additional credit of having been taken from The Living Church.

This was to have been our World's Fair number, but owing to the large amount of work involved in its preparation we have decided to wait a month, making it the October issue.

**

Here is a stray thought concerning advertising. Should not an advertisement written by a man of undoubted expertness go farther in selling goods than the best oral efforts of the average salesman?

The Merchant's Review raises the query and asks:

Suppose you secure a clear field for your salesmen. If they are of ordinary metal and calibre can they compete with the mailed advertising of houses employing a genius at the pen-a combination of fine salesmanship and expert advertising skill? Or if you are a retail dealer, and have actually drawn people into your store, can you hope to sell them the profitable luxuries which the mail order concerns will try to sell those people through the mails, by the use of first-class advertising matter-providing you employ the average ability behind the counter? The people may come voluntarily into your store, wanting goods; yet, if your clerks are lacking in "ginger" or skill, those people may go away with only the necessaries purchased, only the most common necessities supplied, and the fine advertising skill of the mail order house may win their patronage for all of the really profitable articles.

Think this over. If brains behind printing ink can overcome mediocrity without the printing ink, then the problem of how to succeed in the mercantile business is greatly simplified. It is simplified for the merchant at a distance. It is simplified for the merchant on the spot. It resolves itself into a question of comparative efficiency in advertising. Of course the store on the spot has many advantages, but they are less important than some people may suppose. As between the distant wholesaler who sends good advertising matter and the wholesaler who sends only ordinary salesmen, the advantages rest with the former.

As for the local retailers, whose customers are bombarded by mail order houses, they must do some advertising themselves -good advertising. Above all things, the dealer must use the best talent at his service. If he has the best head in the store, the advertisements ought surely to be written by him. There is poor judgment in deputing some poorly paid, unskilled and unesteemed subordinate to attend to the advertising of a business, the most especially if the advertising is to offset the oral arguments of competitors' salesmen. The firms that treat printing ink and its manipulators with hardly veiled contempt will sink into obscurity. and those who use advertising with a full understanding of its wondrous possibilities will inherit the business world.

The Great Southwest

Has an active, hustling pro-
moter working in its interests.
This promoter is the

The Earth

The latest and best publica-
tion in the interests of the
agricultural and industrial
field as it is in that prosper-
ous section. "The Earth"
reaches over 25,000 farmers,
fruit growers, stock-raisers,
investors and those inter-
ested in such like pursuits in
the southwest.

A Postal Card will bring Sample Copy
and Advertising Rates.

The Earth,

1102 Railway Exchange, CHICAGO.

The Skandinaven

A great force in the Agricultural
field. No advertiser can afford to
ignore the large, thrifty, growing
element of Scandinavian farmers.
They are hard workers, always
have money and are ready to
spend it for improvements. They
are all mail order buyers.

The Skandinaven

is the most advanced, best estab-
lished, progressive paper pub-
lished in their language in this
country and has therefore at-
tracted the best people in this
class. We have testimonials
from big mail order houses. Let
us send them.

The Skandinaven Skandinaven Building, Chicago, Ills.

Those who form the great world of publicity are accustomed to things being done on a large scale and usually take broad and daring undertakings as a matter of course.

Wide and varied experience has fortified the leaders in this field of work against unguarded or misdirected enthusiasm.

For this reason all the more significance may be attached to the keen interest and eager anticipation manifested in advertising circles over the founding of The International Advertisers' Association.

During the development of this organization it was known as the International Federation of Advertising Interests and was pushed under that title until the project became a reality in June, when the name was changed.

The object of the organization, as stated in its prospectus is: "To foster the advertiser's interests throughout the world, to reform abuses and prevent waste in advertising methods, and in every legitimate manner to serve the interests of its membership through co-operation."

The headquarters of the Association is at 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, the large office having been fitted up in the most modern and business-like style.

The present officers of the Association are:

President, Henry D. Perkey, Natural Food Co., Niagara Falls, N. Y. First Vice-President, W. C. Steigers, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo. Second Vice-President, C. H. Brampton, American Cereal Co., Chicago, Ill.

Third Vice-President, Barney Link, American Bill-Posting Ass'n, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Treasurer, E. J. Ridgway, RidgwayThayer Co., New York, N. Y.

Secretary, Barron G. Collier, StreetCar Advertising, New York, N. Y.

The Board of Directors consists of thirty-three prominent publicity men, seven of whom were appointed as the

Executive Committee to carry out the object of the Association.

Among other things, this committee has appointed a manager, Mr. H. A. Murray, who was unanimously chosen as the man best qualified to fill that important position.

On the evening of August 23d seven of the directors, residing in Chicago, gave a dinner at the Palmer House, inviting all Chicago members and those interested in the movement.

Seventy guests were present and much interest was displayed. Mr. J. B. McMahon, who acted as chairman at the dinner, introduced the topic of the evening, giving a convincing talk on the necessity of such an organization as the International Advertisers' Association. He outlined some of the needs it would supply, and told of how such an association, representing the largest aggregate capital in the world, would influence congress in pushing matters of benefit to advertisers. Mr. Balmer then talked on what had been accomplished by the organization since the first meeting of the Board of Directors June 18th.

Mr. Balmer's strong appeal for the active support of all advertising men to aid in making the Association a great success was followed by many other eloquent speeches which proved the deep interest taken in the Association by Chicago advertisers, agents and publishers.

The first annual meeting of the Association is to be held at St. Louis in Convention Hall, on October 4, 5 and 6. The management of the St. Louis Exposition has planned to entertain the organization.

Officers and Directors will be elected, future plans discussed and in fact all matters of moment will be brought before the convention. Therefore members are urged to attend and invite others that are interested.

The membership fee is $50, and all those sending in their application and being elected a member before Oct. 1st, 1904, will be enrolled as charter members.

Dr. James Henry Reynolds, a prominent citizen of Ogden, Mich., and for many years the successful advertising manager of the Page Woven Wire Fence Co., died at his home on July 30, 1904.

Dr. Reynolds was born at Amherst, Lorain county, O., on May 14, 1845. When he was six years old his parents moved to Petersburg, Monroe county, Mich., where he lived until 1868, attending the public school there and preparing himself for college at the Ypsilanti Seminary.

Before he was twenty years old he had served two years in the army, being mustered out in May, 1865.

It was at this time that Mr. Reynolds took up the study of medicine at Ridgeway, Mich., and he graduated from the Detroit Medical College in 1871.

After practicing fifteen years at Palmyra he moved to Adrian, where he continued his successful practice until 1895. Owing to failing health he gave up his professional work at this time to assist in forming the Bond

Steel Post Company, of which he was made secretary and advertising agent. He continued these relations with this company for over two years when he sold his interests and accepted the position of advertising manager for the Page Woven Wire Fence Company.

Dr. James Henry Reynolds' career was one of marked activity and he held many responsible public offices, all of which he filled in a manner that won the confidence and high esteem of his fellow citizens.

His last public office was that of mayor of Adrian, to which he was elected in the spring of 1901.

He was a man of determined character and great executive ability and his loss will be keenly felt by all his business associates. Dr. Reynolds was a member of many Masonic bodies holding high degrees in most and the funeral services were held under the auspices of Adrian Commandery, of which he was Past Eminent Commander.