The Yale expositor., 1917-01-11
ORGANIZE FOR
GENERAL Good
Live Merchants Associations
Needed by Communities.
COOPERATION IS NECESSARY

How to Hold Local Patronage Despite
the Aggressive Assaults of Mail Order
Houses-"Special' Days a Splendid
Scheme That Is Productive of Excel
lent Results.
copyrighted, 1914, by Thomas ]. Sullivan.l
The community which does not or
ganize for the general good of its citi-
zens is In a precarious state, as organ
ization accomplishes everything when
1t is perfect. 1t unites the community
by one of the strongest Of all ties-the
desire Of improving every citizens con-
dition.
Cooperation accomplishes everything
when IL Is perfect. 1t satisfies desires,
simplifles needs, foresees the wishes
and becomes constant source Of ben
eft
Mems hearts ought not to be set
against one another, but set with one
another and all against the community
evil
Unites by Strongest Tie.
Cooperation tends to wear off those
prejudices which maintain destruction
and animosity between business inter
ests.
1t softens and polishes the manners
OF men.
1t disposes them to peace by estab-
| fishing in their community an order OF
citizens bound by their interests to be
the guardians of public welfare.
Live merchants associations, live in
dividual merchants with inventive
minds, can do much toward regaining
and holding the farmers patronage
now being sought and fought for by
the aggressive mail order houses.
All of the merchants of town or
county cooperating as members OF
the right kind of an association can
accomplish much to the general benefit
Of all concerned in the solution Of the
retail mail order problem.
Must Conserve All Interests.
Too many combinations of mer-
chants fail because too often those or
ganizing them lose sight Of the law Of
mutual benefit and seek to advance
| the selfish interests of the merchants
alone at the expense of their custom
ers.
To be permanent and beneficial, it
seems to me, a merchants association
should confne itself to devising ways
and means of bettering trade generally
in its own town. Efforts in that direc-
ton, of course, cannot be continually
successful unless the interests of con-
sumers are also conserved.
Law of Mutual Benefit.
But, starting with the fact that both
farmer and townsman are interest
ed In making the town and country
prosperous, you would have the law Of
mutual benefit on which to build up an
association that would be powerful in
convincing all the people of the section
that 'it pays to keep your money at
home"
Getting farmers to town, it seems to
me also, is the most important field OF
a merchants association.
And having specials" or bargains"
for getting them into the stores is the
field of the merchants individual ef-
forts within which he should retain
every bit of his liberty to act.
Many Merchants Offer Prizes.
In many parts of the country the
merchants associations have estab-
lished what they call carnival day."
or county court day." or fair day." or
market day." and on these days each
merchant advertises that he will give
prizes for the largest number of eggs
brought to his store, or for the best
roll of butter, or for the best bushel
Of potatoes.
There are many other legitimate
schemes which may be used to create
interest and draw the people to his
store.
Sometimes several merchants offer
prizes Of the same kind Of produce, and
this stimulates interest and results in
sharper competition.
On these special days the mer-
chants often arrange to have an ex-
pert auctioneer on hand to sell any
kind of secondhand machinery or
farm utensils, household goods, horses.
cattle, ETC., on a commission basis. II
sales are made the auctioneer receives
8 per cent; If no sales are made there
is no expense incurred.
Wonderfully Helpful.
| Propositions of this character are
wonderfully helpful in bringing people
to town, and when they get to town
it is a comparatively easy matter to
interest them in something they need.
These special days, however, must
be arranged to correspond with the
periods OF farm work.
For instance, 1t would be useless to
arrange such days when the farmer is
in the midst of planting or harvest
ing.
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