The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-11-06
Publicity is Necessary
In All Lines Of Endeavor.

III AL Lines Oh GIlOc0VOI.
II one will take the trouble to glance
at the church notice columns in the
Sunday morning and Saturday news
papers of all the larger and many of
the smaller cities of the country. he
will see that the churches avail them
selves of the opportunity of having
their announcements in display type.
| Nearly as much prominence is given
| to the announcements of Sunday
church services as to the theaters.
The fact is significant of new idea
Of the uses OF publicity in the interest
Of religion and morality.
| In other words the churches are ad.
vertising: and why not?
| Ten years ago and even Ave years
ago, no candidate for office ever adver-
tised, except in the case of local can
didates a small announcement card
would sometimes be printed. The
newspaper was expected to conduct
the fight in its own way and at it's
own expense. Now, the candidates
buy space just as the merchant does
and he flls columns Of it with both
display advertisements and solid read
ing matter. These advertisements are
inserted as such and are paid for and
/ labelled advertisements.
| Churches that have tried this, have
found that it pays. No field of human
endeavor can win in these stirring
times without publicity and there can
be no valid objection to a church in
sorting a modest and appropriate ad-
vertisement. If a minister is going to
discuss a subject of unusual import
ance, he should take the best known
means to let the public know of it:
that is, he should advertise in the
newspapers. Churches pay singers to
make music at their services. The
principal use of paid choirs is to draw
crowds. Then when churches have
singers Of unusual merit, why not run
display advertisements announcing
this fact. Theaters do this and print
pictures of their celebrities. Would
1t not pay the churches to do likewise?
There would be no harm in printing a
picture of the church, the minister or
a singer. and it would invariably draw
attention to the service and attract
people to the church who would other
wise stay away.
Physicians who claim to be "regu-
lar. whatever that means, say they
would like to. advertise, but the ethics
Of their profession stands in the way.
In other words, If a surgeon is remark.
ably successful along a certain line, he
is forbidden to tell the public about
it through the columns of a newspa-
per. II a doctor has more than ordi-
nary success in certain classes of dis
ease, if he remains silent, he is a good
physician and is q regular" member
OF the profession and the other doctors
will fraternalize with him and consult
him: but IL he tells the public Of his
success and offers his services to the
people by means Of IN advertisement.
he is a quack and he is frowned on by
the profession and all but kicked out
of the community.
| In law the same tactics prevail
It is all wrong
1 Should physician be more than or.
ldinarily skillful in the healing of dis
eases. he Is committing a wrong if he
does not tell the public Of his qualih-
cations and offer his services to suffer.
ing humanity.
The ethics" Of the so-called learned
professions is not ethics at all, but
the relic OF superstitution that had
its origin in the ignorance of the mid.
die ages.
l During the dark ages few people
had sumcient education to read or
write except the clergy. the doctors
and the lawyers and many Of these
had little. What they lacked in knowl-
ledge. they made up in mysticism and
superstition. 4 veil of mystery was
thrown over all learning. Medicine,
law and religion were covered with a
veil and the common people were
taught to approach these learned mys-
lteries in fear and trembling.
Churches are throwing aside this
mysticism and are coming out in the