Evening star., 1924-01-20

Cl
Copyright, / s2a. in United states and
When man waits until he is
effort will be jumpy l am starting
My life has been jumpy. They
SIT here in the tower OF Madison :
ring hourly with boxers, managers.
following the second herd OF longh
you, worked on a cattle ranch at
reads TO ME like diary OF my early
Kansas, ! went with the second ba
| have been town marshal III
strike. / have acted as banker for
amuse1nent-and mine. have cut
purchased mineral properties for bi
officials prefer TO call them Indeed
Before me are piled more than
-U letters from men in various sec
t!ons OF the country giving sugges-
tohS. IN answer to my request, on
what would be the subjects for me
TO discuss. Fifty per cent OF them
suggest that | tell what is the Sc
cret OF my success in being able TO
select the right boxing matches for
the. right moment. How arc YOU
able TO call the turn every time -
some ask. I'm other words, how do
YOU correctly figure the public
mind?"
:, Almost as many suggest a nara
t!on OF my days in the KiondIkc
third group would like the inside de-
tai!s or the big fights that I have been
then run off into odd queries like
TINS: How DO you make these rough
neck fighters keep their contracts?'
or Who was the crueIest man you
ever saw in the ring"
In the course of my narrative I
nope TO answer them all.
There is no secret method of as
certalning what current subject the
pubic is interested in. To me it al
ways seems apparent. / simply read
the newspapers carefully and find
out. Anybody can do that The thing
people want to see is the thing they
talk bout most.
To my mind writing is the most
interesting art In the world Adver-
tising 1 consider the greatest power
in the world My assistant has sue-
Eested that I use the word public
ity." That may be more proper. but
always / have considered what read
In the newspapers about people as
advertising them-making them
known. I do not mean paid adver-
tising. necessarily. Still. big busi-
rertisements in the newspapers II
they did not know ii would attract a
share OF attention The thing I look
for in newspapers is that on which
tered.
All you've got to do is read the
newspapers daily and find out what
the greatest number Of people are
talking about. Also. I listen to what
people say about what they have read
in the newspapers. If you are a pro-
moter that is the thing you want to
capitalize. That has been my method.
Now. II that can be considered a secret
well. there it IS.
Taught to Think Straight.
lot OF people do not think in a
straight line. They get confused by
side lines. They ramble off on tan
reckon you know these people who can
: talk all day and you never find out
what 1t is all about
I suppose my early training taught
me to know straight talk. In those
days. when every man was on his
own, they had to talk straight. Be-
fore l was fifteen years old l knew
very well the difference between
straight talk and "hoorah.'' as we
called it then. That Is what you nov
call bull" bunk" apple sauce" and
80 on. In my kid days a man was
either giving you straight talk or he
most innocent and ignorant knew the
difference. Folks didn't do much
straight-out lying.
, The man who tells you he doesn't
pay much attention to the newspapers
Is either a fool or n llar-maybe both.
\ lot of smart-alecks like to say
that. They always wind up as smart
alecks. too.
New York had an experience last
summer that put lot Of folks wise.
A pressmen's strike practically stop
ped al! the papers for week and
people were hopping around like
chickens with their heads cut off.
Even the merchants got an idea OF
what advertising meant to them.
whatever the papers lost in money
,theyll get It back double in the les
son given the public
The department stores were hit SO
squarely on tn" chin that several of
them printed q sheet In imitation Of d
newspaper and, had criers out on the
street trying to give away their ad-
NertiSemrntS.
One little dumbben OF fight man
ager had been bothering around for a
week to get picture of his fighter
and a boost for himself printed. He
talked TO a press agent and thought
it wae. all fixed.
say" he said to me. coming into
my office all steamed up, what kind
of a town is this? I've got three Of
them papers and there amt a line in
il about nothing but ladies under
wear and a coat sale--and me giving
that guy q dinner"
That fellow had actually bou.Tht
dozen of those department Jeore
papers.
Never a day passes but some friend
Or acquaintance calls my attention to
some fighter who would be great 10
match with Dempsey. with Ftrpo.
With Wills or some of those fellows.
They will tell me of some wonder
who will give such and such man
great fight.
listen. of course, but such sus
gestions mean little TO me. I don't
care rap who the man is or how
we'll he can fight All / want to know
IS: Does the public want to. see. him?
To get that ] read the newspapers
and find out which way the gossip
IS heading-who is mentioned the
most. Really. I don't see anything
complicated about It. !
Sometimes go into bank or busi-
ness house to be met with question
l;lxo Pi~ko xVhat about