Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1909-01-24
By AUSTIN |. MlRPIJ4

In surveying the business warI. one cannot but b" impressed VIff the fact that in every great caI0,It.== cial organization there is >uI1e .5n dominating personality ;t the head nj it's selling CT promotion depdrfmut. some enersising force. which an5- mates, enthuses and kegas II, ,.n- ordinate harmony the staff of sales men, likewise that effective HlbIfcity which adds strength to t0eir efforts and sets i'll motion these means ht which trade is increased and ,syf,.ao51 cd. In the ndJure of things filprc must be such vital power i'll every extensive concern or if would he neither great nor successful.
 In the furniture field We h2v, fn $. Karpen & Bros a tyoical instance of this condition, IIr -Adolpin kar3en of that firm IS their executive author lty concerning all that ill any way rc~ lates to the market of their goods aa in promoting general wide-s0read knowledge about them among ,ha buy A ing public. Mr. karpen is essentially an administrator and an acceat,.7 aii- thority on selling methods He has shown his capacity to devise new ideas, to meet emergencies and ro triumph over difficulties, IT is inter- estins therefore to listen When nc has a word of advice 10 offer.
 Some suggestions which he had in mind for the bctternent of retatl merchants were incidentally brought out ill a recent interview when the subject under discussion was diverted to a consideration of what could q dealer. located in small town do 5o increase his business.
 Rising to the occasion Mr. Karpen svsaid there was much such a man could dc. and perhaps something also he Were better off to i"ave undono. This ill particular was cutiyatns q continued criticism ra9ingi the en- croaching competition of mail ofzler or cata1os houses. ,etter far it iS. to stop com plaining and get nter. ested ill scme practicable plan for keeping the trade at homa
 The time. asserted Mr. karpen is highly propitious for action in this Girection. The same postal facilities, the same rural delivery. so ably used 1,x,y7 hn o} tho vice of a local merchant just as freely as they are utilized by his competi- tor. He has In addition the local newspaper, the local telephone and the postal service of circularizing.
 The merchant in small town must not be content to sit ill his store and wait for buyers to seek him out. He must adopt in his field all these accepted ways of advertising which draw attention to his stock and his facilities for supplying goods of high quality coupled with effective and satisfactory service.
 The campaign must be of an edu- cational character until people are we'll impressed with the defects of the catalog system of selling goods by mail. it may be truthfully asserted that local merchant is always in position to compete as to prices with ana mail order house.
 Suppose a consumer out in the ru- ral district is bitten with the desire to buy piece of furniture from some metropolitan catalog concern. He sends in his money and waits to re- ceive something in return. His first experience is long delay in ship ment At length the purchase is uu- loaded at the railway station and he is confronted by heavy expense bill for freight charges. He then learns that freight is high on furniture and that he .must pay it. He may have supposed when he was attracted by the catalog pictures and prices that the quotations were inclusive of freight or more likely the question