The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-06
RAISES AN ARMY
BY Use OF INK

rcontinued from Page Onel
he knew that Englishmen wanted to
to tell them they did. The war office
knew LeBas. One day, war official
said to him, a golf links:
Say you've got a big business with
many men working for you. What
would you do if you wanted. more
men"
Easy" said LeBas, 'rd advertise
for them
well, the army needs thousands of
men. Do you suppose you could get
them by advertising? '
WITHOUT a doubt" said LeBas.
Whereupon the war office gave Lee
go ahead. This was just before the
war broke.
LeBas was just about getting start
ed when the declaration of war came
like a bolt out of the blue sky. The
need then became for millions.
Hunts for Words.
"How shall tell England the army
wants men? What thought is big
enough and what words strong
enough to catch their attention.
The danger was that his first mes
sage would be too weak. He worked
one whole night, writing down short
phrases. By morning he had only
twenty. Then he spent the rest of
phrases that were not good enough
and throwing them away. Finally
there was only one phrase LEFT. 1t
YOUR KING AND YOUR COUN-
TRY NEED YOU"
The newspapers b1azed forth that
that night. They called
attention to the fact that this phrase
was to appear on posters and bill
boards everywhere. The pubic read
the newspapers and watched for the
posters The phrase hit the English
mind exactly in the center The seven
f10
And then LeBaS set out on a ter
rifle advertising campaign He fol
lowed English public opinion He
kept his nerves raw to English feeling.
Lord Roberts died at the front.
Lord Roberts did his duty, Will
Won do YOURS?" was Numbered In
the newspapers and then from the
bill boards, even while the public at
tention was still fixed on the old herO's
death.
When some English ships had been
sunk LeBas knew there would pc a
flutter of worry in the English mind.
And so he put out this message
through the press:
"Britain's strong arm and YOURS
will carry us through.
Message to Employers.
These messages were to the masses.
What about the employers whose bus
inesses might suffer by letting their
men go? LeBas handed these
thoughts to them, in one huge blast
in the evening papers:
us there some man serving your
customers who ought to be serving his
country"
rs there some man preserving
your game, who ought to be preserv-
ing the country 2?
These two queries were punches.
Land owners and employers wrote to
the newspapers in which the adver-
tisements had appeared, saying that
they had never looked at the matter
in this new light.
"Of course they hadn't said Lee
Bas in effect, that's what advertis-
ing is supposed to make man do"
Then came a boastfu1 period in
English thought. LeBas was equal to
it, The public must not get the idea
I'VE shall win, but YOU must
help" replied LeBas in display type.
When the soldiers letters began
to come from the front and England
was dotted with proud homes and
neighborhoods, LeBas sensed the feel
ing.
you're proud of your pals in the
army, of course, BUT WHAT WILL
YOUR PALS THINK OF your"
Usual Pictures.
And then there was a display ad
showing a soldier si1houetted on
hill. holding his rifle.
Are you content for him to fight
for you? Why don't YOU do YOUR
bit ?'' asked the advertisement.
Every one of these advertisements
hammered away at the public opin-
ion of England just as the German
guns had hammered away at the for
tifications at Liege. 1t was a ham
mering that Kitchener did not under
stand. His soldier ears did not catch
the explosions in this psychological
cannonading. His military senses did
not feel the vibrations of the crash
ing walls of personal inertia. Re-
cruits were coming in too slowly
Consumption was talked about The
neWspapers began to prepare the pub