The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1917-05-25

Communities Mail Order Houses
Consumed With selfshness.
copyrighted. 1914, by Thomas ]. Sulivan.l
Error is not a fault of our knowl-
edge, but a mistake of u judgment
1t is almost as difficult to make a man
unlearn his errors as bis knowledge.
Mallnformatlon is more hopeless than
nOninfornlation, for error Is always
more hopeless than ignorance.
Ignorance is a blank sheet on which
we may write. but error is a scrubbed
one from which we must first erase
Ignorance is contented to stand still
with her back TO the truth. but error
is more presumptuous and proceeds In
the wrong direction. Ignorance has no
light, but error has farther to go be
fore she can arrive at truth than has
ignorance.
SO that these mail order traders may
not plead ignorance in extenuation Of
their offense we give below a cate
gorical list of things which the mail
order houses do not do. We trust they
will prove eye openers to the unwise.
What Catalogue Houses Do Not Do.
The retail catalogue houses do not
buy the farmers produce.
Y =
They do not buy the farmers stock
and hogs.
They do not help to educate the
farmers children.
They do not pay any taxes in your
community.
They do not help support your
schools. churches and charitable lnsti-
tutions.
They do not encourage the farmers
boy or young men in small cities to
engage In business.
They Don't Build Your Roads.
They do not help to build your roads
or care for your streets.
They do not sell you as good a grade
Of goods as you can buy in your own
home town
They do not show you goods before
you pay for them.
They do not deliver promptly goods
that you buy from them.
= \
They do not advocate the building
up of country towns.
They do not oppose the c~entraliza
ton Of business in the large cities.
They do not, In return for the farm
er consumers trade-the farmer whit
buys their clothing, household goods
farm implements, etc.-buy the farm
er's butter, eggs, cheese, grain ant
wood.
They do not buy your grain, butter
cheese and stock from pictures an
pay in advance the same as you do.
They do not buy anything from tn
farmer or consumer from a picture.
They do not spend a dollar Of thei
money with the farmer or consumer.
They never spend a dollar with you
local merchant
, They do not furnish employment
a single resident Of yt,dr community.
They'll Not Give You Credit.
They do not extend to you credit, I
does the local merchant, when you a
hard ~.
They do not sympathlze with you
a time when sou have sickness In yo'
family.
They do not sympathize with yC
when your wife or children are TAKE
from you
They do not want to see your loo
merchant prosper In business.
They do not do anything for an
body except themselves
Does the small city. town or villa
ever see a dollar Of their money!
Like q Huge Octopus.
The above, it would seem, shows
good and sufficient number Of reaso
why this mail order octopus sbonId
left severely alone By both the ttrn'
and the residents of smal' citles a.
towns who have thpughticsslN lept
their patronage
II is spreading oi oyer the in'
daily gaining IN strength aud nras.
tude and gradually bpf ~p,eN sipll
the likelihood OF the snail coMWnmll
reducing property vuinrs rneaNeeli
local investments ami ransins a g
dillon OF chaos and misery evervwhe
i. Is mouxter Of local destinifti'
this retail catalogue house ANA we
greet to say that ITS growth Is enlir'
| D.. 4. 49, IAu