184 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



tweeu." If he refuses, two classes of his 

 customers are dissatisfied, and he has a lot 

 of fruitless correspondence — that is, it 

 brings no profit. To sum up the matter, 

 we would say that while we consider it desi- 

 rable that an apicultural editor may be able 

 to say : " I have nothing for sale except my 

 journal," we know from experience that 

 it is an exceedingly difficult position to 

 maintain. 



Whether a publisher shall continue send- 

 ing his paper after subscriptions have ex- 

 pired is a question that most decidedly has 

 two sides. When a man pays his money and 

 subscribes for a paper for a year, and the 

 paper has been sent for that length of time, 

 we feel that the bargain is at an end ; that 

 the publisher has no right to assume that all 

 are pleased with his paper and wish it con- 

 tinued. It would seem that everybody would 

 take this view of the case. Perhaps they do, 

 but the fact remains that many readers don't 

 wish their paper stopped even if they don't 

 renew promptly. We know this to be true, 

 because, while we have been praised for 

 stopping the Review when subscriptions 

 have expired, we have also received letters 

 of complaint. Now, how shall a publisher 

 please both of these classes without offend- 

 ing either ? We have given to this subject a 

 great deal of thought without being able to 

 arrive at a decision. W^e have thought of 

 having printed, upon the wrapper of the last 

 issue due a subscriber, a nptice that would 

 read about as follows : " My fkiend, your 

 subscription expires with this issue. Of 

 course, we should be glad to have you renew. 

 If not convenient to send the money for a 

 whole year, send it for six months, or even 

 three months. If you can't do this, and 

 still wish for the Review, then drop us a 

 card, and we shall be glad to continue send- 

 ing it, waiting until it is convenient for you 

 to remit. If any are so well pleased with 

 the Review that they know that they wish it 

 to 'keep coming right along,' they may 

 when renewing their subscriptions mention 

 the fact, when we will write their names on 

 our books, with red ink. Such will be 

 known as our ' red letter subscribers,' and 

 to them the Review will l^e sent until it is 

 ordered stopped." Or the order of things 

 might be reversed. Suppose we have the 

 notice read as follows : " My fkiend, your 

 subscription expires with this issue. If you 

 no longer wish for the Review, please notify 

 us at once. The Review is sent until ordered 



stopped, unless a subscriber mentions the 

 fact, when sending in his subscription, that 

 he wishes his paper stopped at the expiration 

 of the time for which he has subscribed, in 

 which case it will be stopped at that time 

 without further notice." A standing notice 

 might also be kept in the paper, to the effect 

 that the paper would be sent until ordered 

 stopped, unless subscribers gave orders to 

 the contrary when sending in their subscrip- 

 tions. One class wishes its paper stopped, 

 another doesn't. How shall we please both ? 

 Personally, we shall be very glad of sugges- 

 tions. 



Now a few words about advertisements. 

 We think that, as much as possible, they 

 ought to pertain to bee culture. But few 

 others should be admitted, and they should 

 be strictly first class. Perhaps some will 

 say that this is a matter that concerns the 

 publisher alone. Possibly. But where is 

 the advertiser of apiarian goods that likes 

 to have his advertisement buried among 

 those of guns, buggies, watches, sewing 

 machines, lamps, books, tobacco, trusses, 

 patent medicines, corn remedies, pile reme- 

 dies, etc., etc.? We believe that the admis- 

 sion of such trash into the advertising col- 

 umns of a bee journal displeases the bee 

 keeping advertisers, that it is an actual det- 

 riment to them, and that it lowers the jour- 

 nal in the estimation of its readers. Let's 

 keep our advertising columns pure and 

 clean, and as nearly apiarian as possible. 



In closing, please allow us to quote from 

 Allan Formau, editor of The Journalist. In 

 the August issue he said: "The handsome 

 paper is the successful paper of the future. 

 Readers and advertisers are being influenced 

 more and more by the appearance of the 

 paper, its typographical attractiveness, and 

 the taste displayed in make-up. A tasteful 

 and pleasing appearance is accepted as the 

 visible and outward evidence of financial 

 prosperity. People who coull not make-up 

 a paper, and who do not know one type 

 from another are quick to discriminate 

 against the slovenly sheet in favor of the 

 neat and handsome one." 



Upon this subject we shall be glad to hear 

 not only from our regular correspondents 

 but from our editorial brethren as well ; and 

 if the faults of the Review are most clearly 

 brought to light in the discussion that fol- 

 lows, no one will be more pleased than 



W, Z. Hutchinson. 



