The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1917-10-12


Plan is Always to Do the Task That
Lies Nearest Us,
tCopyrighted, 1914, by Thomas J. Sullivan
Ridicule may be mn evidence of wit
or bitterness and may crafty a little
mind or an ungenerOus temper, but is
no test of reason. truth or manhood.
Ridicule, besides being conscious and
unconscious, may also be indirect as
well as direct, negative as well as
positive, paralyzing as well MS anus
ing. And myriad In number and kind
are the ridiculous suggestions made
and being made by the enemies and
victims OF the mail order concerns in
the hope of stopping their onward
march of progress
DO merchants always appreciate
their advantage? Would a friend of
the merchant or dealer have sen his
first order to a stranger who showed
pictures instead Of goods, who talked
on paper instead Of face to face. who
demanded pay in advance instead OF
allowing a more unlimited credit had
the merchant improved his advan-
tages?
Ought to Emulate Rivals.
II would seem that after one expe-
rience of long delays. quite common
and to a great extent unavoidable In
trading with mail order houses. after
one experience Of putting things to.
gether for himself, after one expe-
rience Of waiting for a missing part,
the friend would not have taken the
trouble to order by mail from a stran-
ger had the local merchant or dealer
always improved his opportunities.
Everything that happens to us leaves
some trace behind it; everything con
tributes imperceptibly to form us. Yet
often 1t is dangerous to take a strict
account Of that. for either we grow
proud and negligent or downcast and
dispirited. and both are equally in
%jurious In their consequences. Always
the safe plan is TO do the task which
lies nearest us and which win augur
for our best interests and those OF
Others.
II success a be attained by the re-
tail mail order houses, working under
disadvantages, why cannot the local
merchant, who has none Of these dis
advantages, succeed? He can by imI-
tating their methods and practices, by
allowing andiSturbed inspection OF
goods and by polite and courteous
treatment OF all visitors to his store,
thus creating new customers and con
timing TO supply old ones.
In q certaih Indiana town Il young
nan ordered a heating stove. price
$Sa5 When the stove came he was
very much disappointed. The stove
was small, while the picture in the
catalogue made it appear large and or
uamental Had this young man visit
ed his local dealer and inspected the
$685. stove he would not have bought
II. but would have selected one for
S12 or sl4 and would have got the
right kind and one that would have
satisfied his needs.
A Minnesota farmer ordered FIVE
rolls OF barbed wire. After 1t came
and he had paid the freight he discOv-
cred that he could have bought the
same Identical wire from his local
dealer and could have saved 81. also
much time and trouble.
Mail Order Fence In Woodshed.
Another man living IN a village or.
dered some wire fencing from a pic.
ture in a catalogue, and when 1t came
1t was so cheap looking that his pride
would not allow him to disfgure his
grounds with such a fence, so he stor.
ed II in his woodshed and bought what
he wanted from his local dealer.
A lady in a little town in Missouri,
sent to one OF the large mail ordel
houses for a pair Of shoes. ~lnclosing
S1.97 with her. order. After two weeks
the shoes came by freight; charges
were 25 cents. which she paid. Aftel
taking the shoes home she found they
did not ct. so she repacked them anC
sent them back by express. and afte
another two weeks wait another pal
Of shoes came by freight with NOR,
charges attached. To the lady's dis
NAV fhaua ohoag uuaro NJ ,oan.v , a
than the first pair. She then gave vi
In despair and visited her local dealer
credlting her investment Of 1856 t
experience.
We should like to suggest to the con
sumner that he be honest with himself
buy at home; help support his owI
town; make bis owe home more va
liable. Let MIR. Mail Order Man sci
his good things in HIS own town. II
stead OF his fooIing you. you fool hin
by trading at home.
Lei each community become a cC
operative commonwealth to the exten
that its citizens shall work together (
build up and sustain that community
working with nelghbors-competitor
included-for the home, town. cit,
county and state; let civic pride an
ambition be fostereds LET the profei
sIonal "grouch" aud disturber Of tn
public peace be frowned down; let tn
Incorrgglble offender against the prii
ciples Of square dealing be thrown