The Virginia enterprise., 1908-01-03
OLD METHODS PASS
SYSTEMS OF LONG AGO WILL
NOT WORK now.
CONDITIONS MUST BE- MET
One Reason for Growth Of Mail Order
System is That The Average eusi-
ness Man Has Not 8een'as'&asas
Progressive.

System is That the Average Bust
ness Man Has Not Been
Progressive. .,x
Business methods are changing
week after week and year after; year
The systems that our forefathers
swore by, and which are often
preached to us as examples - that
should be followed to-day, could never
be made to work now any more than
the people would be satisfied with the
old OK team and heavy cart as a means
of transportation. The old style con-
veyances were the best known in their
time, and great discoveries have been
made by means of the old sailing ves-
sells. In fact, the pioneers were the
ones who used these slow methods,
but who will say that We can well dis
pense with the fast-fying steam cars
and electric lines or the ocean flyers
of the present?
Business methods are different and
growing more different day by day,
and we must adjust ourselves to condi-
tions as they change. The spread of
the catalogue house system has been
tremendous, if that word can aptly
be used to express it. There are ele-
ments in the system that are good,
and some elements that are bad. 1t is
according to the way they are ap-
piled. There is reason why the cata-
logue house exists. They will keep in
evidence until there are better meth
DDS and more equitable systems ar
ranged to supply the wants of the peo-
pie, and until the people realize that
while the system as distribution
agency may be all right, there is much
more to the question that needs more
careful consideration. Soon as the
masses realize that trade in each local
section is important to 1t, that any
system that takes from community
the employment that its people should
have, and that the profits in trade are
essential to the best welfare of the
people of a community, the sooner will
the mail order houses find their proper
sphere and the sooner will the mer
chants Of the smaller cities and towns
come to realization that they must
adapt their business methods to the
requirements of the times.
The catalogue house system should
be looked upon as an educational one.
The large catalogues that are sent
throughout the land are great books
from which lessons can be learned
and will be learned. The masses have
not had knowledge of values placed
we'll in their hands. Their economic
education has been neglected. The
farmer knows good cow, a good
horse, good hog. and it is hard to
fool him. His education has been such
that he is up to snuff" He is quite
willing to pay the owner of horse just
what that horse is worth, and willing
that the seller should have the profit
in the transaction. Were he as we'll
posted in the values of the things
that he must buy for daily use he
would be the same with the local mer
chant as he is with the man from
whom he may purchase a horse or a
blooded cow or other animal. The big
fOur-pound books are catechisms of
commercial values. The farmers and
the children of the family study them,
and learn more about things in the
commercial world. A few orders sent
to the far-off dealers, and few disap-
pointments, are sufficient to convince
the intelligent man that he can do
better at home.
Communities that few years ago
were the greatest buyers of goods by
mail are today the best home traders.
The people have become educated.
They soon discovered that goods of a
certain quality always had a certain
value, the same as good horse or a
cow or some farm animal. They also
realized that the policy of taking en-
ployment away from the home people
was wrong. Perhaps the merchants
Of the place brushed" up little.
They, too. began to understand that
If they had all the stocks and kinds of
goods that the people wanted, and
made the prices right, and in addition
kept the people rightly informed of
these facts, that they could have the
trade of the people of the community.
Both forces working together-the
farmer that he was doing wrong in
sending away his money and that he
| could get just as good goods at home
and the merchant that he had to adopt
| up-to-date methods-did that which
was desirable: viz. kept in the town
the business that should be kept there,
solved the problem.