The daily Alaskan., 1905-02-06
THE VALUE OF
 ADVERTISING
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 The young man entered the store and pushed his way to the counting room.
 'Mr. AshlyT' he asked politely.
 .What can l do for yOu2"
 T am Robert MaeRae, advertising agent. I would like an order for
 "we don't advertise" growlcI the merchant, Nobody reads advertise ments."
 Perhaps you haven't had so ,lsfac- tory evidence of the number of people who do read advertisements"
 You prove 1t, and I'll give you all the orders you want"
 That's a fair proposition" said the agent. You must convince buyers of the value of your wares; l must con vince you of the value of my methods, l will be the beginner. l will insert an ad. for you free of charge. It will be designed expressly to convince you of the number and variety of people who read advertisements"
 The merchant looked at the young man out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing.
 If you will mention," the agent went on, some article you have for sale I will write out an ad. for it com mending it's virtues in way to at, tract the public eye and insert it in the next issue of a newspaper with fair circulation. If in thirty days after Its issue you are not convinced that it has been largely read, l shall not trouble you further If, on the contrary, you are convinced, it shall be optional with you to give me an order"
 The merchant stared over his glasses for half minute at the solicitor with, out speaking; then he suddenly snap ped:
 "Go ahead, and git out"
 "One thing more-the article to be advertisedy
 The merchant tossed a card 10 the young man on which was written out the merits of Ashley's prepared cin- namOn.
 A week passed and the merchant had forgotten the advertising agent One evening the former was sitting in his home with his wife, who was reading the evening paper. Presently she eX- claimed:
 For heavens sake, Henry, What in the world do you mean by such ignorance of your own business:'
 What is 1t? Let me seer and he reached for the paper. He was sur prised to see that his wife had been more interested in a page of adver- tisements than the news. His eye lighted on half column advertisement with large display heading of his pre- pared cinnamon, and his hair stood on end. It read:
 AsHLEYs PREPARED CTNNERNON,
 PUEEST GOODEST
 This CinnermOn is ErOwed on our own farm in northern New York, under our especial care, and comes to us Iu tGe been there by obviating the possabelity ui aaul- turatiOn. It is from the original berry a bright red. the only pure ciuuermon berry anu no sANallAAAt= n ms HfhA WV EH- .AtH- NN a powder, which after being clarified by e process Of our own Is muideG into the form with which the public is familiar. All grocers have it.
 As the merchants eyes ran over this tumble of misspelled words. ungram- nautical phrases and absurd statements, the blood mounted to his cheeks and the fire to his eye. When he had fin ished he vowed vengeance on the man who had produced it,
 The agent did not appear at the of fee for a week, and when he did, he found Mir. Ashley surrounded by a heap of letters, with several waste baskets beside him crammet full.
 Good morning. MT. Ashley. Are you convinced that people read ads"
 "Convinced? I should think so. Look at these letters. They're all about your nonsense. I've had them claSsi- fled. There are $50 schoolteachers, TSO housewives, p clergymen, 4l5 boys. 5G2 girls, theatrical managers, 2SJ farmers, 17 doctors, % lawyers and 3.aG2 scattering or of unknown occu- patton. The schOolteaChers and most of the boys and girls point out the bad spelling and ungrammatical phrases. The clergymen deprecate the false statements. Some of the housewives commend us for the pains we take to get up a pure article. The doctors warn us against poisonous berries, the lawyers call our attention to the legal risk of selling such goods, while the rest, in trying to state the truth about the spice, make as many blunders as you have made in your COnfOunded ad. The theatrical managers want to introduce the idea in one of their vari. eties."
 Meanwhile the agent was getting out a book of blank orders, filling up one of them and listening at the sane time to the merchants catalogue.
 However" the latter went on sometimes one can do more by a blun der than in the regular way. If | hao Euowu you didn't know any more abou cinnamon and the English language than that I'd never have trusted you 60 do that iob in,the world But I'm convinced tEat people to read adver
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