The Yale expositor., 1916-11-30

Catalogue House System OFF,
spring Of humDuggaIy.
CHEAP AND FLIMSY SECONDS

| " Is supposed mat satan was tne
Original Humbug-The Retail Cata-
logue House People Have Developed
the Art Until 1t Has Become a Dis
ease With Them.
copyrighted. 1914, by Thomas J. sullivan
On certain occasion some boys
thought they would play Il trick OH
the great naturalist. Darwin.
They caught "A beetle, glued various
parts of other insects upon its head
and body, placed it in IL little box and
humbly knocked at Darwins door,
seeking to know what the great scien-
fist would call this wonderful hug they
had assembled.
Mr. Darwin looked it over very crit
ically and asked the boys very serious
ly, did this bug hum when you
caught it?' Yes. sir; it hummed a
great deal" replied the boys. with sly
winks at each other.
"Then this must be humbug." said
Darwin.
1t is supposed that Satan was the
original humbug, but since the mail or
der houses have been established he
has had to take a back seat, and
among so many modern Improvements
he must feel dreadfully useless and
antiquated
Love to Be Humbugeed.
That the American people love to be
humbugged long since has passed into
proverb. Trickery may be called
our national vice. our besetting sin
Like liberty it appears to be in the
very air we breathe. We take to II as
naturally as we do to politics. Our
entire social system has become satu-
rated with it, Even mt times it mas
Querades under the mantle of charity
which, like we'll filled purse. covers Il
multitude OF sins.
There are various kinds and classes
of takers and tricksters. but the
princes of them all. the incurnntion~
Of fraud. are the advertising humbugs.
who, when stripped Of the sugar cont
ing by which they impose upon the
public, are simply professors of false
hood.
Would Strike Liars Dead.
The ancient scribes tell us that the
Lord once attempted to check the
humbug habit by striking the liars
dead, but when be looked into the
future and saw the huge catalogue
houses looming In the distance ne
reluctantly rellnquished the idea, as be
saw that such a plan In the congestec
centers would prove more fatal than Q
second food
The mail order houses word their ad
vertising so as to appeal to the credu
lily and weakness Of human nature
as 1t is generally known that ever.
son of Adam and daughter of Eve pos
sesses u disposition to resort to games
of chance. an inclination to get some
thing for nothing.
Possess the Gambling instinct.
A noted gambler once said: LIFE
consists In taking chances Providence
has instilled into the brains and hearts
of men the betting instinct" So whel
the mail order houses came into exist
ence they at once opened up an avenue
for the development of humanity
well known weakness-a desire 70
gambling.
AS the catalogue houses passed from
the elementary and experimental stages
to that of a permanent and pronounce'
reality the gambling instinct of tn
consumer kept pace with the humbug'
progress
The consumers read the bewltchini
circulars describing the many wonder
full bargains; they fumbled the page
of the huge catalogue in bewilderin
amazement. The angel of doubt hover
ing near whispered warnings to tn
fascinated buyer, but the god of chanc
= was reckoning from the distance, an
the order was sent forward.
J Cheap, Flinnsy Seconds"
The advertising humbug's advertise
ne ments and catalogues depict his good
II as something marvellous. Bedstead:
chairs, tables. couches. picture frames
heaters. etc, which appear to be mas
sive. handsomely carved pieces O
work, are nothing but cheap. films
- seconds" when delivered. and the buy
err is often ashamed to cart them HON
w in the daytime. but waits for the dark
ness of night to cast its mantle owe
their defects.
Sometimes the gambling instinct
so deeply set in the natures OF som
consumers that one evidence of tn
trickery of the advertising humbug
al insufficient. and they again indulg
their passion for gambling by taking
|e chance with another order and agai
- getting imposed upon, and so on a
lnfnitum.