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Show I Promoters. promoters are people afflicted with chronic op- timism. The disease looks at first sight like confirmed altruism, and it is so generally diagnosed by the public, but a long and careful study of it in all its J phases is certain to disclose the fact that it is j quite different, says the New York Times. The man who has altruism badly has several sev-eral symptoms that are quite different from those of the promoter. For instance, he J wants to give things away for nothing, and the promoter never really does that, though he tries hard to make everybody think he does. The most I remarkable case of altruism that has ever been brought to the attention of the public is that of Andrew Carnegie, who has it so bad that there seems no hope of curing him. There is, however, some relation between the two diseases. It is believed be-lieved that Andrew Carnegie had optimism once and was a promoter before he ever developed the other disease, and it is stated on good authority that he never would have gotten altruism if he had not first had the other. Having diagnosed the disease, it is well to note some of the phases of it, so that one may know it when he sees it. In the first place, the man afflicted with this disease must have every one he meets, for a friend, particularly if the men he meets happen hap-pen to have money of their own. He has a mania ma-nia for friends, and there is no limit to the bank account that these friends may have. Then, he is absolutely unable to see anything in the way of failure or disaster. Suppose that he is trying to promote a land company in Texas, he will absolutely fail to be able to grasp the difficulties difficul-ties that lie in the way of farming in Texas. He does not believe in the green and red and black bugs that are such a terror to all the people who own farms in Texas. He laughs at all bugs. He can't see what rain has to do with farming, anyway, any-way, and says flatly that the stories of drought and arid fields are all dreams. To him there is no land like Texas land. He regards Texas as a veritable paradise. The third characteristic symptom of his disease dis-ease is prophecy. The future of Texas is an open book to him. In the dim valleys he sees with prophetic eye great herds of cattle grazing, lordly mansions arising, loaded vans and trains hurrying. hurry-ing. When one meets a man possessing these symptoms symp-toms it is as well to conclude that one has found" a real chronic optimist; in other words, a promoter. pro-moter. If one stay with him long enough it is a sure thing that one will be asked to buy lands in Texas or to o into a company to sell lands in Teas. Of course, there are many other things that a promoter talks about. All promoters don't talk lands in Texas. That is merely an example. One promoter is trying to form an ice company I to sell ice to the enlightened Indians of Indian Territory. To his mind Indian Territory is the hottest place that ever happened. If there is one Place in the world where ice will sell it is certainly cer-tainly Indian Territory. In the summer there is no possibility of living at all without ice, and there is no one down there now selling ice. Any ne can see what a chinch the new company is eoing to have. It will be nearly as easy as being Mayor of New York. Ice will melt so fast that the Indians will need three calls a day on the part of the iceman. That's a cinch for the iceman, and, f course, the promoter wants you to be one of the icemen. That's where the promoter lookB like the altruist. Another promoter is forming a company to build farmhouses in Indian Territory. To him Indian Territory is the fairest land that ever was, rhe weather is delightful. In summer there are no discomforts at all. The temperature is just rSht, neither too hot nor too cold. He has afilda-vlte afilda-vlte by the roam that this is so. The testimony Js honest and disinterested. Without a single shadow shad-ow of a doubt there is no land like Indian Territory. Terri-tory. In winter it is just as good, and the crops well, language would fail him to describe the crops of Indian Territory. There you have the views of two optimistic promoters. You pay your money and you take your choice. It is a privilege the promoter gives you. There is a variation of the disease that is known in the financial world as underwriting. This disease is considered by many people to be an entirely different affliction, the people who hold this idea most strongly being the people who have the disease themselves. In fact, they grow quite angry when one calls them promoters, and are quick to point out that they are different. The difference between underwriting and promoting is the same as the difference between appendicitis and inflammation; that is, that the first is an aristocratic ar-istocratic and fashionable affliction, while the second sec-ond is plebian and out of date. |