The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1917-06-08

Up to Date Local disqualification
Is Greatest Factor In tho Expansion
Of Strong Business lnterests-rhs
Age Of Advertising.
Copyrighted. 1914, by Thomas J. %sullivan.l
Kites rise against, not with, the
wind. The method Of the hustllng mail
order house is to plan with audacity
and execute with vigOr. 1t sketches
out possibilities and then treats them
as probabilities.
Education is the great factor 10 the
expansion Of local business interests.
Even the catalogue plays its part, neg
atively perhaps, but none the less
surely.
One or two demonstrations are
enough. Experience advertises from
the housetops. 1t teaches the differ
ence between false and true values
and economies and Judgment.
And the farmer is an apt scholar.
Once stung, the repeated appearance
of the catalogue Is bound to cause re-
volt not only in the philosophy OF the
victim, but in his entire social system.
Farmer Recognizes Values.
The farmer is not a poor appraiser
Of genuine values; but. being honest
himself, he can be fooled once.
After one good bunch he becomes
wary Of catalogue artistry and spends
his cash boosting home trade and sup
porting home merchants who do not
sell their wares sight unseen and
never hand their patrons any green
goods disguised as bargains.
Trading at home Is more than a mat
ter OF loyalty to home interests. 1t is
, a matter Of individual self interest.
Every one is bound to profit by the
community's success.
Clientele Not Particular.
The mail order houses have their
clientele or they couldn't flourish as
they do. but 1t is not among particular
people. The trademark of the genuine
4 belongs to prosperity, self interest and
common sense.
II is to be acquired only by the buyeI
Of guaranteed goods, and 1t Is a fac
o that guaranteed goods distinctive
enough to crafty the most fastldioui
tastes are to be found in all up to dat,
stores in all provincial communitie
from Nome to Panama. 1t follow:
the rule of demand and supply amonl
intelligent people wherever progress
s and prosperity train together.
The catalogue houses are not passing
up any new advantage for the further
. ing Of their own interests. It's thei
business to keep awake.
Just now they are chortling with gle
over the parcel post business as |
n affects their expensive output o
printed matter.
BY making freight shipments to dis
h tributing centers like Cincinnati. 70
instance, they can take advantage o
. zone rates and save a large per cent o
the former expense Of mailing dlrec
from the home plant. catalogues cor
tanning order slips being rated as par
eel post matter.
" Familiarity Breeds Distrust.
At first blush this looks like a trG
mendous advantage and a howlin
boost. But there Is still some sens
left In the ancient saw about familiar
ity breeding contempt.
It also breeds dlstrust, and too muc
catalogue is apt to pail On even th
simplest consumer In remotest Al
cadia.
At one time any sort of mail matte
was welcomed by the farmer as a dis
peller of m%onotony, but the old orde
has changed, and a certain law Of tn
Latins beginning ''Tempora mrtantur
is coming in vogue again with Il veng'
ance when it pertains to the improve
ment of farm conditions and the eve
luton Of the farmer.
IN Catalogues Get Scissors.
The farmer nowadays subscrlbes Il
d reliable farm journals and buys goo
books. His main source Of reading
not confined, ms 1t once was, to II
almanac n mali order llteratur
The big multicolored catalogues max
nice entertainment for the kids wit
scissors. but there their utility wi
n, eventually end.
However, this is an age Of ADVERT
~ ing, and almost every article manufa
tured Is brought TO the notice Of Il
public through the use Of printers I'M
Standard goods are usually adve
tlsed in standard magazines and pub
ri cations. while the inferior manufactuI
Is exploited 10 glaring headlines ar
large figures. with magnided illustr
vi lions that make the articles appei
more substantial and durable than Il
pictures Of standard made goods.
The cheap. shoddy goods are Ofer'
to the public through cheap. shljs
literature. and for the reason That u
consuming public has little knawicdi
OF values or quality the low Crude