The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-12-26
a Short Course In Business
r Courtesy and Advertising Methods

casionally the gift is appreciated:
more frequently it is not. This does
not influence us in our course at all,
We are here to help build up our
community. In doing this work we
do our utmost to build up every in
diyidual business and interest. We
do our duty. and let praise or blame
follow as it may, But, while it is a
pleasure for US to give freely and
without price, it is something else"
when that which we have to sell is
demanded as a right. 1t is an utter
~ mistaken idea that newspaper is
compelled to boost other. business
concerns to get business. Many news
papers-and they are the most pros
porous kind-never publish q line Of
such matter without pay. For our
part. however, we enjoy printing
pleasant things-though we do not
enjoy being commanded to do 90,
with slur thrown in with the COM
nand. Finally, we owe nothing, ex-
cept friendship and loyalty, to any,
concern in our city. Any other OBJ
legation we owe we certainly expect
t. pay. And it is only simple truth
to say that any bank or other con-
ctrn of this city is as much benefited
ty our presence here as we are by
it's presence here. And so, hon0rs
gre even, we think, in that respect.
AS for the last paragraph of your
letter, it is simply ridiculous. An
almanac peddler comparing his obso-
lote, patent-medicine method of ad-
vcrtising with newspaper publicity:
Almanacs were all right a hundred
years ago; there may be people yet
who read them. We have heard of
a mountaineer who didn't know there
Huu OCcu oPduISH-fuCIlCdu war,
who didn't know who was president
OF the United States, or the governor
OF his own State; who was totally
ignorant OF all the great happenings
OF the past decade. Great Heavens,
man." exclaimed his interviewer,
don't you ever read a newspaper"
! "Wa'al, no, was the reply; 1 did
read one wunst, but ] quit a good
many years ago. and since then I've
teen readin' a book" We have a sus-
picion that book was one of your al
manacs.
We think it shame that Wanna
maker, the Royal Baking Powder
Co., the National Cash Register peo-
pie, the scores and hundreds Of 9TH
ers of those who have amassed for
tunes through newspaper advertising,
should have wasted their money in
mediums that only few people read,
when the Omniscient and omnipres-
ent and much-sought almanac was at
their command! What silly, unbusi-
ncss-like people these are, who fire.
quently spend for one newspaper ad
vertisement as much as your entire
almanac output for the year would
amount to!
Finally, 1t is evident that your ex-
perience with newspapers has been
limited to those whose proprietors
ought to be editing almanacs-a
character of newspaper that would
not be permitted to exist in this pro-
gressive community. In proof of this
latter statement. we will venture the
assertion that this notice will be
read by few people; of course, not
many"-but by at least as many of
the people of Florida as have ever
feard OF you and your almanacs, and
some thousands who otherwise would
never have heard of you.
Very respectfully,
THE LAKELAND EVENING TEI.E.
GRAM,
by NJ. F. Hetherington, Editor.