OCR Text |
Show PL'LLERS-OF-CIIESTNUTS Newspaper editors are, as a class, great pullers-of-ches tn u ts-out-of-t he-fire. During the past several months, while reading dozens of exchanges each week, wc have repeatedly come across editorials wilh titles such as thi-, "This Is the Time to Buy," "Buy Now," "Now Is the Time to Spend," et cetera. The idea was always the same, namely: "Prices are at rock bottom and you'll never again get as much for your money. Not only that but by buying now you can help put nxro men to work and get us out of this mess sooner." Editors of the state and, we fancy, of the entire country, coun-try, have been making themselves a little ridiculous by these editorials. They should be the first to realize that the editorial columns, for all their influence, are not advertising columns find th.it attempts to make advertisement of them are pre-dest ined to failure. Instead of telling readers in general terms that this is 1he time to buy, the newspapers should be telling their business men that this is the time to advertise. An editor's readers may have great confidence in his editorial opinions. But just because he tells them, in a general gen-eral way what they already know, that prices are phenomenally pheno-menally low they aren't going to put on their hats and go to town and rummage around looking for bargains. They simply read the editorial, agree with it, and use some of its better phrase:-! in later economic discussions with their friends. Elilorials may, if they arc good ones, make readers think but. don't l'or;'e' that it. takes advertisements to persuade Ihefi to I, 'iv. It i n't enough to I - II them that this i:i thenr- ( i ' the line I') buy a' ninth in they rail afford -they n ' I. I f . i r-' I to desire certain thin"i and they muni, have pn eiiolid aid Hi" ex'-, f lr. arlicle explained. i il 'oi I i u ! i n ' t v.. I their energy trying to pull (li .. ,.: o'.l ol '.) : .'in: for Merchant :(. They sVi'ild put into those merchants' hands the very effective tool 'of newspaper news-paper advertising, -and let them get their own business. |