Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1919-06-06
Some Mall Order Houses Find
Them Very Useful In Their
Business.
Can DOCTOR" PHOTOGRAPH
Concerns Can Give Wrong Imprss
sIons With illustrations While
Sticking 10 Truth IN
Descriptions.

Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union. }
"Figures never lle," II has been
claimed, but this IL far from the
truth. The defaulter who has 'doc-
tored" his books In such way that he
has escaped detection for years, knows
that figures can be made to lie. The
shrewd politician. who knows how to
juggle statistics, knows that they can
be made to tell story that Is far from
the truth.
But there Is another medium Of ex-
preston which Is also supposed to be
q stickler for truth. but which IL q
greater prevaricator than figures.
That Is picture. A picture of any
person or thing. supposedly, is an ex-
act reproduction Of the original. but
this is frequently only q wild suppo-
sition. The photographer who did not
make his picture tell q little iib now
and then would soon 60 out Of busi-
ness from lack Of patronage.
Pictures Better Than Words.
Pictures have come to occupy q very
important place In the life Of the world
In recent years. 1t has been said that
for newspaper purposes picture
which tells its story strikingly Is worth
more than columns Of written words
on the same subject. Newspapers and
magazines have realized the truth Of
this fact and rs q result pictures are
used profusely In illustrating the news
and fiction OF the day.
No one has been quicker to realize
the possibilities Of the picture when
properly-or 1t might be said improp-
erly-used, than the mail order man.
He has realized that q picture will
do more to sell his kind of merchan-
disc than q column of words and fig
ures. One reason for this Is that It
IL harder to catch q picture In q lie
than It Is printed words and figures.
For instance, II you sell man table
on the strength Of printed statement
that It Is AZ inches wide and II when
the table reaches the customer It Is
only SO inches wide. the customer not
only has a moral right to kick, but
he has a legal right to accuse the sell.
or Of obtaining money under false pre-
lenses. However, II the customer
buys q table which looks in a picture
to be I8 inches wide, but which proves
upon Its arrival to be only 80 inches
wide, he has no legal grounds upon
which to base q complaint II the SELL
er has not told him In so many words
that the table was 48 inches wide.
Stick to Truth In Figures.
Some INSCRIPTIONS mail order
houses have taken advantage Of this
selling power Of pictures In a very In
genIous way. They adhere strictly to
the truth in the actual measurements
given in their catalogues Of the arti-
cies which they have to sell. They
may employ descriptions which exag-
gerate the qualities and appearances
of the articles offered, but when 1t
comes down to actual measurements
the descriptions given are technically
correct. Then these concerns rely upon
their pictures to sell the merchandise,
realizing that picture will make q
far deeper impression upon the MIND
of the prospective buyer than the act
nal figures given. A picture Of wide,
roomy bed will attract the eye and
the reader probably will not stop TO
measure of the width Of the bed as It
IA described in the catalogue to see
whether II Is as wide as desired. Fig
ures. in the abstract, mean little to the
average reader and do not convey the
impression that is given in the pic
tlre.
A former manager Of mail order
house tells how his concern manipu-
lated pictures in this way to suit It's
purposes. It had pictures OF Its
chairs retouched so that the legs
seemed to be an inch and half In d.
ameter, when they were really less
than nm inch. 1t made narrow beds
appear in the picture to be wide and
comfortable. Posts Of iron beds that
were really an inch in diameter were
made.to appear as II they were three
inches In thickness. These things are
easy for any competent artist to DO
Patrons Had No Recourse.
This concern, however, adhered rig
idly to the truth In the measurements
included In the descriptions. Custom.
ers who found, when they received
their goods; that they were not wnal
they expected, could kick. but It would
do them no good. The mall ordel
house could show that 1t had set forth
the measurements truthfully In cata'
logues, and there was no recourse fo'
the customer.
There Is no question but thnt PIC
tures will lie, sometimes without any
manipulation, and the person who buy
an article Of merchandise from a pic
ture Is taking big chances. even thOugi
the plcture Is not Intentionally altered
10 give a wrong impression. Any anna
| teur photographer knows from experl
ence how the camera often WIN giV'
a wrong idea Of proportions.
The only safe msthod Il to buy iron
| =. - =. 80 49, IN