The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-18
EVANS SPEAKS ID
 ADVERTISING MEN  Banquet Given Lass Night At
 the Morris VALUE OF ADVERTISING Speaker Points Out Important Part Played in Life of Community
 by the Men Who Write
 Advertisements.

The Birmingham Advertising club en- joyed a banquet at the Morris hotel last night and had as the guest of the even ing Dr. W. H Evans, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Advent. pr. Evans made the chief address of the evening, speaking as follows:
 "Gentlemen: On one occasion, a few years ago, a party of tourists, among them a bishop of the English church, were climbing mountain in Switzerland When they reached the top of the noun tain in order to celebrate their achieve ment the bishop took bottle of wine from his pocket and proceeded to pull the cork. As he drew the cork with great force the bottle slipped from his hand and went rolling down the moun- tain side, the wine leaving red track behind it. The bishop heroically repressed his emotions, but turned to the party with him and said, will one of the lay breth- ren make a suitable remark9'
 So far as this organization is con oerned I am lay brother, and, as l am called upon for a remark or two I most gladly respond. I beg, thereS1re to make some remarks that shall bear upon your profession.
 Your profession, gentlemen, as a spe- cialized mental factor, has grown out of the exigencies and expansion of mod ern trade; and, likewise, the exigencies and expansion of modern trade have largely resulted from your efforts. The paradox is simple enough to explain. As men began to advertise, business inn proved: as business improved the need of properly worded advertisements was felt; and men capable of writing such adver- tisements were a necessity, and as you came into your professional being more and more expansive mercantile industries have become. The merchant Is a ne- cessity to you. and you have become a necessity to him. No great mercantile enterprise can prosper without maxim 2 itself and Its wares known through the newspapers; and no one can so wisely artistically and attractively give this in- formation as the man whose training and experience have fitted him for this special line of industry You are the men be- hind the guns. You name may not ap- pear In the style of the firm. The thou sands of patrons may not know of your existence; all they know Is that some one has written the attractive and com polling advertisement, and you may have the serene consciousness that the way
  dreds of customers who tread the aisles of your stores. There should exist be- tween you and your employers the ut most cordiality and cooperation for two reasons: In the first place. without this cordial cooperation you can never do your best work; in the second place, should you fail to do your best work dis couragement follows and your post is re- signed, which leaves the employer largely at of salesmen, there are few able writers of advertisements. In your business rela- tions therefore, may there be no friction, but the most cordial cooperation.
 "I have called your line of business a profession have done this deliberately; and l believe you represent, not only q profession. but one that requires a vast array of abilities for success in it's prose cution. The man who writes advertise ments for twentieth century readers, and buyers must be familiar with good. strong contentious English words Long words, high sounding combinations of sylables, make no impression; and, besides, un- necessarily occupy space which must be paid for The keen, short sentences that you gentlemen generally employ tell the story that you want to relate, as no other can. I know some ministers who would be much profted if they would model
 
 that you gentlemen employ. Some of these clerical gentleme en seem ever shy oe short words and will walk all around a. thought rather than call it by its name.
 'I knew of a minister who was preach ing of Jonah and the whale, and when he came to the crisis in poor Jonah's 1ifo he said, And, my friends, they threw Jonah overheard; the whale passing by gulped down the recreant prophet, and he EpQNf three dave mi the whales, ah, In the whales-society.' You gentlemen would dispose of this history of Jonah and the whale as Something new in the whalebone department
 Tn the early days of Philadelphia tho illustrious Benjamin Franklin taught sem tentious advertising. One day passing a hat shop he read above the doorway the sign, I keep Hats For Sale. Franklin went in and told the halter that his sign was too long. Strike off the words I keep;' you will then have Hats For Sale;' but as everybody knows you do not give hats away, strike off For Sale which will leave Hats and this was done.
 T beg to commend the good sense, the penetration and the conscious philosophy that governs you in the wording of yous advertisem ments
 'In the next place, remark. that your vocation is not only profession, but it Is one of the learned professions. You could not have acquired your skill in a day. It has cost you years of study. I do not question. You have thought deeply and long; you have compared. analysed and pondered the advertisements of news papers throughout the country, and have gained your present excellence and ability, just as the members of any other learned reach theirs You have been compelled to do this by two facts--your own standing in your profession. and the of others working In your own line of endeavor These have been the spurs in the side of your ambition. A man who has not studied this profess sion as you have done cannot write ad- Look at some of the prod ucts of people unused to the demands of your profession. Take a few examples from the want columns of our news nanara; Wanted. a boy to he nartly