SELLING LUMBER 



71 



thing about it in a way which is at least equal to, and possibly 

 better than the men who are promoting the so-called substitute 

 material. One of the greatest difficulties that has confronted those 

 who are promoting the sale of lumber is that they talk grades, 

 lengths, widths and practically nothing else. The time has gone 

 by when that is going to put lumber in the position in which it 

 ought to be; in other words, the time has gone by when that will 

 suffice to hold the normal, natural, sentimental hold on the common 

 American people. Mr. Sterling has told you that lumber has cer- 

 tain qualifications for its proper application. But you really don't 

 have to say very much. You only have to appeal to the funda- 

 mental sentiment which is in the public already, and emphasize that, 

 and impress that with undisputed facts, in order to put it across. 



What kind of facts are to be mentioned ? I haven't time here 

 this morning to more than skim over a few of those. The kind 

 of facts that the public demand refer specifically to such points 

 as Mr. Sterling has mentioned ; certain physical and chemical quali- 

 fications of the material strength, lightness, suitability to fire or 

 fire resistance, as the case may be, hardness and softness, and a 

 hundred and one qualifications which any physical material has. 

 The first thing, it seems to me, and always has, for a person who 

 is promulgating a certain specified item is to be so very conver- 

 sant with every possible technical phase of the qualifications of 

 his material, that no matter what the question will be, he will be 

 in a position either to say that is not so-and-so, or to frankly admit 

 it, and say : "I don't know what the facts are, but I will obtain 

 the information for you." 



Now, in spite of the publications and various pamphlets is- 

 sued by these -various institutions, it is not very surprising that 

 many of us don't know all these facts. But, in addition to the 

 facts obtained by reading, to me very much more important are 

 the facts obtained by actual knowledge. I had an assistant not 

 many years ago, a graduate of a university, with two or three 

 years of railroad experience in the lumber department, whom I 

 sent down to a Southern point to do some inspection work. After 

 he had been there for a certain period of time he became greatly 

 dissatisfied, and said to me one day: /There is nothing much to 

 do down here. I want to do something." I asked him: "Why 

 don't you investigate the qualifications of the woods in this par- 

 ticular locality?" "Well," he said, "I don't know what to do." 



Facts That 

 Appeal to 

 the Public 



Study Yel- 

 low Pine 

 in Use 



