ANNUAL MEETING. 83 



I would start out and do the advertising. I would work all the first day, 

 stay over night at some friend's house, worli the next day, get half 

 of the bills pasted up and throw the rest in a fence corner. That 

 is how the fairs were advertised in those days. And that sort of adver- 

 tising was perhaps sufficient for those days. The fair was probably the 

 only entertainment of its kind for twenty-five or thirty miles, and every- 

 body was anxious to go. A great many years ago, I was a sort of su- 

 pernumerary about a hardware store. Not long ago I went over the papers 

 and books of that store in settling up an estate. Among the old bills I 

 saw one that was presented by the Columbia City News in 1863 for ad- 

 vertising. The bill for the entire year was only six dollars. In looking 

 over the books for the year in which I helped settle up the estate I found 

 that the bill for advertising in the Columbia City Post was $600. 



I believe that dead wall advertising is a good thing if properly done. 

 I mean that advertising which is put up in conspicuous places for the 

 busy man that just glances at things and passes on. I believe adver- 

 tising of that kind should be attractive, and of such a character as to 

 attract the man as often as he goes by. He will begin to think after see- 

 ing it a few times that he had better attend the fair. This sort of adver- 

 tising need not enter into particulars about the fair, but should just keep 

 the fact that a fair is to be held before the people. 



I believe in artistic advertising, but I do not believe that the returns 

 from the money spent in that kind of advertising will warrant its being 

 done to the exclusion of newspaper advertising. I believe that several 

 good advertisements in the Indianapolis newspapers that circulate all 

 over the State of Indiana will do the State Fair more good than three 

 times the amount the cost spent on any other kind of advertising. 



Lastly, I believe that we should keep everlastingly at advertising. 

 It will bring an attendance to the fairs that we can not get in any other 

 way. I believe that the advertising that comes from a good show is a 

 most important factor. This is true of both county and State fairs. The 

 reputation of any institution is of great importance to it. If you have a 

 good fair one year you will notice an increased attendance at your next 

 fair, even if you do not do any more advertising. The best advertising, 

 therefore, that you can do is to follow an established rule *n keeping up 

 the excellence of j'our exhibits and doing exactly what you say In your 

 programs you will do. Then treat your exhibitors as they ought to be 

 treated and your advertising will pay. 



Let me say again, that the men who make public sentiment, the men 

 who mould the ideas and opinions of your community are the men who 

 have control of the newspapers, and they are the men who should be 

 and will be, and ought to be, friendly to public institutions such as county 

 fairs and State fairs if properly encouraged. Men are neai'ly all alike 

 In some respects, and in advertising we ought at all times to go on the 

 theory of the Golden Rule, that is, we should treat all men as we should 



