



Introductory 



IT IS impossible to estimate the value to the Southern Pine 

 industry of the School of Salesmanship, which held its first 

 convention at St. Louis June 26, 27 and 28, 1916. The School 

 would have been worth its trouble and cost if it had accomplished 

 nothing beyond familiarizing lumber salesmen with the aims and 

 activities of the Southern Pine Association, and bringing to each of 

 them an appreciation of the intimate relation of Association work 

 to his individual interests. The wealth of material assembled in 

 the three days' programs constituted a liberal education, not only in 

 methods of salesmanship, but in technical facts concerning the man- 

 ufacture and use of Southern Yellow Pine. This educational mat- 

 ter is of tremendous importance to the entire industry, and here 

 assembled and published in permanent form serves as an extremely 

 useful handbook and guide for all time to come. 



Another important feature of the School of Salesmanship was 

 that its unique character attracted much friendly comment from 

 the daily press, adding materially to that publicity that is doing 

 so much to restore Lumber to its rightful place in the public esteem. 



There was ample evidence at the School that those in attend- 

 ance not only were intensely interested, but that the spirit and 

 intent of the School ha<J. .given th-s. salesmen a new and broader 

 appreciation^ their relation to cl'ifi- Southern Yellow Pine industry 

 and their power to promote a better knowledge of Yellow Pine and 

 its more extended and intelligent use. 



