The Washington herald., 1920-04-10
Is All Really Vanity9 Some
Reasons for High Prices

II every buyer of clothes could be
induced TO read and take to heart
one of the chapters in a recently
published book, there might be less
foolish and wasteful expenditure of
money. Many OF us might be shamed
out Of buying articles that we do
not need and can't afford Conse-
quently, because fewer persons
would pay the absurd prices now
asked. in nearly every line-partic-
ularly in the line of luxuries-we
might witness a general humpty-
dumptying OF prices that would be
both gratifying and amusing.
II everybody were afraid to pay
the present scale OF prices of cloth
ing. for example. lest they be made
fun of-that would help a lot. At
the present time many men pay
three times what an article is worth.
and. do so almost eagerly, because
they think 1t is clever to have the
money to do so. He likes to exhibit
Ill
give him prestige among unthinking
people. The truth is that when a
man or woman pays more than a
thing Is worth, just to show a streak
of silly personal vanity, the buyer
ought to be treated only with deri-
sion. In other words, IL we made
fun OF a man every time he buys an
article that is priced too high, we
would be making an important con-
tribution toward reducing the in
famous cost Of living.
When man buys something ex-
pensive he has usually two reasons:
First. he may perhaps want the art
icle itself, but, what is still more
important. he wants the public 10
knew that he can afford to buy il.
That is the point made in the very
readable new book to which we re-
fer-"Human Nature in Business -
by Fred c. Kelly a Washington man,
well known as a successful newspa-
per and magazine writer. There are
many clever slants on the funny
foibles of human nature. but Mr..
kelly's comments on the CONNER
cial phases of human vanity are es-
pecially pertinent to the present era
of wild, luxury madness and general
extravaganza. He calmly points out
what utter asses we often make of
ourselves when we set out to buy
things that we think we ought to
have.
Here are some Of the statements
he makes in his chapter on The
Costliness OF Vanity:
when man suddenly acquired
several million dollars, his wealth Is
Of scant satisfaction to him unless
he can let others know that he has
1t. He desires to have some visible
symbol of his financial achievements
just as the Indian warrior wore
scalps in his belt, to show his
might!
-
mo one knows how many things
are sold for a higher price largely
because a higher price is demanded
Almost anybody will agree that II
diamonds of the best quality should
ever become SO plentiful that they
would bring only five cents q carat
nobody would wear them. And, IL
Is equally probable. IL the process OF
manufacturing imitation diamonds
became so expensive that the imita-
tion cost more than the real a great
many persons would discard the real
for the imitation. They would dc
so simply to show to the world a
proof Of their ability to have that
which costs the most.
The young man.. who wishes to
make a deep and lasting impression
upon beautiful and talented young
woman by sending her flowers, likes
to buy, IL possible. at the most ex-
pensive shop. She Is fiattered to
think that he holds her in such high
esteem as to get his f1owefs at the
costliest place in town. And his
own vanity is tick1ed because she
now knows-and he knows she
knows-tbat he is able to deal at
such a high-priced store.
|. Il do not say, understand. that
any merchant can increase his sales
by raising his prices; but 1 do say
that. so long as human vanity is
what 1t Is at this writing, a great
many persons will derive much
pleasure from showing their ability
to have nothing but the most costly.
"At one time women's skirts were
built to drag In the dust. The prac-
tice was based on the notion that