Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1918-03-09
WAR SAVINGS STAMPS.

WAR SAVINGS STAMPS.
The visit Of Miss Fouz to Martinsburg in tn,
int, est Of the War Savings Stamps campaign
would have been of vaIuc to The city evel
though il did not possess the additional quality
Of coming at a very opportune time.
We have taken the space before in these col
aims to call attention to The fact that the sal
of the stamps in this section has not been pro
crossing 50 satisfactorily a it might. The biz
trouble--and this is certainly not a new though
to any one,--with a great many popular move
lnents is that they are popular only in pa
per sense. They are supposed to be popular, ant
It Is true that their success or failure depend
upon the manner in which the public warns t.
the issue. In the failures of all such cases it il
-arily the failure Of the people to translate
ITO action what they cannot deny is goot
30 far a their senses guide them.
.ah 5 the situation with the w. S. S. in thi
acton, we believe 1t is quite true That the cam
paign has not been advertised so spectacular,
rs it might have been; and the responsibility To-
hat fact lies, to be sure, with the authorities
IS equally true however, that the campaign
been pushed quietly and persistently by
those businesses which have oeon named a.
sales agencies for the stamps. Aad it is als
quite true that there must be very few peopl,
who do not know, in the first place what Wa.
Savings Thrift Stamps are, and in the seconC
ylace, why they should invest in them. We saJ
SHOULD advi5edly, becaase it is more than
matter of investment for interest: il is pc
cite duty. The responsibilities we believe
more in the Saiure Of the people TO act upol
their information than in The scantiness Of in
formation.
However, it is not so much q matter OF regret
ing what has not been doao in the past as j
is to provide against the future More publicity
must be given the campagn,- publicity thrG,igi
the newspapers and by public posters. Their,
should be wider organization, a more detailed
I'd carefully planned organization Throughout
seton; and the only thing which will ac
compish this is to put time TO it.
We are informed that War Savings Societie
nave been formed in number of the schools al
ready the work has been done quietly and with
out publicity, but it has been done nevertheless
We published last week the account of such al
organization in the John Street school which
showed that results we're coming there We ar
assured by the school authorities that the or
ganization CT such societies is being pushes
throughout the school SYSTEM the State Super
ntendent Is back of the campaign
One Of the basic points in the car2aign, as W
understand it, is to teach Thrift" which is
needless to say more q matter Of persisten
economy than of spectacular sDurts in savings
We believe that such honest economy will com
about IS quickly and as successfully by the us
OF as few spectacular devices as possible; I'll
point viii he to teach a habit which will endur
a year and moi fad which will pass with tn
dimming Of the advertisement. To draw atter
ton 10 this desirable habit, to be sure, pubGcit
! IS necessary; but we can hardly believe that tn
maximum success viii come if built upon tina
foundation alone
/ In War Savings Stamps and Thrift Stamp
he people have an opportunity to demonstrat
their desire to do their Bit Ii will not be a
expensive "bit" but il may be repeated as ofte
as the pccketbook win permit There is this D;
+ trotiC side to recommend the sale of The stamps
and there is the financial recommendation ais,
Ask your banker about the financial excellenc
Of the stamps. There is the matter of formin
q good habit to back the sale. We do not SC
What obstacle there can be except scarcity {
money; and we venture to say there is not on
person in Martinsburg who cannot afford
least ter stamps
We know, in all honesty, where the troub
lies; it is the failure Of the people to do whs
they admit they ought to do. We wish we coul
also do that for them
THE PRODUCER AND CONSUMER.
). The Houston Post ,1ra1ls q ,,.holn - - i;