Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-07-03
BANE Of HOME TRADE
Lack of Confidence In Your Own
Town.
HOW IT KILLS OFF BUSINESS.
Enables the Mail Order Octopus 70 pN.
stroy Retail Trade Of Villages ahs
Towns--Why Home Protection 10
First Duty Of Good Citizens.

Towns~-Why Home Proteetien ID
First Duty Of Good Citizens.
Do you believe In your own town and
community If you do, what do you do
for your own town and community?
1t may be that you have observed a
gradual falling of In business. Things
have not been going along at the lively
rate which seems to be justified by the
present general prosperity. Expert stat
istictians and close observers declare
that never before has the United States
been so generally prosperous as ID is
at this moment.
How does your own home place
stack up with this declaration? Are
you and your neighbors getting your
share of the prosperiyS If not
there's reason" as a certain adver-
tiser says.
What is the reason?
A recent writer on the revival Of the
local spirit as the only remedy against
the ruin of the small town and the
overgrowth of the big city presents
some pertinent opinions on this topic.
Read what Richard Hamilton Byrd
says anent the lack of confidence found
in many communicable lack Of
belief In your own home place:
Tho Mail Order Business.
ut Is that lack of confidence, or, per-
haps better, lack Of knowledge OF
familiar things, which has enabled the
mail order business to gain such head
way in the rural districts.
ut is a recognized fact that the re-
tail business of the country village
and the large towns, for that matter,
is being destroyed. Year by year the
once prosperous merchants are being
forced to the wall-driven out by the
mail order business. And this Is tax
ing place In face Of the fact that the
population and purchasing power OF
the country districts are ever on the in
crease.
"What is the matter?
1.-The mail order houses are drawing
the cash retail trade from Its natural
channels to the cities.
THE growth of this octopus has been
phenomenal. From a jelly-like idea,
without form, an experiment fifteen
years ago. it has grown to proportions
that threaten the determination of the
retail country merchant
can idea Of the way the money Of the
people Is being drawn into this mail
order trade may be had from the re-
ports Of some of these houses. A GER
tain mail order house Of Chicago which
began with few thousand dollars If
teen years ago now carries capital
stock of 100000 and has arranged to
increase that stock to $40000,OO0. The
monthly business amounts to $1,000
600, with q yearly net profit OF more
than $3,000,000
"This, mind you, is the record Of but
one institution. There are dozens OF
them in Chicago, little and big, and
hundreds of them In the various cities
OF the United States. They are spring
ing up like mushrooms every night.
All that is necessary to start q mail or
der business is a place to receive mall
and money enough to get out the first
batch Of printing and for the first adj
vertising campaign.
Like the patent medicine business,
the mail order business depends on the
gullibility Of the general public. Thou
sands Of people every week send In
their hard earned cash to some mail
order house In payment for goods that
could have been bought cheaper at
their home store.
"Why do they do it? 1t is owing par
TALLY to the desire Of the average per-
son to be humbugged and partially to
the effect of persistent advertising.
The mail order house sends out Its at
tractive literature to every family In
the country. In this literature, COM
posed of we'll illustrated catalogues
and cheap magazines, known as mail
order papers, the goods are set out In
the most attractive manner. 1t Is
tempting bait, and the fish bite.
"All of these millions come out Of the
legitimate trade Of the country mer-
chant, the man who has invested his
capital, built himself home and been
active In building up the town with
the expectation that he would be al
lowed to do legitimate business In a
legitimate way. He Is entitled to the
trade Of his town and the country ad-
jacent. He pays his taxes and contrib
utes to the support Of the community. |
That community owes him reciprocal
duty-the duty to give him the prefer
ence Of trade, everything else being |
equal This is the theory of all or
ganized civilized communities, begin |
ming with the family and going on up |
through every organization to that OF {
the state. Home protection from for |
eign robbers is the first duty Of every |
good citizen. If the village and town |
life that has grown up under natural
laws Of trade Is to be maintained, the |
retail business must be preserved |
against the unfair inroads of the mail |
order business. And this can be done |
only by organization and education. |
Let the people know the facts about |
the mail order business and the offer
mgs ON the altar Of credulity will |
grow beautifully less"
TRAPPED by Picture.