Evening star., 1926-10-28
and National Progress.

President Coolidge last evening ad-
dressed the American Association OIL
Advertising Agencies. in annual ses-
sion in this city. in terms which aHoru
the American peOple the highest con
cept OF the business Of giving pupllc-
tty 10 the products and the activities
and the offerings Of trade. Baslcally'
he said, II IS q process OF educati"h'
giving information Of the existence anu
nature of commodities by explaining
the Advantages to be derived from
their use and creating for them
u,,ae- demand. Advertising promotes
prosperity. and is Itself an index Oh
prosperity. But in the hnal phase'
tho President said, advertising MN
listers to the spiritual side of trade
being part of the greater work OF the
regeneration and redemption of man
kind
In the development of advertising
az an institution there has come an
everincreasi sing sense Of responsibility
on the part Of those who are ehgaseu
In the endeavor to acquaint the puE'
ing public with the products OF the
manufacturers and the goods OF the
dealers. strict honesty OF statement
"a the first principle. Good faith mas
heen established through successive
advances in this regard until there is
now complete confidence on the part
Of the public in the integrity OF those
who proclaim and the mediums thev
utilize 10 spread their announcements
before the world The President thus
expresses this relationship:
A great power has been placed III
the hands Of those who direct the dd,
yertising policies OF our country ana
power is always coupled with respoll,
abilities. No occupation Is charged
wifi ..rcater obligations than that
which partakeS of the nature OF edu-
cation. Those engaged in that effort
are changing the trend of human
Thought They are molding the nu-
man mind. Those who write on that
tablet write for all eternity. There
can be no permanent basis for adVer-
tising except a representation OF the
exact truth. Whenever deception
falsehood and fraud creep in they ufl-
damage the whole art.
Advertising IS a constructive contrl'
button to the culture OF the people. II
has become established as an art. ana
II utilizes the agencies of other arts
for tts success. Typography itself has
been developed greatly to meet the de-
nlands Of the trade news. Pictorial
AT has been commandeered for serV-
tee. Literary talents have been en-
rolled for the most effective presenta-
tiu1 Of the facts of trade. Salesman
ship. itself an art, has been cultivated
TO high perfection
The American newspapers are the
greatest eXponents of this educational
process Their growth in volume Is
largely due TO the requirements of the
country's industries and trade enter
pr!ses to acquaint the public with the
wares needed to supply both the ne
cessities and the cultural luXuries of
modern life 1t has been said that this
enormous volume OF advertising has
done as much as any other single
agency to elevate the standard of liv-
ing in the United States.
So intimately related are the people
OF this country. in their manifold ac-
ttvities, though they are dispersed over
a vast area in widely differing condi-
tionS, that the welfare Of any group
affects the welfare of all other groups.
There are few remaining corners Of
civilization. where backward condi
tions prevail. Steadily the average of
intelligence and literacy has risen un-
I'll 1t may be said in all truth that the
American people are a reading people
And being a reading people they have
found their lives enriched by the edu
cation of the newspaper press. with
its news of events and its news of
trade. But for the latter element the
standard of national culture would
not be so high as II is today. The ad-
vertisers and their mediums of daily
education have aided greatly in this
process.