The Brinkley argus., 1913-06-27
HONESTY ESSENTIAL
 FOR ADVERTISING
Expert Says Dishonesty Is Ous Largely to lnefficiency-
 Urges High Ideals.
By E. ST. ELMO LEWIS


 have two ways of looking at the question of honesty in advertising. One IS to adopt 1t as matter of course because it's an efficiency principal; be- cause it the only thing to be done, because it is the only satisfactory way to conduct business because it's the only right thing to be done, and any thng that's right can be done and should be done.
 It's undoubtedly fact that the propaganda relative to honesty has done good. It has been good thing; It was needed, but we have expended our entire energy on Making Sunday the biggest day in the week. and we have not touched 2 lot Of people who would have besa touched if 1t had been approached from business standpoint as well as from an ethical standpoint What are we going to do with the other six days of the week? Man says, Yes, I'm going to be hon est, but what are you going to do to take up the slack how are you going to help me handle the truth so that people will believe it, be interested and convinced?"
 lnefficiency the Cause.
 believe that much dishonesty and oyerstatement in advertising Is entire ly due to ineficlency. A man says that womans hat is worth SIS, but he will sell it for s, because he fig ures that everybody knows the price of hats, but very few know the value, and it is not too cynical to say that the vast majority of people know the value of them. That's fundamental fact in human nature. When the re- taller adyertises the SIS hat for S3, i he plays upon that weakness in human nature, but how are you going to make the truth about that S3 hat effective? There is a way, but when you put into his heart a realization of the i'm morality of talking about $3 hat be- ing worth SIS when it's really worth only SC, or $5, or $4, or. maybe. $3.50, and you don't give him any method of raising his efficiency, pretty soon 1 his cash drawer tells him such story that he says, 'I don't care hang whether it's immoral or what it is. People like to be humbugged and I've got to humbug them if I'm going to be in business"
 What are you going to do under the circumstances2
 Now. very good friend of mine. when talked this way to him in let ter the other day. immediately jumped | to the conclusion that I was arguing for immortality in business. l am not. l am arguing for the purpose of mak- ing morality efficient, and there Is just ! one thing that some of our moral speakers haven't made people under stand. and that is, merely good people are not necessarily successful people. that mere goodness and morality will not put dollars in a mans pocket.
 VIII Eliminate Fake. l don't believe. you know, that all the world is made up of crooks. don't believe that all the crooks are in the advertising business. believe that i there are men of very high ideals in the advertising business. I believe there will continue to be. and as ad- vertising becomes more fact-founded, becomes more scientific, experience becomes more valuable, and knowl- edge more fashionable. believe that we will eliminate a very great deal of the fake out of advertising, just as the fake was eliminated out of the intro duetion of facts into chamistry, the fake was eliminated out of astrology when the facts of astronomy became l the all.imuortant thing