The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-08-16
.H1lVASTRANBER
VIEWS A TOWN.
HE LOOKS AT,MAkY THINGS AND
ASKS MANY QUESTIONS -
ABOUT THE PLACE.

tnlnB tnnt Is usually zone Is 10 size
up the town. You want to know the
population. the width Of the Streets
the number Of churches and schools,
the character of the business houses
whether It is a live town or a dead
one. The first thing that aids you
in forming your conclusions is the APP
pearance Of Sthe newspapers. The.
character Of the papers usually re-
fleets the character OF the town. A,
dead town will not support a live
newspaper and limp unsigthly news
paper will give a stranger a poor
impression ofthe town as quick as,
any ether Institution in the city. II
the paper appears bright and prosper
GUS looking the impression that It is
good town is at once formed. The
stranger believes the people are pros
porous and business good else they,
would not support a good paper. BY
supporting n newspaper it is not meant
that annual contributions are to be
made to 1t like churches and charit.i
able institutions, support in this sense
means patronage from which the pat.
rons of the business are benefited
In direct proportion to the amount
OF the patronage extended,
Suppose every individual or firm
who had shop, from the smallest
to the largest, inserted a small card
in the local newspapers. what opinion
would n stranger form OF the town
when looking over a local paper?
Would not he think there was more
business here than in any town he
was ever in gefore? II all the bust
ness people should follow this rule
there no estimating the far reaching
effects 1t would have. In Pennsyl-
yania a law has for some years been
enforced requiring every person en-
gagged in public business to have pub:
lished once a year the name, char
acter and location Of that business
with the annual amount OF business
tranacted.
A business man or woman should
not be compelled by law 10 make
such publication but should do so
for the good OF the community and
for the good of the business. While
this law is. compulsory and looked
upon as hardship-as considerable
fee is collected for this publication,
1t is in fact worth all II costs the
business man. In this way alone
are many of the busine places made
known TO the public.
When n person enters any kind OF
business he begins to invite the pub
lie to do business with him MS soon
as he opens his door. Gradually the
people In the immediate neighborhood
find him out and II his business suits
them they continue to do business
with him. but there are hundreds Of
people who would. II not constantly,
occasionally, do business with him II
they knew where he was and what
lines he carried.
If every person in public business
in Fairmont should only take an inch
card in !. the newspapers the papers
would have to be enlarged to accom-
modate the business. Fairmont hns
many kinds Of business and great
deal of every kind OF business but
it takes strangers moving into town
months and sometimes years to find
out where some OF this business is
transacted.
1t is not expected that every shor.
keeper who reads this will rush into
the newspaper Offices with an adver-
tisement but It should be reminder
TO some in the higher strata of the
business world who have been -
/, ing their lamps under bushel. There
are many members of the Merchants
Association in Fairmont, an organic
cation to promote the general business
welfare Of the city, who are not nd.
vertiscrs and II they appreciate what
the newspapers are doing daily for the