Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-01-20
WHAT INTERESTS PEOPLE?


A boy of four years stood on a side
walk, while his nurse pointed out an
aeroplane which was soaring in the
clouds.
The boy glanced at it, and then low
cred his eyes and spied a puppy across
the street. In an instant he was tug
ging at the nurses hand, trying to
reach the dog.
Everything was new to the boy.
He saw nothing wonderful in an
aeroplane. 1t had never occurred to
him that a man should not fly. He had
seen birds flying. Why should not
men fly?
To him a puppy dog was more won
derful, more interesting than an aero
plane.
A great Indian chief was taken from
a reservation in the west to New York
City, where he was shown all of the
wonderful sights-the subway, the ele-
waited, Brooklyn bridge, the imposing
s~kyscrapers, the telephone, the ele-
vator, the electric light, and the count
less other improvements OF the last
generation.
The Indian had never before been in
contact with modern civilization.
After a few days of sightseeing he
was asked by a member of the enter
tainment committee to tell what was
the most wonderful thing he had seen
in all New York City.
He pointed to the water faucet!
= The old chief, who had often crossed
the desert, with parched throat, who
had seen strong men die for lack of
S a cup of water, was most impressed by
the ingenuity which had made it pos
sible for the white man to turn a
faucet and fill a glass with cool, pure
water.
Arctic explorers have found that
Eskimos are very fond of %gumdrops.
They will respond better to a gift of a
nickel's worth of gumdrops than to a
seventeen-jewel watch.
There is an explanation of the boys
interest in the puppy, the Indians in
terest in the water faucet, the Eski-
mos interest in gumdrops.
One magazine editor paid another
very successful newspaper editor a
ldl &c OQul VI ulOHCy W LCll Hill WAdI
interests people.
The editor who was on the receiving
end of the money transaction wrote
back: Every man is interested first
of all in himself"
He was right.
People are interested in that which
best satisfies their self-interest.
The dog interests the boy because
he can play with it. A lad of foul can
see more immediate fun in playing
with a c~urly-haired puppy than in
turning somersaults in cloud banks.
A nurse, on the other hand, tired of
the drab monotony of seeing that lit
tie boys are not run over by automo-
biles would like to experience the
thrill of flying. Some day we all ex-
pect to fy-that is why we grownups
like to watch others fly.
The old Indian knew that water is
more necessary to life than even food.
In his outdoor living he saw no need
for subways, suspension bridges, ho-
tells and telephones. Not one of them
satisfied his self-interest. But the idea
of a never-failing supply of water, to
be able to turn a tap and see the
sparkling fluid gush forth!-that was
the answer to "a lifelong dream. 1t
was the solution of a personal prob
lem.
The Eskimo sees no advantage ito
himself in the possession of a watch.
An hour or so makes little difference
to him. He has other means of know
ing the time of day. But the delicious
sweetness of gumdrops filed an un-
satisfied want.
So, in reaching others, we all use
this formula of se~lf-interest, without
knowing why we use it.
In selling, the closer together we
can bring our proposition and the 9TH
er's s~elf-interest the easier the sale.
On the same principle that a four
year-old boy would rather play with a
dog than watch an aeroplane, a US
is generally more interested in
tne proposition that contains an
answer to a problem which has per-
: picked him than with one that has
never come within his horizon.
10 get u ideas of our goods over
10 the other fellow we must make him
see that it is to his personal interest
TO adopt or buy them.-From the
o organ of the Atlantic Paper Co.,
Philadelphia.