News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-05-03
A CATALOGUE HOUSE INCIDENT
A Story Showing the Poor Policy and Dis.
advantages of Pstronizing
Mail Order Houses.

The following is taken from a Yer.
million, South Dakota, paper, and as
the article is SO applicable to this
community as we'll as others, and az
it voices the sentiment, many times
expressed by the News AND CITIZEN
we give it place in this issue.
Il man went into one OF the Yer.
million stores the other day. and
asked if the merchant would oblige
him by exchanging a pair of shoes
that he had bought from a mail
order house, for a similar article Of
another size from the merchant's
stock. The merchant almost tainted
at the mans gall, but he was an
obliging merchant, and so he did not
get angry. He asked the man why
he did not return the shoes to the
mail order house and have them ex.
changed.
Because l have to return them
at my own expense, " said the man,
and even then | stand a cha1H oil
not getting what | want, sest
of returning them would be consider
able, and they might get lost or dam
aged on the trip, and l just thought
you could sell them to some one else,
and let me have a pair that fits me
from your stock"
The merchant looked sharply at
the man to seeif he was Joking or
reallydidn't know any better, and
seeing it was only the latter, he told
him he would exchange the articles
for him. And he did, ami the man
was profuse in his thanks for the &C.
commodation.
And then the merchant told the
man, in a gentlemanly way, just
what he had done. He said;
My friend, you live in this commu-
nifty. You have lived here for good
many years. You own farm that
cost you perhaps 500 per acre, and
it is now worth $50 to $75 per acre,
and yet the land is not so good as
when you bought it. What has
made it worth more? 1t is because
it Is near to good town-to this
town of Vermillion, that you and
your neighbors helped to build up by
your patronage. While you were
helping the town byyour patronage,
you were unconsciously doubling or
trebling the value of your farm. The
rule works both ways. The growth
of the town increases the value OF
your farm, and the deterioration OF
the town Injuries the value of your
farm. lfyou buy your goods In Yer
million, you help to make Vermilllon
a larger city, and help to make your
land worth more. If you buy your
goods In Chicago, you help to make
Chicago a larger city, and you leave
to the other people the burden Of
building up your home community
and increasing the value of your
land. fyou help to build up Chi
cago, how much will it increase the
value of your farm?
You are interested in this town as
much as are the people who live in it..
You trade your produce here for
things that you want-you sell your
stock and farm products here or at
some other town near here)-and if
you are unfortunate and need finan-
cial help, the business men here, and
no one but the business men, are So
llcited to raise purse for yon. And
they always do it, whether you have
helped them or not. Ifyou are short
of cash, or your crops or stock are
not yet sold, you ask for credit at
the stores here, and you get 1t, which
is a favor to you, though you may
not know it. If you buy something
at any store here that does notprove
as good as claimed for it, you can
bring it back and exchange it or get
your money back. In these and a
hundred other ways you are under
obligations to this town and the
merchants here to trade with them,
and yet you have sent your cash to
this mail order house to buy what
l. ~ - 4