New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-02
ften being their chief supporters and

often being their chief supporters and
showing themselves prompt IN correct
ing errors or misstatements in advet-
Using. To the mis-advertisers the vigi..
lance bodies are constant sources OF
uneasiness, IL not Of fear, and thus OF
modification and correction. Seldom Is
prosecution necessary. The dread OF
being cited as misdemesnants in the OF
fetal reports OF the local ad club (wnen
such valuable and salutary documents
are issued is usually sufficient TO IN
spire some degree of caution.
The department store world exhibits
a notable improvement in STANDARDS
over the conditions of few years ago.
II is not too much TO say that the Dig
gcst and most prosperous store IN any
CITY is more than likely 10 maintain the
cleanest standards Of Advertising. Inc
one clear exception Is in Portland.
But such shops as Marshall Fields and
Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. in chicago,
Ayres in Indianapolis, the Emporium
in San Francisco, Frederick Nelson q
Co. in Seattle and Nugents and the
Grand Leader in st. Louis are more
likely 10 be leaders than followers OF
any vigilance committee in the cam
paien for better advertising. An I'M
portant and significant phase Of the de-
partment store world is the tendency,
universally evident, TO eliminate
or at least decrease value" advertis-
ing.
With the forward trend in advertis-
ing the newspapers have not kept pace.
Generally considered, they are sun IN
thrall to patent medicine standards. A
L ~. IN
science 10 the extent of promising 20
cure all sorts Of desperate Ills by
wretched compounds OF booze. dope
and false representations can hardiy
be looked TO for very lofty STANDARDS
in other departments OF Advertising
Even here, however, there is some I'M
provement in the rank and file, while
such leaders stand out as The Mime
apolis Journal, The Dallas Dispatch,
and despite occasional lapses from
virtue) The New Orleans Item, lhe
Washington Star, The Indianapolis
News, and The Chicago Tribune ana
Herald. In financial advertising there
80 been a wide and gratifying tight
ing up of the lines.
For conscientious and often militant
protection of the public against fake
advertising one must turn TO more or
less localized publications other than
the dailies. For example, in San Fran.
cisco. where journalistic standards OF
advertising simply do not exist IN any
real sense in the daily field, The Argoc-
naut. a weekly, quietly but sturdy
maintains it's cleanliness and reliaoility
in this department. In the course OF
other articles have mentioned the In,
valuable influence upon advertising Oh
such magazines a. the Holland puo!ica-
tons in Dallas and the Webb puolica-
tons in St. Paul. No one class OF pup
LEGATION, il may be said in TINS connec-
ton, averages up, for conscientious
guardianship of its columns. with tne
farm journals of the country. one OF
these, which | overlooked in my Jour
new. is The Progressive Farmer, OF BIZ
mingham, Ala. Not only does TINS
paper ban all medical Advertising CEN
sor its financial explorations TO the las!
limits of rigidity, and MAINTAIN an eH,
pert watchfulness on all copy admitted
10 its columns. but IL has also become
known throughout the South as hghI-
ing protagoaist of the clean adveruS-
ing movement, and has most consp!cu-
ously fourished on that pflnclpIe'
There is, perhaps, no more slghaIty n
Auential or educational magazine in ITS
effect upon the public mind as regards
advertising.
one fact has been borne in and
clinched down upon my mind as a re-
suit of my survey. Advertising, which
/ ;s the voice of business, is growing bet
ter. It is growing better because busi-
ness is growing better. And business
is growing better because advertising
ia Growing better. The two mutual!
react and interact. How could 1t OF
otherwise in a world which moves, an'
moves mainly, forward!