The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-11-16

money spent annually by the average
boosting community for that type ot
boosting which convinces only cred
uious fools, were spent in substantial
and genuine community improvements
the harvest would be abundant fol
all.
True, the harvest might not be In
actual dollars that could be deposited
in bank. But there are community
interests you know, which. while moi
directly bankable, are beyond price.
No, / am not so impractical as Il
ignore the universal need of bankablt
dollars. Bankable dollars are great
comfort wish could make myself
more comfortable!
The Teacher says, "The love Of
money is the root of all evil" 1t is
just as true that desire for money
may be rooted in a sincere purpose tC
accomplish a great good.
But those mistaken saints who hole
that we ought not to think of money
need not worry. We don't think about
it, and therein lies two-thirds of oul
financial troubles. If we could only
be persuaded to really think about
money, money would not worry us
much.
Money is of value not because it is
money, but because it stands for all
that is dearest and best in life. That
1t stands also for all that. is debasing
and damning makes no difference.
And so the great question of the age
Is not what you are, but what is your
income? The great problem of life
is not why ave we here, but how car
we manage to stay here? The great
fear of our existence is not fear OF
death. but fear of notice from the
bank that we have overdrawn. The
fight to pay our bills, and the dread
of the deadly deficit-these are the
Nightmares that keep us awake.
The red-ink tragedy is a very
real tragedy-a tragedy in which
most of us at one time or another
have been forced to play part.
But chin music alone will never
draw large flock of dollars to
your box office.
Too often we study our financial
problems from the one standpoint OF
how to get money. At this date it ap,
pears that the shortest way out of our
difficulties is to learn how to spend
the money we do get. If restaurant
keeper were to invest all his capital
in flowers to decorate his tables, his
bill of fare would not attract hungry
crowd with cash to spend.
Most of us who go broke get
that way by spending not wisely
but too well.
Certainly, | know the old saying
Doing business without advertising
is like winking at your girl in the
dark. You may know what you are
doing but no one else will"
But advertising is not simply max.
ing any old thing sound attractive
Those leaders who rank high in bust.
ness intelligence discovered long ago
that the advertising which is 80 per
cent lie is less than 10 per cent eff.
fective.
The salesman who is long on gah
and short on truth loses more. business
than he gains. The selling talk that
is based on policy of hit-and-run
rarely scores a second time on the
same customer. The hook that is
baited with CUFF lands only minnows
The fish are only attracted by more
substantial bait. No hunter ever yet
bagged big game with blow-gun.
Once, when was a boy, worked
in store. And the boss explained to
me that any fool could sell a customer
something the customer wanted. but
that it took salesman to sell a per.
son something the person did not
want.
am older now. And my years OF
painfully acquired experience, together
with habit of observation, have
taught me that the one who sells a
person that which the person does not
want is the real fool.
In my young man days | had q
friend who had curious complex. He
would rather acquire silver dollar
for which he gave nothing. than to
gain five dollar bill for which he
had rendered five dollars worth OF
service. He seemed to feel that to
give nothing for something was a
mark of superior intelligence. He was
never so happy and proud as when he
had just, as he said, "gypped" some
body.
Well, have watched that mans
progress through all the best years of
his life and | never knew the time
when he was not dependent. in one
way or another, upon friends or rela-
tives. He is practically a beggar to.
day, existing on charity. No one will
trust him for meal. He is forced to
sponge even his cigarettes. All OF
which would be torture to a self-re.
speeding person; but, of course, self
respect long ago ceased TO count for
anything to this miserable failure.
And this man was the most convinc.
ing booster | ever heard. To him
boosting was a fine art. He could
would, and did boost anything for
anybody. at any time.
OF course it was often best for him
to be somewhere else when the sticks
of his skyrockets began to come down
All his life. you see. this. man
has tried to do business on the
plan of talking people into giving
something for nothing. In the end
he has for all his efforts-noth-
ing. @
Some say that knock is a boost
Perhaps-But | am still of the opinion
that if We could knock some of these