The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-04-30
RIDICULE, VOICE
OF FAILURE.
Never Stops the Onward March
Of Progress.
FROWA DOWN THE DISTURBER

RidicuIe, Paralyzing as Well as Anus-
ing, Often Gratifies a Little Mind or
an Ungenerous Temper-The Safe
Plan Is Always to Do the Task That
Lies Nearest Us.
copyrighted. 1914 by Thomas J. sullivan.l
Ridicule may be an evidence of wit
or bitterness and may crafty little
mind or an ungenerous temper, but is
no test of reason, truth or manhood.
Ridicule, besides being conscious and
unconscious, may also be indirect as
well as direct, negative as we'll as
positive, paralyzing as well as anus
ing. And myriad in number and kind
are the ridiculous suggestions made
and being made by the enemies and
victims of the nail order concerns in
the hope of stopping their onward
march of progress.
Do merchants always appreciate
their advantage? Would a friend of
the merchant or dealer have sent his
first order to stranger who showed
pictures instead of goods, who talked
on paper instead of face to face, who
demanded pay in advance instead of
allowing a more unlimited credit had
the merchant improved his advan-
tages?
Ought to Emulate Rivals.
1t would seem that after one expe-
rience of long delays, quite common
and to a great extent unavoidable in
trading with mail order houses, after
one experience of putting things to-
gether for himself. after one expe-
rience of waiting for a missing part,
the friend would not have taken the
trouble to order by mail from a stran-
ger had the local merchant or dealer
always improved his opportunities.
Everything that happens to us leaves
some trace behind it; everything con-
tributes imperceptibly to form us. Yet
often it is dangerous to take strict
account of that, for either we grow
proud and negligent or downcast and
dispirited, and both are equally in
furious in their consequences. Always
the. safe plan is to do the task which
Lies nearest us and which will augur
for our best interests and those Of
others.
If success can be attained by the re-
tail mail order houses, working under
disadvantages, why cannot the local
merchant, who has none of these dis
advantages, succeed? He can by imi-
tating their methods and practices, by
allowing undisturbed inspection of
goods and by polite and courteous
treatment of all visitors to his store,
thus creating new customers and con-
tinuing to supply old ones.
In certain Indiana town young
man ordered heating stove, price
$685.. When the stove came he was
very much disappointed. The stove
was small, while the picture in the
catalogue made it appear large and or
namental. Had this young man visit
ed his local dealer and inspected the
$S,95 stove he would not have bought
it, but would have selected one for
$12 or S14 and would have got the
right kind and one that would have
satisfied his needs.
A Minnesota farmer ordered five
rolls Of barbed wire. After it came
and he had paid the freight he discov-
cred that he could have bought the
same identical wire from his local
dealer and could have saved 81, also
much time and trouble.
Mail Order Fence In Woodshed.
Another man living in village or
dered some wire fencing from a pic
ture in catalogue. and when it came
it was so cheap looking that his pride
would not allow him to disfgure his
grounds with such fence, so he stor-
ed it in his weodshed and bought what
he wanted from his local dealer.
lady in little town in Missouri
sent to one az the large mail order
| houses ~ pair Of shoes, inclosing
$197 witt ter order. After two weeks
the shoes came by freight: charges
were Is cents. which she paid After
taking the shoes home she found they
did not fit. so she repacked them and
sent them back by express. and after
another two weeks wait another pair
OF shoes came by freight with more
charges attached To the lady's dis
may. these shoes were no nearer a fit
than the first pair She then gave up
in despair and visited her local dealer,
crediting her investment of $2.56 to
experience.
We should like to suggest to the con-
sumner that he be honest with himself;
buy at home; help support his own
; town; make his OWE home more val
liable. Let Mr.. Mail Order Man sell
his good things in his own town. In
stead of his fooling you, you fool him
by trading at home.
Let each community become CO.
operative commonwealth to the extent
that it's citizens shall work together to
build up and sustain that community,
working with neutrality-suspicious.
included-for the home, town. city,
county and state; let civic pride and
ambition be fostered; let the profess
sional Crouch and disturber of the
public peace be frowned down: let the
incorrigible offender against the prin-