Norwich bulletin., 1915-06-17
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mr.. RARNuM's NATIVE STATE.

Among her other rights to fame,
Connecticut produced the man who
produced The Greatest Show on
Earth"-Barnunl- one and only
p. T.
He may have said that people like
to be humbugged, but he certainly
didn't believe it, for he couldn't have
won the patronage and friendship
which he enjoyed alike from the mill
gionaire and the milIiOnairen't if he had
humbugged them.
Barnum did say, "tO send away my
Visitors more than doubly satisfied was
TO induce them to come again and
bring their friends'-and in saying
that he said a mOuthful Of horse-sense
which every business man will do well
TO heed.
P T. was q pioneer in advertising,
and his appreciation and application of
publicity We're far in advance of his
time. Above all things he had initia-
tive. He struck out and did things
that nobody had ever done before, and
when, at the age of 40, he lost his
great fortune, he struck out and made
it all over again.
1.-The world bestows its big prizes
for but one thing-and that is initia-
tive''-and Barnum's initiative is typi-
cal of Connecticut.
Because Connecticut has this get
up-and- get-after-it'' spirit, the world
has been busy bestowing prizes and
medals and hOnors upon her for one
thing and another ever since she came
into being.
About every year it's something new.
One year it was g. new sewing ma
chine. Not only the machine but the
idea was new. 1t was such a good idea
that millions of men and women have
risen up to call the inventor blessed.
Another year a Connecticut youth
decided he wanted to go to Calcutta
When they got well under way he
found that the tedium of social life on
board ship had palIed on him. So he
slipped away by himself to have an
entertaining session with his Yankee
ingenuity. The result was the Colt
revolver-and ell the nations of the
world united in bowling down to Sam
uel Colt-and then divided to use one
another for targets in the legitimate
consumption of Colt firearms. So Cat
ling guns, rifles, revolvers, the bristling
implements of war. are now made in
peaceful Connecticut town and then
hustled away to fight the decisive bat
ties of all nations
There's nothing specially wonderful
about the making of cotton thread
until you stop to think how much in
telligence and patience and skill is re
quired TO pick. unravel, draw, comb,
rove, spin, twist wash bleach dive
spool. label and box 5000 acres of Sea
Island cotton yearly. It takes about
100000 miles of thread TO keep the
American peoples clothes in condition
for public appearance for d. year. Yes
thirty million. And close on to a third
OF that comes from the Willimantic
Linen company, up in WiIlimantic,
Conn. They make $4,000 miles of it
every day, in 5000 varieties and 800
colors. OF course. it is the greatest
corporation Of its kind in America-or
1t wouldn't be in Connecticut.
And pins. The earth opens up and
swallows ten billion of them just on
our side of the Atlantic every year
Most of these come from Connecticut,
too. The very first American pin man
ufaCturing that ever showed pins
worth of profit or stability was in
Connecticut In Connecticut-up in
Waterbury-there is pin concern
displaying its initiative and forehand-
edness right now by using advertising
space to exploit it's uncommon com
men pins and safety pins under trade
marked names.
The first man that ever had his
house insured lived in Connecticut
The date was 1874 and the place was
Hartford. Some years later the Hart
ford Fire Insurance company organ
lied with two expense items-S30O a
year for a secretary and $50 a. year for
firewood. Today it carries risks ex-
ceeding one billion dollars and Hart
ford is one of the leading fire insur-
ance cities of the country.
The first accident insurance policy
was written for a Hartford man also
The policy was for $4,000 and pro-
tected its holder from accident be-
tween the postoffice and his home.
The premium was two cents. But it
was a beginning: somebody had the
initiative to be first, and the great
Travellers Insurance company is the
oak that small acorn sprouted.
nitiative-somebody to start some
thing. That's ell 1t needs and the
whole world sits up and wags its tail
and yaps for it-after it becomes
known. And that's another story
after It becomes known
Connecticut has developed her initia-
tive biceps through practicing publicity
as much as through production. All
the world and his brother knows Con-
necticut and gives thanks for her.
Take clocks for instance. Clocks
ere as much matter of course as sus-
penders or sausage. But it took some
the kitchen shelf and get it going.
Eli Terry did his part and then the
Yankee pack pedd1er took up the theme
where he left off. He was indigenous
to the Connecticut soil and his de-
partment was distribution, also trans
portation. He figured largely in both;
in fact. the Yankee pack peddler's
lank, lean, loose ointed legs seem to
have set the longitudinal limits for all
distribution problems in those days.
Then along came Seth Thomas and
Found the right way to produce clocks.
Not only grandfathers clock and Colo
NAL clocks and common everyday
clocks, but tower clocks. After a hun
pred years of producing. exceptionally
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