The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-10-17
INTERESTING CONTEST
Heavy Cost Of Unpaid Postage

one cf the most curious contests ever
before the public was conducted 10y many
thousand persons under the oner Of the
Postum Cereal Co. Ltd. Of Battle Greek,
Mich. for prizes of 81 boxes of gold ana
800 greenbacks TO .hoso making the
most words out Of the. letters Y-I-O-
Grape Nuts.
The contest was stdrted m February.
1906 and it was arranged TO have the
prizes awarded on Apr. 80. 1906.
When the public announcement a2-
pearod many persons began 20 form the
woods from these letters. sometimes the
whole family being occupied evenings, a
combination OF amusement and educa-
tion.
After a while the lists began To come
IN to the Postum Onice and before long
the volume grew until It required Wagons
to carry the mail Many OF the contest
ants were thoughtless enough TO scld
their llsts with insufficient postage and
for period IL COS: the Company from
twenty-five 20 hfty-eight and sixty dol
lars "a day 90 pay the unpaid postage.
Young ladies. generally those who ha
graduated from the high school were
employed Co examine those lists and
count the cofrec, words. Wcbsters Die
tionary was the standard and euch ust
was yrr carefully corrected except Those
which fcu below 5000 for 10 slon became
clelr thai nothing below Chat could win
Some OF thc usts REQUIRED tue work OF a
Young lady nr solid week uu each iu-
diyidum H-. rhe NorN was done very
carefully and accurately but tue Come
pluy had na .del. at tine Time tine oneI
was made lllt th, people would respond
$50 generally anI they We're compelled u
nu cyer4 avtilabla Space in thc office
with these Young u1y examiners and
notwi, ,hsuudmg they worked steadily ID
was mpos ibie to complete the cNamina-
ton until Sept 49, over slx months after
tho prizes shoui have been awarded
This delay -aused great many m-
qirles and naturally created s3mo dis-
satisfaction IL bias been Thought best
20 make this report boz practically al oi
the newspaper I'm the United Statcs and
many Of the magazines in oder % make
| clear 10 the people he conditions VI thc
| contest
Aiany Lists contained enormous num-
bers OF word which. under jhe rules
had to DE eliminated. "Peggcr' would
count "Peggors" would not Some lists
contained over $4,000 word-. the great
majority of which were cu; out. Tho
largest lists were checked over iwo and
10 some cases. three times 10 insure
accuracy
The $4,000 gold prize was won by T.
ID Reese. I227-15th ST. Denver colo.
with 39i1 correct words. The highest
$1,000 gold prize went to s. X. Fraser
Lincoln. Pa with 1921 correct words.
A complete iist of tha 33i wiuherl
with their hofne address wiz be sent %
any contesutnt enquLlng ou postal cate
Be sure and give name ana address
clearly
This contest has cost the 60 many
thouaod dollars. and probably has mol
been profitable advertisement. never
theloss perhaps some who had never be
fore tneI Grape @uts food have bee.
interested ln the contest. and from trin
of the food have been shown lts won
derfui rebuilding powers
a TEACHES iu practical manner cha
/ scientifically gathered food elements ~cal
be secured from the field grains. whiq
nature VIII use fer rebuilding the 81
eenters and balm iu a MaSr
mistahsb'e % -