The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1914-12-15
| THE CREED OF
THE CONSUMER
SSst Of Principles Worthy Of.
Practice
HOME PATRONS PHILOSOPHY

Up to by the American PeoPle-Not
Religious creed-PeopIe Of North,
South, East and West Can Unite For
Good.
copyrighted. 1914. by Thomas J. sulltvan.1
Every failure is step to success;
every detection Of what is false directs
us to what is true; every trial ex-
hausts some tempting form Of error.
Not only so, but scarcely any attempt
is entirely failure; scarcely any theo-
ry, the result Of steady thought, is al
together false. No tempting form OF
error is without some latent charm de-
rived from truth. With these thoughts
in mind 1 have prepared what 1 call
the consumers creed.
A Gate to the City.
1t is not religious creed. II it were
would not be writing It, as am
afraid / might get my metaphors
crossed. This is business creed,
something like the people Of New Eng
land unconsciously adopted when Lord
North undertook to tax them. Thereto
fore they had always been accustomed
to divide on points. 1t so happened,
fortunately, that their opposition to
Lord North was point on which they
were all united. 1t was business
point.
l have written creed upon which
the people Of the north, south, east
and west can all unite for their own
good.
A good creed is n gate to the city
which has golden foundations mis-
leading creed may be a road to de-
struction, Or II both misleading and
alluring it may become what Shake
spcare calls primrose path to the
eternal bonfire.
Perhaps my creed is nothing more
than set Of principles which it would
be we'll for every consumer to practice.
Read them and then adopt them as
your very own:
A Business Creed.
Tlrst.-I do not patronizc the mail
order system because it is selfish and
greedy and for the reason TINT buy
at home, where my interests are.
Second..If this community Is good
enough for my family and to live in
1t ought to be good enough for my fam.
lily and 1 to buy our necessaries in.
Third.-I will not take the word of
the mail order house for Its goods, as
want to see what I am buying and
want to get what pay for.
Fourth.-1 do not patronize the mail
order houses because they demand
cash in advance, and when i am
"broIe" and sick and need supplies my
home dealer is willing to Garry" me.
Fifth.-I patronize the home dealer
because he stands back of his goods
and in case Of error is willing to rec
tlfy. .m
Slxth.-I patronize the home mer-
chant because believe man ought to
spend his money in the community in
which he earns 1t.
SEVENTH pNtronizc the home mer-
chant because ] believe the man who
sells what he produces and buys what
be needs at home cannot be injured
by deceptive catalogue pictures or al
legged bargains.
Eighth.-I do not patronize the mail
order houses because they frequently
sell damaged and inferior goods, which
it avafls man nothing to attempt to
exchange. But the man patronlze-
the home merchant, the man who helps
to pay the town, county and state tax
will exchangeAny article l buy from
him which is unsatisfactory.
y
NINTH spend my money with my
home merchant in preference to some
mail order house in a distant city be-
cuuse the local merchants help to sup
port the public schools where I send
my children. the churches and the de-
pendent poor IN my vicinity.
Tenth.-I patronize the local mer-
chant because he does not try to trick
me into buying Cheap" goods, which
because of their effectiveness prove
to be expensive, and, further because
should i'll luck or bereavement come
my way my local dealer would not
only Prove TINT he was neighbor
and friend, but man, with mans
heart and a mans inclination to do
good; not soulless corporation like
the mail order system, whose only in
stuct is greed and further desire for
grin.
Let all citizens follow this creed
and they will be blessed with happy
homes and happy life. They will
prosper financially and at the same
time improve their moral STANDARD. Do
for RIM. neichbor what You would like