PUBLICITY 



By B. G. Merrill 



Publicity is a great word. 



To make a thing public is to make it known to the people, 

 to all the people; and in America that means a great deal. 

 For, by the knowledge and the will of the people, great 

 things are accomplished, great ends are wrought out. 



But in some manner the people must be reached ; facts 

 must be put before them, and their minds must be held to the 

 point before they will show much interest or take part in 

 any line of action. 



As a rule, men think most about the things which lie 

 nearest to them; but it cannot be truthfully said that the 

 fishing interests lie nearest to any great number of our peo- 

 ple, in so far as their realization of the importance of the 

 subject is concerned. 



Not every man is an active sportsman, nor is every man 

 actively engaged in the fishing industry; but nearly every 

 one is in some way a consumer; and through some one of 

 these channels of interest we ought to gain access to the 

 minds of the people, who ultimately have the power to in- 

 fluence legislation. 



It is then by a process of education, or publicity, that 

 many who have not been interested in particular must be 

 made to feel that the matter belongs to them personally. In 

 some way we must put the facts before them, arouse indi- 

 vidual interest, and shape public opinion. 



For "It is well known that public opinion is the strongest 

 force in all the world but one. Public opinion is the domi- 

 nating force at all times, and never yields its dominant sway 

 of the will of the people until truth proves its error. So 

 truth becomes the strongest force in the ultimate." 



The lack of public opinion upon questions pertaining to 

 the welfare of the fishing interests is due to the fact that 

 the people in general are not informed on the subject and 



