Milford chronicle., 1926-11-05
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Written for Milford Chronicle by
Frank P. Litschert
IT PAYS no ADVERTISE


More claimants to the honor Of
having discovered America have
been produced. DR.. SOfus Lassen,
chief librarian of the University of
Denmark, announces that John
Scolus, a Dane. discovered America
twenty years before Columbus did.
And Francois Michel in a recent
book on the Basques claims that
sailors from this comparatively lit
tie known tribe in Europe were on
the coast of North America CEN
turies before Columbus arrived. OF
course the claim has been made
many times to that the Northern
under Lief the Lucky and other
hardy leaders visited America gem
eratiOns before the Genoese naviga-
tor started on his historic journey.
All Of this may or may not be
true, Perhaps Scotus was here
twenty years before Columbus and
maybe the Basques and the North
men were on our coasts centuries
before October 10, 1892. But at any
rate they get no credit for their
achievements and probably never
will.
The principal reason for this is
| that they said nothing about their
exploits and did not try to develop
them. In other words they failed
to advertise. Then along came Col
umbus with his three little ships
and took back to Europe the first
authentic account of the new world.
He took his proofs with him and
they got plenty of publicity. Col
umbus therefore was the first ad-
vertised discoverer of the Western
Hemisphere, and he deserves all the
credit he gets. Even if there were
no other reason he would deserve
the credit because he was the first
explorer who had the gumptiOn to
| advertise.
Then another explorer came
along who knew the value of pub
licity. His name was Americus Yes
pucieus. He followed Columbus to
the new world and had the fore
sight to go home and write book
about it. This advertising brought
him not only fame but the honor
of having the new world named
after him. 1t is because of Amer
icus' sense of publicity that we are
known as Americans and not as
| COlumbianS.
The lesson in this for modern ap-
plication is obvious. If man can
discover a new world, and then lose
the credit for it because he failed
to tell the world about his achieve
ment, how much more is it neces-
sary for the ordinary man to tell
the public what he is doing.
The merchant or the manufac-
turer who fails to advertise anC
then wonders why business isn't as
good as it used to be and why his
more energetic competitor is goins
ahead of him, ought to take the
experience of the pre-Columbus dis
cOveries as an example. They failed
to let the world know about wha
they had done, failed to push theil
business and they have passed int
the realm of oblivion, to be resur
rected only occasionally by SOM
devout historian as an unconsciou
example of what happens to thu
fellow who doesn't carry his pub
Iicity man with him, and tell tn
world what he is doing.
The Northmen and the Basque
may have been and doubtless wer
splendid sailors and intrepid ex
plorers. But after they had mad
their journeys and fought their bat
ties they were content to rest o.
their oars or their swords and tai
to one another about the good oil
days, as the foaming ale was pass
ed around. There are a lot OF bus
mess men who are honest, an
' painstaking and energetic but VIII
do not acquaint the world wit
. these qualities. And they are tn
, ones who write their commerc1f
: names in the sands.
4 Every passing week furnishes th
' American people with additiona
reasons why they ought to be THANH
/ full that we escaped membership !
the League of Nations and shaI
of responsibility in the tangled al
fairs of Europe. In spite of the Ii
carno agreement and the apparer
! lifting Of the pressure so far as Gel
many and France are concerned, "
h