The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-15
For Good of
 the Community
Birmingham's Advantages as Trading Gen. fer Are Being Appreciated Through
 out the State

rhymed allegory whose characters were, T can" and T can't" Small boys memorzed those lines and recited them at close of school year. With scorn of curled lip they deprecat- led q can't and with pride of mien and ges- ture gave praise to q can"
 The one stood for inaction, apathy, daring mot to do, weak, complaining about difficulties instead of getting them out of the way. The other removed obstacles leaped over impedi-I ments and did things. Not child but under stood and gathered the meaning Perhaps Birmingham was troubled with the T can't malady while back We looked out over certain trade territory wistfully and weI saw Nashville selling there We concluded wei could not and maybe we did not try hard enough. Certain things were against us. It isl possible that we exaggerated their heighth, depth and breadth.
 But that is gone. There is a convincing air about Birmingham that carries victory along. When wholesale dry goods merchant del clares that the devil and luck have been blamed for lot of stuff that lack of vim and work and courage would have overcome, he is talking as T can" did, and he will do things
 The head of large corporation has organ lzed hls concern on Buy in Birmingham basis That is an ideal instance of working from within. When the purchasing agent of a
 
 the man highest up in his effort to trade at| home, one may lay his last dollar on the affirm ative side of that problem. And when one biz concern does this certain 1t is that another will follow. Good example is just as contagious as bad; more so, because men would rather be decent than the other way.
 Birmingham is coming into her own just as surely as it has had big men laying the founda- tions for her really great strides With the first freshening of trade conditions this city echoed the refrain.
 \ One jobber said "We have had the best week in 1921" Another said Last week we sold more goods than in any month this year" A third said: We have done 20 per cent greater business in the past two weeks" Al fourth said: Our orders are greater in num- Der and for larger amounts"
 Another man said We claim no recent in- crease in volume of business, but the standard of our goods has been maintained with fidelity and we have retained our customers in five states. We are ready for the new business that is just around the corner"
 Y All up and down wholesale row last week the refrain was: Birmingham never had greater opportunity for the expansion of her trade territory When men feel that way it is as good as done. Faith moves mountains; it will move goods as we'll. The wholesalers and jobbers may not formally organize that Igo- Getem" club suggested by George D. Johnston, but there is that spirit in the warehouse neigh borhood, which is the same thing. Il Nearby merchants are sensing the advan- tages of trading in Birmingham as never be- fore The higher the freight rate the more they save by buying close at home. Birming- ham jobbers as wholesalers have become the warehouses of the retailers of northern and vol A101o~ s. ing prices 1t is essentially important to get what you want when you want it. N A nearby merchant buying goods in Bir- niingham will have sold portion or all before the same goods bought from afar would be we'll under way to his shelves It pays to be nelghborly; pays one just as much as the other II Alabamians are sensing the oneness of their destiny as they have never done before Out of this is coming invincibility All the re-