1903 



GLEAXIXeiS IX BEECULTLRE. 



29 



I think I shall remember his reply as 

 long- as I live. It was something- like this: 



" Mr. Root, when the Anti-saloon Leag-ue 

 has succeeded in getting- a law passed that 

 can be enforced to break up the saloon bus- 

 iness, then I am read\' to take a vacation; 

 and I am afraid I can never take one con- 

 scientiously until that time comes." 



Well, during- the past season we have for 

 the first time in the history of the Anti-sa- 

 loon Leag^ue reached the point he mention- 

 ed. We have the Beal law, and it is being- 

 enforced, and the saloons are g-iving- way 

 before it in considerable numbers; therefore 

 Bro. Russell has evidently decided he can 

 conscientiously take a vacation, and I have 

 his permission to put in print a letter he 

 wrote me in September. 



^fy dear Fi iend: — \ desire to write to you once more 

 to thank you again for your general interest in the 

 work in which I am engaged, but more particularly to 

 let you know how much good you are constantly do- 

 ing me and my family through your department in 

 Cleanings in which you give your attention to the 

 interests of "Our Homes." I have scarcely missed 

 reading a single copy of that part of the paper for 

 many months past ; and after reading them I general- 

 ly send them home, and they are read in the family. I 

 think I have been moved to dictate this letter just now 

 because of the special interest aroused in my mind by 

 your work in rebuilding the walls of the country 

 church that had gone down. I sent the copy of the 

 paper home, marked on the margin, " How A. I. R. 

 spends his vacation." 



How much more good could be done during the va- 

 cation season by Christian people, without really tax- 

 ing themselves to any great extent, if they would only 

 open their eyes and "see things to do," to u.se an ex- 

 pression Mr. Mood3' once used in a conversation with 

 me. I spent my summer vacation upon a little farm 

 in the town of Grafton, N. H. I found there was no 

 church within six miles, and that a good many of the 

 neighbors were not attending church anywhere. My 

 dear old father, 80 years of age, is a Rector emeri/us of 

 an Episcopal church in Iowa. He and my dear moth- 

 er spent the summer with us He consented to read 

 the Episcopal service every Sunday, and I assisted him 

 so far as preaching was concerned The children dec- 

 orated the dining-room with roses, wild flowers, and 

 branches of the evergreens, and we changed it into a 

 beautiful church-room every Sunday morning, and it 

 was filled as full as it would hold with our neighbors, 

 who seemed delighted with the privilege of attending 

 such a service, and expressed regret when the services 

 were concluded, at the end of our vacation. One old 

 lady said that she had not attended a service before for 

 three years, and expressed her hearty appreciation of 

 tne privilege. 



I did not expect to write at such length when I be- 

 gan my letter. You will be interested to know that I 

 am g^iving considerable time just now to fostering the 

 work here in New -^'ork State, which is yet in its be- 

 ginnings, but which promises to be a strong and force- 

 ful organization in the future. I am looking after the 

 woik in other new States by correspondence, and ex- 

 pect to be able to visit several of them personally the 

 coming year. I hear good tidings continually about 

 the work in Ohio. I think you and my other com- 

 rades in The A. I. Root Co. have a right to be justly 

 thankful that you have done so much to help forward 

 the work in ofiio. I believe it is one of your best in- 

 vestments. Please tell Ernest or John that I am ap- 

 preciating and reading the copies of Gleanings they 

 are sending me regularly, and give all the members of 

 the firm and family my assurances of continued affec- 

 tion and esteem. -V'ours very heartily. 



New York, Sept. 11. Howard H. Russell. 



Our A.<lvertisers. 



We have recently gone over our records of advertis- 

 ing for the past sea.son, and find that our advertise- 

 ments placea in the poultry journals have given us as 

 usual very good returns; this confirms our opinion that 

 poultry-men find bee-keeping pays well with poultry. 



Will not bee-keepers too learn that poultrv added to 

 bees is a paying investment? L,ook over the columns 

 of GLEANiN(;sand send to each poultry-supply man lor 

 his book. They are all full of valuable information. 

 Do it now, for this is the season to make poultry pay. 

 When you write, do us the favor to mention Glean- 

 ings IN Bek Culture. 



montgomerv ward & CO. 



Among our advertisers our friends may have noticed 

 lately this big institution. I have been watching them 

 for some time— in fact, I have been watching them 

 for years as they have built up gradually from a small 

 beginning. I believe they are one of the first business 

 houses in the world to undertake to bear a// the re- 

 sponsibility. In one of the little slips ti ey send out 

 with their advertising they say something like this: 

 " After you send us an order you need not worry or lie 

 awake nights for fear something will go wrong. We 

 do all the work of worrying and lying awake nights 

 for you. We guarantee the goods shall be as represent- 

 ed, and in every way satisfactory; that the freight 

 charges shall be reasonable, and that nothing shall be 

 broken or damaged on the way. If every thing is not 

 just right you may send the goods back, and we will 

 pay all expenses both ways. You shall not be out of 

 pocket a cent." 



When I was out in the woods at work I found I want- 

 ed a log-chain and a crowbar. I found exactly the ar- 

 ticles I wanted, described in Montgomery Ward &Co. 's 

 catalog; and to make it plain I tore out a part of the 

 leaf, and sent it by a neighbor to Traverse City, telling 

 him I was willing to pay 25 cents more than the price 

 printed on the leaf; but if they wanted more than that 

 he was not to buy. He went to three hardware stores. 

 All three said they had no goods at any such price. 

 They said the log-chain would break, and the crow- 

 bar would double up; the stuff was no good. But all 

 three of the hardware dealers seemed to be mad when 

 he showed them a leaf from that catalog. Now, I had 

 been for some time thinking that I would send for a 

 whole lot of little traps, to that firm, to experiment 

 with, to see how they managed to have everybody sat- 

 isfied. A good many of the tools I wanted cost' only 

 two or three cents. Well, the chain and crowbar were 

 just beautiful, at least for the money. The log-chain 

 used by the farmers I had hired had no swivel, and so 

 they broke the chain several times just because there 

 was a kink in the links. The one from M. W. & Co. 

 is 11 feet long, % iron, and had a big stout swivel in 

 the middle so it could not kink. It was the prettiest 

 log-chain I ever saw, hooks and all. It cost only tfl.GO. 

 The crowbar cost 70 cents, and it is a splendid tool 

 every way. They advertised what was called the 

 '- little handy bar," for 28 cents. Everybody who has 

 seen this has wanted it^even the women folks; and 

 every thing I ordered was of the very best and latest 

 make. 



Mrs. Root was made happv with a tin cup and little 

 basin of aluminum, costing only 14 cents each. If you 

 have never used aluminum in your household utensils, 

 there is a happy surprise awaiting yovi. You can scald 

 milk or any thing else in aluminum, and it will never 

 burn on or stick. It never rusts, and it is almost as 

 light as a feather. Just one more illustration: 



i ordered two caps, telling them I woud keep one and 

 return the other by mail. I did this, putting on 9 cents 

 postage. But they returned the 9 cents promptly, say- 

 ing it was their business to pay charges both ways 

 when any thing did not suit. In fact, they both suited, 

 but I did not really want two. Under the circumstanc- 

 es I thought it was no more than fair that I should 

 pay the 9 cents. They seemed to think otherwise, 

 however. Now, the point of all this long talk is this: 



This firm has been built up to its immense propor- 

 tions by doing business on Christian principles. They 

 do all they agree to; and where theie is any question 

 they do a little more, thus varifying what I have often 

 said through all my life — that the best advertisement 

 that any man can ever have is to treat his customers, 

 each and all, in a Christianlike way. I.,et the spirit 

 of Christ Jesus be seen through all your business. 

 Though Shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 



Some of you may suggest right here that the hard- 

 ware men could not afford to sell goods as cheaply as 

 Montgomery Ward & Co., they can not t)iiy them as 

 low, etc. I reply that they can c^r^am/ybuy the goods 

 of M. W. & Co., and they can add enough to pay 

 freight and a reasonable profit besides. No one 

 would object to paying them a fair margin instead 

 of .•■ending to Chicago. The freight on all our stuff, 

 including eavespouts, conductors, etc., to spout our 

 barn in good shape, was only 74 cents. 



