The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1913-05-16
THE NEWSPAPERS
In the Country Towns of the United
States Are if Properly Used Posi-
lively the
Best Selling Agents in ;
America.

America.
What is the matter with the business man in the
towns of this county? Why is it that he is everlast-
ingly asleep?
The Country Merchant represents the very best de-
velOpment in American manhood. He Is healthy,
strong and unusually intellectual, but ne simply Will
not get out of the rut made In the road Of his kind OF
trade, by the footsteps OF his predecessors.
Here is the whole story in a nutshell; contrast the
following examples:
Or the one hand we have the present prosperous
condition of the country, extraordinary good crops.
We never had better. An over-supply without a mar
ket is almost as bad for the farmer, as no crops at all.
The demand, as we'll as the price, were never better
than at present.
Next comes the wage Garner. His condition is I'M
deniabIy better than it has been for years. Because
OF the vast sums ofsmoney that must change hands
during the neXC six months, to gather and transport
the immense crops, the labOrers services will be we'll
paid for. Money sent to the farmer from the pur-
chasers in the East will be sent to New York or Chlca-
go, Roebuck & CO. for goods.
Now comes the Country Merchant, the Doctor, Law
yer. Hotel Man, etc. Their share of the harvest de-
ponds entirely upon their ability to keep abreast with
rapidly changing conditions. The Merchant in the
rural districts, who imagines that ne can handle MS
business. on the same %slip-shod plan as that employed
by his predecessors forty years ago, is badly mistaken.
He has new conditions to face, new forces to contend
with, almost unSurmOuntable obstacles to overcome.
These will not down. They come one after another,
thick and fast.
First of all, there is the bugaboo of the Mail Order
House in the big cities, next is the. Parcels Post; Rap
id and easy methods OF transportation makes IL COM
paratively easy for the farmer to get to the larger
cities and entirely overlook the dealer IN the smaller
place.
The Merchant, Hotel or Show Man in one of these
smaller places is quite likely to see customers pass his
door en- route to the city, if he is willing to rest con-
tent with the methods employed by his predecessors,
Now then here is what we have as a remedy TOR the
disease: Meet city competition with the City Mans
methods Of getting business. How do the big stores
in the city get the orders OF the country trade!
First, by full page display ads in thelpapers. These
are almost a complete catalogue OF each OF the various
departments of the entire store. Think OF 1t, a issue
of a we'll illustrated catalogue with catchy descriptions
and ~skillfully phrased talk about cut prices, spread
out before women, who have money to spend and VINO
need the goods. There can be but one result, q sale.
Suppose for example, five Of the big department
stores of Chicago should adopt the methods OF the
average country merchant, cut off their advertising IN
the daily papers, discontinue soliciting orders by man,
refuse 20 send out samples and all OF the proprletors
should sit quietly down and wait for customers TO nap
pen along, as is usually done in the country store. Can
anyone doubt the result? Contrast the difference be-
tween the two methods and the remedy Is rs pam as
the sun in the sky.
The answer is, that the small store in the country
town cannot afford high priced advertisement, costing
So. 100000 to $40, 900. 90 neither can he afford to issue q
catalogue. But The Country Merchant has his local
newspaper and It's working force at his disposal, ana
its the greatest and best working force IN this entlre
world.
\ Let us repeat that country newspapers, if proper
used, are positively the best advertising mediums Inv
the world for the money.
Mr.. Merchant, just store this thought under your
hat-every country town that has a weekly newspaper
is missing a harvest if its merchants do not make 1t
their mail order catalogue. Every men oil IL should De
used. 1t is a gold mine. Mind you, it should be the
cut price catalogue, with a good Illustration and a
catchy description of every article Of merchandise car
ried in stock, no matter whether 1t be q package oil
onion seed, a hay scale or a flannel shirt, and every
article shown should be quoted at a price that COM
pares favorably with the prices in the advertisements
of the city concerns.
There is not a country town in America where three
or four pages of this class of advertising would not
boom the local trade and put the city stores out OF
business, as far as orders from that locality are con-
cerned. Every merchant should make it a Point to
Advertise his Goods and Prices, instead OF his Name.
Cot fouathar ond mt vollr shoulders to the wheel.