The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1914-12-14
DUH igy OWE
Your TOWN
80 Faithful and Honest With
YOURSELF
OBLIGATIONS OF CONSUMER.

slider tho Duty He Owes His Home
Town-LoeaI Merchants Ready and
Willing to Compete.
copyrighted, 1914. by Thomas j. ~sullIvan.l
Duty is n power that rises with US
in the morning and goes to rest with
US at night. 1t Is c~oextenstve with the
action OF our intelligence. 1t is the
shadow which cIeaves to US, so where
we will.
Let us do our duty in u shop or
kitchen, in the market. the street. the
office, the farm, the school. the home.
just as faithfully as IL we stood in the
front ranks of some great battle and
knew that victory for mankind de-
pended upon our bravery, strength and
skill.
When we do Tint the very humblest
Of us Will he serving in that great
army which achieves the welfare Of
the world.
A Dollar Lost.
It should be the slogan Of every
rural consumer never to send away
for goods that he can just as well buy
Mt home. Every time you send a dol
lar to a mail order house that dollar.
as far as you and your community are
concerned, is practically out of cIrcu-
lution.
Your own home merchant is the onc
who helps to keep up your schools,
your churches and your town. He is
the one who deserves your trade and
not some catalogue house III Chicago
or elsewhere.
Goods on Unsecured Promises.
When you have nothing TO give in
exchange, to whom do you go for &c
commodntion. until some uncertain
time when you can pay?
Do you not always find your home
merchant ready and willing to let his
goods so on promises. not guaranteed
notes. but verbal promises, trusting to
your honesty and good luck in meeting
the obligation later?
How many farms have been paid for
by your merchants advancing both the
goods necessary to keep life in the
body and cash to meet that dreaded
interest on the mortgage?
Under the same conditions would
the farmer trust the merchant for
months and months with the produce
OF his farm, or would he ask for cash
or its equivalent upon delivery Of the
goods?
Not a Rohber or Cheat.
We know that the average consumer
does not feel that his local merchant is
a rohbcr or IL cheat; but. like all hui
mankind, the catalogues and prices of
mail order houses appeal to him, and
he forwards his order and cash with
out considering the injustice he Is do
ing himself, his merchant and his
home town.
The catalogues Of the mail order
House are iiluminod with pictures to
cntch the eye of the unwary. They
range in complexion from Il brunette
banana to Il blond canary bird. They
offer to sell you anything from 4 phi
l~osopher's stone to Il cypress Single
sawed out OF u sunbeam.
Cash Versus Credit.
1t seems unbelievable. but 1t is new
erthelcss Il fact, showing the entire
lack OF any sense Of justice. that many
people regard their local stores rs
merely institutions OF accommodation.
When these people have cash to spend
1t goes to the faraway mali order
houses, but when times are dull, when
they nrc sick or out Of work or during
the season when farmers are not turn
ing their produce into cash, what do
they do? DO they write to the cata-
logue house and ask for credit?
II they did do you think they would
get It,? Not on your life! Those COLI
Germs must have cash. must have it in
advance, must have It before you can
even see the goods you buy. The con-
sumo sends his. money and then sits
down and waits until the mail order
House gets good and ready to I'll his
order.
But when homo people want credit
or fayors of any kind they hustle OF
to their home merchant, very obllginE-
~ order what they want and tell him
to charge it. expecting him to wait at
least from one to six months for his
pay.
Dealing With N~eishbors.
In buying from your home merchants
you deal with %neighbors. Buy with
goods before you. Pay when you get
the goods IL you so elect. Have goods
delivered free. Return goods II not
satisfactory. Build up your home
store.
Help build up your own home town
and make Of yourself a man worthy of
your day and time. Every man should
take pride in being n good American
citizen, and we believe most men do
and that riost mcn ure, or at least de-
sire to be, but what kind of citizen is
the man who supports an octopus?
Should he not be placed in a class
with the mau TINT knocks his own
business? Tint sort of man is invari-