The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-14
and he can have anything the people of that town can give him.

General movements toward a certain purpose on the part of disconnected re- tail stores dealing in d certain line of wares are difficult to undertake. Yet the trade papers of the country are inaugu- rating many of them with some signs of success. The general merchant in a small town finds his most dangerous competi-
 ton In the great mail order stores of inc big cities. These merchants are now be- ing urged to acquire stock in the local newspapers, to increase their home au- Vertising, and prevail upon the home newspaper to refuse to advertise the mail order establishments. In many places this anti-mail order crusade has been united with the town boosting propa- ganda and the people are being urged to spend their money with the home stores. If this movement should continue to grow it may have a decided effect upon the des- tiny of the retail mercantile business.
 The country newspaper man needs more ingenuity than any other man, he thinks. Generally he has his share. There are many country editors who think only of politics and generally these fail to make financial successes, but in those instances Where business brains and business in- dustry are applied to the job, the coun-
 try weekly is money maker. A Mis- souri country editor made a business of attending fairs and shows and every big
 gathering of farmers. He was often ac- costed in this fashion: "If l knew how
 much I owed you, I would pay 1t today" This was said to him often that he had his subscription list copied in a book
 which he could carry in his pocket. The next man who said If l knew how much 1 owed you' was collared on the spot The was paid and the editor was made
 happy. Each night the subscriptions paid at the office and to the editor on the street were credited in both the office ac-
 count books and the pocket edition. There was no confusion. no trouble, and at the
 end of a year the editor was nearly a
 thousand dollars ahead in his collections
 on subscriptions. The plan was exploited
 by the press associations, and now coun- try newspaper owners all over tine union
 are doing the same thing.
 Mere man for several thousand years left his Wife to do the washing. Conse- quently when civilization advanced to the point that he had to live and have large part of his being in down town office he missed the home laundry. The towels were always dirty. He could never re- member to send for the laundryman. A fellow who was keen student of human nature, saw the problem and offered so- lution. Now every office in almost every clty III lHe ldilu IS provided udlly with fresh towels. soap and the like for a reg ular monthly price But while it is a common everyday matter now, it has
 not always been so and the pioneer towel
 man made a little fortune before the scheme became public property. Another like instance was the man who first con
 ceived the idea of furnishing pure spring
 water to offices, and keeping the cooler supplied with ice It is done everywhere
 now, but the man with the idea was paid | for his originality.
 There are hundreds of such opportuni- | ties just waiting to be discovered They | are unborn now, will be novel tomorrow,
 and next year they will be accepted as
 necessities of life. Let the reader of this
 put his head between his hands and think
 hard. If he can peer into the future far
 enough to see how he can supply the pub | lie with something the public needs and wants, and supply that thing in an att | tractive and convenient fashion, there is
 a fortune for him at the end of his think 1 ing.
 Tomorrow-Draining of Swamp Land.