Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-06-01

tlptoe about In rubber shoes, talk in
q whisper, and make wig-wag signals
Of mystery and dark significance. II
they wish TO accomplish a simple
business transaction, which might be
completed by walking half u block,
they prefer instead. to travel several
roundabout miles before coming TO
the point. That was considered
"astute" 20 years ago, and in some
instances is attempted at the present
time. But IL never was astuie: and II
isn't astute now; because ii wastes
time-and time is money
Their one idea is to smuggle some
| thing into Il newspaper when the edi-
tor isn't looking, which will make
him hot when he sees II. They tamK
If they only catch the editor off his
guard they will also catch the public
off its guard. And, in both cases,
they defeat their own purpose.
If your story is worth telling, it's
something the public will be glad TO
hear; and the editor will be glad to
get II. And it's a perfectly simple
matter to get it printed in one Of two
ways. You can enter the pages OF
the newspaper through the news col
umns gratis, or you can enter IL
| through the business office And
sometimes the story you bring to the
business office may find its way into
the news columns. The main thing
Is to have something worth saying;
and say it entertainingly.
You can lead public opinion. If
you're frank and fair; or you can even
lead 1t if you sugar-coat some Of the
hard, unpleasant facts Of modern
business life, by calling attention to
some facts which aren't unpleasant
But you can't bulldoze it, to save
your life. Public opinion has had a
new birth in the past 10 years II
has come to a realization of its pow
er. The man on the street knows the
value of his good will. He doesn't
always use it intelligently-none Of
us do. He is misled sometimes by
the artful and the designing-so are
nearly all of us. But way down deep
he wants to be fair-as all of us
want to be fair.
SO the man in the street-who
makes up public opinion-is not an
influence to be approached in gum
shoes and with a butterfly net, with
a club held in the left hand behind
the back. He's just plain, simple
man, like an editor or public utility
manager, to be talked to-if it be-
comes necessary to talk to him at all
plainly and reasonably. Flatter him
II you like--we all enjoy having our
opinions asked. Distract his atten-
ton, If you like, from the unpleasant
thing you're trying to correct to the
pleasant thing-thats legitimate.
But don't indulge In the folly Of even
seeming to fight him-and that's pre-
csely what you are doing when you
try to fight a newspaper.
II public opinion becomes unjust
go your way, keep quiet, and bide
your time. 1t will right itself. after a
while. Sometimes 1t takes quite
WHILE and you feel tempted to fight
back. But that's fighting folly with
folly. Given time, a community will
come to its senses. II will recognize
even its own unfairness. 1t will even
turn on the newspaper which taught
1t to be unfair.
Summed up, all this means-shun
controversies as you would the pla-
que. Keep out Of discussions. Get
into the news columns or the adver-
tislng columns with news that will
generate good feeling. when you think
the occasion warrants It. But take
off the gum shoes. discard the butter
flv net and thrnM nMaY tho club.