The Greeley tribune., 1908-08-19
THOSE BUSINESS CONFERENCES

THOSE BUSINESS CONFERENCE
The Patterson Business Come:
el,es, of which considerable ha
been said the past few weeks, opened
in the Commercial Club rooms Mon
day evening, and judging from the
sample given by Mr.. Patterson the
business men who took up tht
matter in the first place have moi
| been buncoed one bit.
Mr.. Patterson did not promulgate
any fancy or flighty theories OF
town publicity or boosting, but simp-
ly pointed out the agencies for clVl'
betterment that we already possess
There were few. if any, ideas ad-
yanced that a business man, thor-
oughly awake to the interests OF him.
self and his city, should not nave
known before hand but, somehow
if stranger tells one these things
il seems to have a little more weight
than if we think it out for ourselves.
And, even though we are fully salts
fled in our own minds that it would
be we'll to do certain things, it helps
considerably to have the ideas OF one
who has made the subjects practical
" a life study coincide with our own.
That is largely the case with the
ideas advanced by Mr.. Patterson.
There was nothing startling in his
talk at ALL but it was, nevertheless,
valuable because it shows some of us
that we are on the right track.
There is, however, one point that
must be kept in mind by members of
the Commercial club. That is this:
The PATTERSON talks are not course
of entertainment. but business
course. They constitute the business
institute, and bear the same relation
to the business interests of the city
as does the farmers institute to the
agricultural interests. The business
men go there to discover new busi-
ness ideas, and to find remedies for
old defects. Whether or not Mr..
Patterson talks or is answering the
questions of an individual merchant.
or two or three merchants are dis
cussing together some knotty point
of business, il solution to the prob
lem be found through discussion
the conference has been a success.
But the strong point is this: What
ever is learned at the conference
must not end in the conference room
but must be put into practice.
There have been some movements
inaugurated for civic improvements
in the past, but after the first excite
ment or enthusiasm developed by
the expert had died down. the work
has also ended. For instance, three
years ago some money was spent or
the services of some good roads ex,
perts. For a week or two there was
considerable talk on the subject, and
then the excitement died down. and
never mile of good road was built
as result. Probably the onl!
agency that kept up a more or less
persistent discussion of the question
| was the Tribune, and it require.
more than publicity to get results in
that line, though as first aid pub
licity is essential.
Now if any good is to come from
the money expended for the promo
tion service of the Dry Good Repor
ter, of which the Patterson Confer
ences form only part, the matter
must not be dropped as soon as Mr.
Patterson or his colleagues are out o.
the city. 1t may take years to brins
about all of the desired results, but
| it also took years to bring Greele,
up to what it is now. 1t took year,
| for the beautiful elm and maple
trees in the park to supplant the
cottonwoods, and it took years in the
first place for the cottonwoods tt
grow to any size. For all of that
we are not sorry now that the time
was spent in planting the origina
cottonwoods, and later the elms.
The thing to do is to keep ever
lastingly at it, doing little at 6
time, and we will never feel the los.
of energy or money that it takes fol
the improvements. Mix a little do
with the big talk and the results il
years will be wonderfully gratifying