River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-07-10
John Fearem s Conversion
RIVER FALLS STORY or TO-DAY
Copyright lelllsl2 by George Scales. rights
A RIVER FALLS STORY or TO-DAY

A group of men and women
known as the Consumers club
met in River Falls Tuesday evening
to discuss topics of interest TO the
growth and prosperity of River
Falls. One of the members of the
club said that judicious and liberal
advertisement, backed up by the
policy of educating people to talk
up their home interests, to encour-
age home enterprises and to buy
goods at home was certain, sure
and speedy way of increasing River
Falls prosperity. This statement
was enthusiastically indorsed by a
large majority of the club members.
Elder Small, Col. Force and Mrs.
Hi Splurge, however, had nebu-
lous idea that they could get GER
tain goods cheaper from the cata-
logue houses or from the larger
cities. Their claims were not justi-
fed by the facts, and they were
shown that, quality considered, they
could save money in every case by
buying at home.
Among those present was Deacon
John Fearem, one of the town S
honorable and respected pioneer
business men, who found it difficult
to adjust himself TO present day
conditions.
Everybody knows John Fearem"
he was fond of saying. And it
isn't necessary for me to advertise. "
II "a tn
tell the truth about the harm the
catalogue and mail order houses of
the cities were doing to the country
generally. Why" said Deacon
John Fearem, you only advertise
EN-" You see that John was GER
tainly wrong in his conclusions.
Judge Mutchlau took exception to
John Fearem's statement. "Dea-
con-" said the judge, when we
hold revivals in our church and go
after the devil hard, and fight sin
and iniquity, are we or are we not
helping the cause of morality and
of religin? Did we ever win a po-
litical contest by keeping quiet over
the shortcomings and misrepreSen-
tations of our opponents? / reckon
not. Are we purging congress, our
state legislatures and our city coun-
ellis of dishonest and incompetent
members by shutting up like clam
and never voicing our disapproval
from the housetops? 1t is agitation
and publicity that accomplish re-
forms, deacon.
I'VE business men have every adj
vantage that could be asked or de-
sired over the catalogue houses.
We sell better goods for the
money. We have our goods here
for inspection. We are here on the
spot to correct errors. We save all
long waits and annoyances, and we
extend accommodations impossible
with the catalogue dealers. But we
must advertise more and tell the
buying public fully and truthfully
what we can do for them and what
the mail order houses will do to
them by draining the community OF
its life blood. The dissemination
of the truth never yet hurt a just
cause, ard the showing up of the
great evil which even the honestly
conducted mail order business is to
any community, will do much good
TO any person who wants to see his
town prosper.
i like to go to headquarters when
| buy" pompously asserted Elder
Small.
DO you send to Washington for
postage stampS?" asked Judge
Mutchlau.
Il tell you that the retail dealer
in River Falls will sell to you as
cheaply as the retailer in ST. Paul
or Minneapolis, or the catalogue
houses anywhere, and he is here TO
back up his goods and correct mis-
takes. Take the dry goods and
women S ready-to-wear department
of the Stewart Mercantile Co. S
store, for instance. They buy in
the best markets, they know how to
buy close, they are alert TO meet all
competitors. Their dry goods,
Wooltex coats and suits, dresses,
waists, silk, wool and wash dress
goods in new summer fabrics, Kabo
corsets, Wayne Knit and Iron Clad
hosiery, Towne's kid gloves, Kay
ser silk and fabric gloves, Munsing
underwear, summer parsols, the
numberlesS little necessities of a
lady'S toilet, curtain and drapery
materials, Pictorial Review patterns
all have the guarantee of an honor.
able firm. If the Stewart Mercan.
tile Co.'s store is not headquarters
for low prices and square dealing,
don't know what the term means