The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1916-03-02
Editor Optimist.

Dear Sir: The question is being ask
ed, "Why has the Blackfoot Fair been
failure in the pasts' / would answe,
the question by simple statement:
The Fair is a failure because Blackfoot
itself is a failure, when its unsurpassed
agricultural environments are taken in.
to consideration. This is broad
statement, yet nevertheless true one
Out of success cometh success, out of
failure cometh failure. This is a great
natural law and applies as truly in this
matter as in others. l have also found
that every man or woman is endowed
with equal portions Of the elements that
create success or failure. The power
that sways, the balance up to success
or down to failure is exactly the same.
"Man's wilt" Therefore, man wills
success or failure. The man or city
that FORCES ahead and is successful.
lives and thinks and breathes success.
Its the atmosphere you surround your
self with that counts. Blackfoot is a
failure because it has willed it thus and
80, in other words, the town is in a rut.
If l were to give the rut a name, it
would be the rut of selfshness. The
town is selfish, self-centered, sleeping,
doing, doddering in it's old age.
Mumbling with rheumatic pains, its
toothless gums are unequal to the task
Of masticating its problems. Therefore
it must needs swallow them whole.
This practice has brought on bilious
condition Of the liver, or as municipal
doctor would term it, "dry rot.' A
town that can sleep for thirty years
in blissful ignorance Of the frogpond
near its western border, Il said pond
because that sounded more primitive
It is natural, or as nature made it, a
low place in the earth that fills up with
mud and water. It bears the name
road" because people drive through
it. 1t must be natural or it wouldn It
be there. Blackfoot doesn t concern
itself enough about the road to dig a
hole to accommodate the water that
we might have nice fat mud-hole to
drive through. What nature provides
is clear gain, why worry. We are 60
ing to spend lot of money to pave
couple Of streets. Why should little
things like this count! Hundreds of
teams from the great westside district
the main artery of your town, pass
this way. As they see the unsightly
hole year after. year they carry away
the second. reason for the failure Of
Blackfoot and its fair, Indifference!
Nine out of ten farmers on the west
side feel deep down in their hearts
that the merchants of Blackfoot would
rather the farmer send in his money
by parcels post and himself stay al
home to earn more money to send in
by parcels post. This way would be
easier than providing roads and hitch
ing places, facilities for unloading pro-
duce and loading goods. To do these
things you might have to turn a little
slothfully in your bed and grunt a
weary welcome. Rip Van Wrinkle slept
twenty years. Blackfoot has exceeded
the limit. It's time to wake up for
breakfast. The people are sending
thousands of dollars away to mail order
houses. They don want to do it; they
would rather trade at home. Wake up
Plackfoot, get the cobwebs on, of your
eyes and dust from off your brains.
Get out into the country occasionally.
eat meal now and then away from
home. Take mp a still hunt among tn,
farmers for the reason, "Why he deals
with outside concerns The farmers
will tell you. First impressions upon
entering town are lasting; they are
what people carry away with them.
>on make a very poor first impression
Personality is the keystone in the arch
of business; it either draws business
to itself and holds it there, or it drives
1t away AS far as personality is con
cerned you are failure If YOU had
rival town within striking distanc,
town with equal advantages AS
ta't'g and marketing center, your
streets would be deserted. You would
taap no need of roads or hitching racks.
This fact is apparent on every side.
.~s..-s-- 49,