Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-11-04
OUR NEW faRK LETTER FPgX III OCCASIONAL
CORRESPONDENT

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understood by way Of contrast when
1t is stated that thers isn't q general
store In any city in tho Urited States,
nor anywhere else in the world b a
equals that OF the Wanamaker store
In Philadelphia alone.
1t must be a matter of the most
sincere qualification TO Mr.. Wanna
maker In looking back over all these
years to know that from the very be-
ginning, he saw with a prophetic
vision. that II the public were treated
right, If goods were sold at n price
II money vas refunded for unsatfs-
factory purchases. and everything
possible done TO make shopping In
his store easy. simple and comforts
able the same public would learn TO
appreciate It and come again.
Fifty years ago, the custom, which
has now become a universal one, of
selling merchandiseaa al one price was
prHctieed by only q very few stores
Can anyone wonder then. that John
Wanamaker at the very outset of his
career. saw the value of the one price
system as well as the power Of the
underlying principles and the business
possibilities of Your money back Ii
you want IT.
Since then this country has been
the theatre of one of the greatest.
ccstifest and bloodiest wars that was
ever fought and following In Its wake
have come nan extraordinary
changes, a few Of which are:
The extinction of Negro slavery.
The unprecedented development of
American manufacture.
The settlement of the vast domain
beyond the Mississippi and the I'M
mense increase of wealth and power
In the Nation.
Fifty years ago the electric light.
the telephone and the wireless tele-
graph were not only unknown but I'M
dreamt of.
Close to fifty years ago the house
of A. T. Stewart, Broadway, Fourth
Avenue, Ninth and Tenth Streets,
New York. was looked upon by wish
tors to the Metropolis as a colossal
retail mart. 1t was, in fact the iarg-
est of its kind In the world then. To-
day this same store is but an annex
to the great Wanamaker store. Is
stories high and entirely covering the
next block below.
We could go on, filing page after
page with the marvellous story OF
what has been done in these United
States since John Wanamaker first
entered business life, but marvellous
has been the numerous changes
that have taken place. there Is per-
o n Of them quite equal to that
shown in h conduct of retail trade
thruout this country. The method of
doing business In retaildom to-day Is
as different as day is from
compared to what 1t was fifty
years ago. Tho development of the
modern general store LIS altogether the
development OF these Atty years. and
so, 1t has come to pass that America
all the world a long way, In re-
aff t--I- - a 49, -A--r 49,
Perhaps the newspaper reader of
to-day, taking as a matter of course
day In and day out the presentation
OF the news OF tbs stores from the
advertising page OF THAR favorite
paper. has given little IL any thought
TO the fact that there Is no change
has taken place In this country
For the past fifty years that quite
the change Of the very news
paper n reads.
Fifty ear ago. there were no pages
Of advertising. In fact, there were no
columns Of advertising. and such as
placed in the newspapers of the
was the dryest and most insipid
stun that could possibly be printed.
But what do we see In the news
oapers to-dayf In addition to the
Jews Of the day. local. foreign, ma
oid We iihf6 WIKI rs &q06ily fu~
TO the an
and pages of handsomely illus
rated advertisements, most OF which
ire written with far mora ability than
8 shown in tho presentation Of the
ordinary news, for all of which you
a penny or two, which fifty years
Lgo would cost you fivs to ten times
g much, and for a paper one-quartar
o one-half the size.
A ma nor}.o r4a Nr4x H. 100 tx-o-x eL-4
his extraordinary and revolutionary
for such 1t Is. can be attri-
to one nan more than to any
cause whatever.
And perhaps you do not know that
his man is John Wananiaker.
MFR. Wanamaker was the first mer-
,hant In America to discover the po-
ential value OF advertising as a bHsi-
less builder.
Al the close OF his srst day in pusf-
less Mr., John wanamaker found that
he total receipts of the day were
or this sum he reserved sixty-ssvon
for change and invested the s24
a advertising.
Thus was shown, at tho very outset
II his business career, that keen in
If advertising that has distinguished
folln Wanarnaher from that hour to
present. and placed him years and
In advance OF any other mer-
In its use.
He vas not only the first merchant
o discover this great value OF adver-
ising. but he was the first merchant
o apply 1t liz a scientific way. He
vas also the frst user of advertising
n the United States, to mould It into
n attractive literary form known as
he familiar talk style, the style that
las made his advertising famous and
1t a dfstinctiveness that has
iever yet been attained by any other.
1t has countless limitations.
John W~anarnaker was not onty tha
irst merchant to discover the poten-
power Of advertising but he has
been from the beginning OF his career
up to the present hour. not only the
insistent ana persistent adver-
but also. by long odds. the iarg-
sst advertiser In the United States.
1t would take q good sized volume
TO say all that can be or should be
said OF John Wanafnaker. whose
has placed him at the very
pinnacle of American Mercantile Life.
and to which he has climbed from
humblest beginnings.
Altho' Mr. Wananakex has gseeu "a
worker all his life. his years sit
lightly upon him. He liz to-day Ia the
{ his mental and physical
powers and from the air of energy
by him on the occasion Of
the fftieth anniversary of his entry
business life. he looked as If he
had many of active work ahead
OF him yet
The Loek1 On.