The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-09-23
MISS BONNIE BURNHAM
Little Sketch of Young Woman Who Has
Made Good
BY Myrover
BY Celia Myrover Robinson.

Miss Bonnie Burnham who for sew
| era1 years has been connected with
| The Journal, first as society editor
| and then in special advertising work
will leave in a few days for Mobile,
| where she will assume her duties in
! the advertising department Of the
| Post. Mobiles new afternoon paper,
to make its. debut about October first
! There are a great many ways to
| spell success, and many paths which
| lead to it. 1t isn't generally an easy
! way this uphill climb after the will
! o'-the-wisp light that eludes us SO
many times just as we are about TO
grasp it-but sometimes we come
upon it suddenly almost by accident,
! and catch it and keep it, and the
struggling beams, in our firm grasp,
lifted high from the adverse winds
that have blown the twinkling light
h'ther and thither. are given a chance
to burn steadily, not only that we may
be cheered by the light, but that
others may be lighted, in the uphill
climb. When Miss Bonnie Burnham,
then society editor of The Pensacola
Journal, began her publicity work in
Pensacola, 1t was almost an accident
!. was certainly a venture. But d
venture which has turned out remark
ably well, and an accident that has it's
. fortunate side.
Miss Burnham did not like society
work, And when one does not ike
ones work no matter how success
fully one may do il, how much deter
mination one may bring to bear. or
what talent one may have behind each
days task, there is no real satisfaction
or pleasure to the worker.
The editing OF the society page of
The Journal was the first work of this
character Miss Burnham had ever I'M
dertaken. On the Chicago American
Miss Burnham had begun her news
paper career, while hardly more than
a school girl, but here she had seen
real life, she had written human in
terest stories Of a great cfty-she had
seen the realism and the glamour Of
the city, side by side, and she had
found life interesting, but never
trivial.
When she gave up her newspaper
work and came south on account Of
her health (for newspaper work in
Chicago is no childs play, and 1t takes
a strong constitution to stand the
strain Of hard work and severe wealth
er in the great city of the Middle
West), 1t was not easy to write of
pink teas and their pretty accompani-
ments Of fluff and chiffon. after one
had seen the real side of life, had
worked side by side with men who
accomplished something in the worlds
work, and had seen the heart Of
city throb with life.
But to her work on The Journal she
brought a mind we'll trained in news
mir w hoY
society page read with interest, but
her Sunday stories came to be a fea-
ture Of the paper, read and discussed
with increasing appreciation.
When. shortly after assuming the
duties Of society editor Of The Jour
nal, Miss Burnharn opened offices in
the Blount building, and advertised u
teach journalism. she Of all people,
perhaps failed to realize how quickly
she was to find her real niche in
newspaper work in Florida, or how
valuable her experiences were to be to
her.
She had studied advertising in the
most practical way in the world
right in a newspaper office, where
she had acquired not only the rules of
the game, but had learned to apply
these rules. She understood not only
it up" and when. along with her les
sons In Journalism, she undertook to
teach ad writing, she buf1ded better
than she knew. Instead Of becoming
a teacher Of ad writing, 1t was not
long before she became a, practical
writer of ads for some Of the most
prominent merchants in the city.
Her work in The Journal was at
tracing attention. She possessed a
style that was different. She had
way of saying things that had, some
how. O. swing, and personal appeal, |
that merchants were quick to recog- !
nfze as valuable in ad wrfting-par-
ticuiarly the advertisements with the |
woman-appeal.
If she wrote about hats and gowns |
and suits and cloals, there was some
thing in her ads that compelled at |
tention. One read them, just as they |
read her Sunday stories, usually with !
the preface Lets see what Bonnie I
Burnharn has to say" They knew !
that what she had to say was going !
to be just a little different from what |
the usual ad writer had to say.
OF course her ads were not signed
but they were easily recognizable. !
They were directed to the women !
and through her years Of study of all !
kinds of women, through her expe- !
rfences with women in conducting her (
society department, and through her |
own wornan's Intuition, she knew how /
to write the ads that had the feminine |
appeal /
Another feature Of her work that |
attracted the attention Of those who /
knew, and were watching her career /
with interest. was that while her ads /
vera ALI marked with strong indi- /
viduality. they were, at the same time, |
all different. For instance, in writ |
ing ads for one big firm they carried /
always a most personal appeal. They |
might almost have been written in a !
chatty letter. Mixed up with the facts
and the figures, with the tailored suits
and the dainty chiffon gowns, were
catchy phrases, bright turns Of
speech- often a uuip or jest and the /