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At the meeting held Dec. 19th, 1904, the following were elected officers of the Agate Club, Chicago, for the year 1905.

B. E. Moreland, Vice-President
R. T. French, Asst. Secretary

C. H. Stoddart. President

A, D. Mayo, Secretary

Edwin W. Chandler, Treasurer

THE EDITORS HORIZON

The Men Who Win.

DVERTISING,

like most processes with which man is familiar, has its mysteries. Few gentlemen of the profession have solved them all-even to their own satisfaction. The best laid plans full often go awry, though full of promise at the start and seemingly backed by ability of the highest quality.

This is not an attempt to say the last word on the subject, nor the result of a desire to deliver a New Year's preachment, but one of the big facts that is too often overlooked in planning a campaign is this:

The men who win-in advertising as in all other endeavors-are the men who have an unbounded faith in themselves and in their work.

Moreover, the normal man who has looked existence in the face without becoming morbid, can have neither respect for his work nor faith in it, unless he feels deep in his heart that it is really worth while, that it counts for something in the sum total of the world's work.

Most men realize that there are but two ways of winning the favor of the world and the rewards the world gives its workers-only two:

Mankind wins his bread and butter, with a modicum of sugar spread on the top, either by catering to the world's real needs or by pandering to its vices.

There is no other way.

And it is impossible for the most conscience-blunted man to put into a proposition which he feels is a fake,

half the energy and genuine enthusiasm that the same man can put into what he himself considers a valuefor-value proposition.

In the one instance he respects himself and his work; in the other he knows that he is a parasite-a bloodsucking louse on the body of humanity, and however bold his front or blatant his cry, he cannot hide the hang-dog expression that envelops

his soul if not his face.

We see this demonstrated every day. It is the secret of American success the unbounded faith in the proposition in hand. The man who succeeds with a breakfast food, is the man who honestly believes that he has solved the problem of easy digestion for the over-worked and overrushed American; he's a "healthcrank," if you please; but he wins success while the scores and hundreds of imitators who spring up in a night like mushrooms after a summer shower, taking up the business because bran is cheap and the proposition "looks easy," vanish as suddenly as they come.

The successful patent medicine man carries his own tonic in his grip and bestows a bottle upon the Czar of Russia, should he happen to attain the distinction of a presentation at court.

It is not "American cheek," but a simple, beautiful faith in "the most wonderful preparation ever compounded by man," and it wins.

So, men and brethren, waste not your energies and your money upon that to which you cannot give your heart and soul. Don't believe the advertising man nor the salesman who

tells you he can sell anything from

blue-sky to lake water; he belongs in the street-fakir class. A bald-headed man may sometimes be able to sell hair tonic but the chances are against him.

You must believe in your own proposition-not that faith will take the place of work, but because you can't work save in a half-hearted way, without it. It is not an absolute guaranty of success, but it is one of the indispensable essentials.

* * *

The Farm Paper A Family Paper. Since prosperity has set her goldclad feet upon the farm and settled down with every indication of staying awhile and making herself at home, there have been mighty changes in the farmhouses and in the farmer's methods of living.

Not that the farmer's increased income all goes for riotous living and fine raiment, but there has been a sane and admirable lifting of the scale of living, and most of the comforts and conveniences of town life and many of the luxuries, are now a matter of course in the farm house.

Among other things which the farmer enjoys to a much greater extent than he did even a few years ago, is the popular magazines and reviews. The increase in the country and village circulation of the magazines and illustrated weeklies, has been most gratifying from every point of view, and all the more so because it has come practically unsought. With few exceptions the magazine publisher has made little effort to reach or interest the farmer, being content to take merely what has come his way.

The agricultural publisher, without posing as a model of disinterestedness and liberality, has done much to further this increased circulation of the

magazines. He can well afford to, because the magazines are in the main educational in their intent and purpose, and whatever makes for the general culture of the farmer and his family, makes for the success of the farm paper. It is the reader who subscribes for papers and magazines and buys books-not the bookless man.

Neither has the agricultural publisher aught to fear from the magazine as an advertising competitor, for the good agricultural paper is too firmly entrenched in the hearts and homes of the American farmer ever to be supplanted by any other publication-no matter what its value and attractiveness.

The farm paper is sui generis. It is a class publication-a trade paper -a technical journal-yes, but first, last and all the time it is a family paper.

And this fact is not due particularly to long-sighted publishers, nor to an accident. The very nature of farm life-the methods of farm work, call for a "trade paper" in which the entire family is interested.

The wife of the printer, the publisher, the merchant, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, may be interested in a general way in the work of her lord and master; she may look through his trade journal occasionally from curiosity, but the wife of the farmer is not only interested in the farm work, but she is a farmer and SO is the whole family from the oldest to the youngest. Each has a share in the conduct of the farm, and each one knows what is doing over the entire homestead.

This is the very simple and open secret of the farm paper's success. No other class or trade supports so many publications in proportion to its numbers; no other class or trade publi

cation is so valuable an advertising medium.

Moreover, the good agricultural paper devotes a goodly share of its space to articles of special interest to the housewife and her children. The advertiser need only turn through the pages of the representative farm papers to be convinced that the farm editor has a very keen appreciation of the fact that in a majority of homes it is the wife who decides what paper will be taken, and in a good proportion of cases she sends in the subscription in her own name, as an examination of the circulation books will show, and pays the subscription price from the egg money or butter money.

Take Farm Journal, for instance: "Our Folks," means the entire family; every page shows that the "better half" of the house is in mind when the editor writes, but in addition to this there are such departments as "Saturday Morning," "Sabbath Musings," "Heart Problems," "How to Dress," "Pattern Department," "The Household," "Family Doctor," "Our Young Folks," "Puzzle Department," and others, all filled with good, original matter.

Farm and Home devotes almost as much space to "The Home" as to the farm proper. In the current issue are such departments and articles as "Home Made Furniture," "The Family Congress," "Our Young People," "The Dressmaker at Home," "For Nimble Fingers," "All About Pets," several fashion articles, "Our Sunshine Corner," with a dozen shorter articles of practical value to the housekeeper, besides a good short

story.

Farm and Fireside for December 1, opens with an interesting article on Barbadoes, Santo Domingo and Cuba -gives two big pages to "Around the

WANTED

An Advertisement

that will adequately express to advertisers the value of

THE

FARMER'S

GUIDE

as the Best Medium for securing the trade of the Best Farmers in the State of Indiana. Here are the Main Points:

The Farmer's Guide (Weekly) is the highest type of Agricultural Journalism. The best Farm Paper in a State that for thrift and prosperity of its Rural Population stands unequalled. It always pays advertisers who use its columns freely and intelligently. For proof of this write to

THE FARMER'S GUIDE,

HUNTINGTON, IND.

Fireside," two pages to fancy work; one to "Sunday Reading;" two to "The Young People;" two to a good serial story; a page to prize puzzles; one to an article on Ole Bull; two to an illustrated article "Personal giving Recollections of Abraham Lincoln;" cne to "The Family Fhysician," two to "Wit and Humor," besides much general miscellany.

the

Take the Household Departments of the Ohio Farmer, National Stockman and Farmer, the Iowa Homestead, the Farmer of St. Paul, the Orange Judd publications, Farm and Ranch, with its Cousin's League, Wallaces' Farmer's "Hearts and Homes," and Uncle Henry Wallace's weekly dissertation on "The Sabbath School Lesson," Successful Farming with its profuse illustrations-and any one of the first class publications, and doubt, if you can, that the farmer's family is a most important factor in that paper's circulation and prosperity.

Another indication is the large number of contributions in the average agricultural paper signed by women. The busy farm-wife does not send her favorite recipe to a paper in which she has no interest.

No, there is no getting away from the fact that the farm paper is a family paper. The whole family reads it and discusses its articles.

So, when Tom, Dick or Harry comes along and opines that the agricultural press may be a good medium for promoting the sale of hoes and pumpkin seeds, but that it has little or no value for household articles or articles that appeal especially to women, you may safely decide that the gentleman either does not know the agricultural press or that he is a special pleader for a favorite.

There is no need of misrepresenting the case. Many of the magazines al

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precious minutes every day in finding out as nearly as they can, exactly what the rate card means.

It is a bad matter easily mended. There should be little difficulty in persuading publishers to see the advantage of uniformity in size and general appearance of cards, with uniform arrangement of type, so that the trained eye can get at a glance the sought-for information.

The American Advertising Agents Association could effect the reform by a simple resolution. Let it submit a form and request its adoption by publishers, and every advertising man will rise up and call it blessed.

As a matter of reciprocity, then, the agents might adopt a standard form for advertising orders, enabling the publisher to use the original orders in his "card system" without a scratch of the pen-obviating the danger of error in transcribing, and saving an immense amount of labor.

A. A. respectfully suggests that the A. A. A. A. take the matter under advisement.

As a starting point, it is suggested that forms be submitted to the Editor

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