Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-12
DON'T PUT UP
THE SHUTTERS.
By Truman A. DcWeesc.
Business as usual ?

more business
More Business Than Usual
that's the wir-slogan that should be
omblazoncd on the outer walls along
with the ''star spanglcd banner"
Some of the wise ones are telling us
TO quit buying things and thus 'help
win the war We mustn't buy any
thing we want or need We must save
our money for war stamps and Lib
crty bonds. "An old, shabby, worn
ont ovcrcoat is badge of honor III
these times, SAWS one eminent IL
nancier. "lf you have planned Ia
give any of your money to artisans,
mechanics or other wage-carners for
goods made by them IN factory or
shop, don't do it, says another pa
trIot
| don't agree with any of them.
II we stop buying things and every
body atIspcnds normal business nc
tivlty, how is the government going
To put over these war savings stamps
or float another Liberty Loan
II doesn't require deep knowl-
edge Of finance to understand that
business will have To finance" the
war II there is no business how can
w liiihlHt ttii VIII w ttHit'h
pay for it out of our savings; that idea
Is fnllacious We can only make
money by spending money If We
stop producing things. and selling
things. and buying things, aud merely
depend upon Our savings we Will soon
reach the bottom of the box. and the
next Liberty Loan will find us with
out any money with which to buy
bonds
Iastendcd luncheon the other day
IN New York City 10 which 2 number
of manufacturers and advertisers were
invited II was ostcnsibly gwen
under the alisprcs of the inIted States
Food administration Like most
stunts of that kind, | imagine the
Food Administrator had nothing Ia do
with il and did not know anything
about It. An amusing and somewhat
astounding feature of the luncheon
was an address by man who was in
truduccd as ''the greatest financial
writer in this country Ills title to
that distinction came from the fact
that he had written sketches Of John
u. Rockefeller and other celebrities
Of more or less rcnOwn. His speech
WAS a regular buslncsS-huRter dla-
tribe of disaster calculated 10 make
man put up the shutters, take IN his
sign and tack on the door the notice
Out of Business Until tfter the
War" He urged every one 10 stop
huving things. both luNurics and no
ccssitics If YOU need pair Of shoes.
don't buy them; hunt up an old pair
and wear them Never mind the
shoemaker Ilc doesn't need tn live.
WHY bother about him let him
make munitions II YOU need new
suit of clothes. don huv It; wcaran
old one Don't worry your head
about vour clothler or tailor Let
him make uniforms for the soldiers
And SO on down the linc from shoes to
furniture and kitchen utensils
His words of wisdom fell upon the
aSsemblagc Of business mon like a wet
blanket. Stupcfactlon followed amaze
mcnt: and no one had the temerity
"a challenge the statements Of the
greatest financial writer in this coun-
try. who, | dare say. never had been
engaged in productive industry Of any
kind. Every business man who
heard HIM inwardlv diSagrccd with
him. but he was huShcd INTO that
discreet silence that seems the better
part Of valor when sclf-constItuted
spokcSmen for the government arc
handing out silver nuggets of post
prandial wisdom.
As a matter Of fact the arguments
Of this greatest financial writer in
the country are fundamentally fall
laciouS-almost criminal The only
way that business can finance this
war is for people 10 90 right on pro-
ducing, selling and purchasing things
is in normal times. If every one Of a
hundred million persons refrains from
buvlng shoes. that means one hum
dred million less shoes made by shoe
makers One hundred million less suits
of clothes means that much less work
and wages for weavers and tailors
Garry this idea into all lines OF pro-
ductive activity and II means that the
whole country must finally go out Of
business and all merchandising must
come to a standstill-
You cant give money unless YOU
can earn money. Instead OF putting
the soft pedal on business, instead Of
quitting advertising and refraining
from displaying goods in the show
windows. every legitimate business
enterprise should be speeded up to
the greatest capacity. We can't all
of US go into the manufacture
of munitions. The shell business Is
important, but We also need shoes,
and clothes, and candy, and rugs,
and carpets, and chairs and watches.
and cutlery, and china and books
The more Of these goods we make and
sell. the more money we will have
with which to buy Liberty bonds and
war saving stamps, and the more We
will have to give to the Red Cross.
Let us cut out the things that de-
stroy the body and degrade the mind
They cost money. health and strength
We have been crowdIng a lot of rub
bish through our alimentary canals
and calling it food but we got
no nutriment from it-only disease.
We surely don't need any booze,
Using barley and other food grains
TO manufacture 'slop" for foolish
human beings is wasteful and unpa-
triotic. Some of us can smoke fewer
cigars but it Is well TO remember
that the man who makes cigars is 4
wage-earner and he sometimes buys
Liberty bonds 4 little sanity and
sense and less hectic hysteria IS what
We need.
Don't put up the shutters OF pull
down the sign. Business must go right
on or we will lose the war and then
Germany will take up business where
We left off