The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-14
l SHORT STORIES OF YANKEE INGENUITY How Picture Shows and Press ing Clubs Originated MEN PAID FOR THEIR IDEAS Western Man Made Himself Famous By His 1ood Work for the Board
 of Trade In His Home
 Town.
MEN PAID FOR THEIR IDEAS
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKlN.

l that the ideas which have formed the foundation stones of the great American business enterprises have not all sprung from the rich and mighty. The Ameri- can disregard for conventionalities, and the national crying out for something new, unite to offer a golden opportunity to him who has an idea-whatever the idea is or whoever may be the man to bring it forward. That peculiar quality which enables the Yankee to see into the future by the light of shining coin Is not gift to be lightly prized. Further more, it is a kind of prophecy which de- spses not small things
 Every town In the country, almost, now has a pressing club" which contracts ! to press and clean all ones clothing for certain amount per month, usually $ls with no limitation on the number of times the clothes are to be pressed. The crease | in Uncle Sams trousers has been much heater and more distinct since the be- ginning of pressing clubs A boy work ing in a tailor's shop is in an Iowa town Was kept busy one part of the time press ing suits of clothes for 30 cents each. He had an idea. He calculated how many suits of clothes he could press if he were kept busy all the time He cal- culated what it would cost his own wages being s7 week. Then he startled the townsmen by going around offering to press clothes for $l a month, "called for and delivered" Some people thought him foolish but when his pressing club hoo tt realized that a good many apprentices at $7 q week may be hired for $500 month and leave a handsome proht be- sides. From that beginning the press ing club scheme spread all over the coun- try in a remarkably short time.
 A small retailer in a southern city was dragging along in buslness barely able to make both ends meet. One day he found that the store building next door could be rented for very small sum. He had an idea. He called on a friend who was interested In the moving picture ma chine business. They calculated how many chairs could be put in the empty store, and how much they could take in at nickel a head if they played to ca paclty and gave a show every twenty minutes. It looked good. The store room was rented, q moving picture machine and big, phonograph installed and the first 'Nlckeldeon' was ready for bus 1 mess. FE
 Afterward when this man went to a | bank to borrow money to extend his bus | iness to several other cities, he showed to the satisfaction of the bankers that he had netted $l2,00O the first six months ! These 5-cent theatres are now to be found in every town in the country and their number Is increasing every day There a,sa 1f
 Even in these piping times of peace and prosperity, with opportunities scattered around thick as hops, diversity will sometimes bring man down to hard pan A short time ago an unlucky fellow | struck Atlanta. He was dead broke and 1 didn't know where to get a job. There was labor on the streets at about a dol lar a day, but he had been used to bet ter money. He had an idea. He arranged a raffle and offered to work a whole week for the man who drew the lucky 1 number. He sold fifty chances at a dollar each and soon had $50 in his pocket A grocer won the raffle and put his man to driving a delivery wagon. The man ] soon got on his feet and Is now success l full, but is still a bit proud of the fact l that he is the only man who eyer drove a -grocer's delivery wagon for $50 a week.
 merchant in western city was de- | sirous of reducing his stock without de- lay and was willing to make a liberal sacrifice of profits to do so He an- nounced 20 to 20 per cent reduction sale.
 It was bona fide and the prices had been l cut, but the public had seen such an- nouncements before and was slow to come in. The merchant was discouraged. Then he had an idea. The newspapers next l day carried big ads announcing that l at this store every fourth yard or every | fourth article of the same price would | be sold for cents, no matter whether | it was worth 10 cents or $50. A woman 1 came into buy an article which cost $5. | Sue bought two others which cost the same amount and then a fourth for which she paid only cents. The fourth, eighth and twelfth yard of every kind of
 cloth went for cents. The store was
 packed and jammed and the stock cleared l mp in a hurry. Yet 1t was practically the
 same 25 per cent reduction sale which 1 had been advertised so unsuccessfully.
 The proposition was merely put In more | convincing way.
 A Chicago savings bank and a Chi | cago store went into an agreement to | promote healthful business publicity and | also to inculcate habits of saving into
 their customers. The store advertised
 that with every purchase of s5 worth of
 goods, or more, the proprietor would start
 a savings bank account in the name of
 the customer with an initial deposit of
 s1 The customer came in, bought $5 worth ! of goods, and received an order on a ! certain bank. He then went to the bank
 and received regular bank book with
 a credit of $1. Two months after the scheme was inaugurated there had been
 2000 such accounts opened, the great ma jority of which were constantly being n- | creased.
 Systematic town boosting is a fea- | ture of American business activity, which aims at the general good instead of per
 sonal profit. One western town had a l board of trade which had slept along
 for years without doing anything in par
 ticular, except eating some food once a year at banquet and listening to some | spread-agle oratory. The organiza tion ] became moribund and Its presidency was an honor no longer sought for. The
 directors met and gave the place to a
 young man of the type i've like to en-