude and
unfinished as a child's mud-house;
but just the same, If it has the saw
ing grace Of earnesrness; II it comes
from the heart, it will strike up a
wireless connection WITH the hearts
Of its readers and do it's duty despite
its defects.
Earnestness Is hypnotism; earnest
ness is inspiration. If you are prop.
erly earnest, words will come, ideas
will develop, arguments will tumble
over one another in their rush for ex-
preston. And results are bound to
come
An earnest man can not write a
lukewarm ad, and more than a moth
er can give her first-born scant praise.
Advertising that isn't earnest is
like a dash of spray against a sea
wall, or an attempt to fly with wax
wings.
No one can write earnestly unless
he is downright believer in the
proposition he Is adyancing-an en-
thusiast-willing to back it against
the world.
You may say, How can every adj
vertising man believe his own prop.
osition to be the best, without some
egregious mistakes being made?"
am not going to tell you.
Risk the mistakes. Better be mis-
taken that a disloyaI, dfscordant
knocker. (There's a separate sizzle-
place for d. d. ks IN the hot hereaf.
ter
. l am not going to argue why you
should believe in your own game.
l shall not try to account for the
fact that an eminently honorable at
torney will often earnestly and per-
sistently believe in the innocence Of
his black-hearted client in the face
of the most damning evidence.
I am not going to discuss the rea-
sons why the equally honest and
earnest sons of the North and South
fought for the cause each thought
was right, till the rivers ran rec, and
the country was devastated.
I am not going to attempt to ex,
plain why, at game OF baseball, sew
eral thousand fairly intelligent peo-
pie will root for a team Of incompa-
tent scrubs, and 11cot nine faultless
athIetes,-if the aforementioned
scrubs chance to bear upon their
breasts the insignia Of the nome town
Of these same rooters and hooters.
I am not going to tell you why the
striped and spangled banner of Old
Glory is prettiest of all pictures IN
the eyes Of every patriotic American.
Why, hang it all!-if you must be
told, because it's ours t-that's
why.
Don't be ashamed to be loyal
Don't be afraid to root with your
heart and soul for "our side, . eur
business, 'cur goods"
And, armed to the teeth with this
sort Of earnestness eternal enthusi-
asm-the battle is yours before it,
seems half begun. ID. Herbert Moore,
in Lord & Thomas "Judicious Adver-
Using"
Copies of the above article were
distributed by the Columbia Shade
Cloth Company of New Yo,k, to its
statesmen with the following com
ments, which are peculiarly apropos:s
We enclose herewith, copy Of a re.