blic
through it. The result was that the magazine got more advertising from
the manufacturers than it could possibly handle. It is very gratifying
to know that this man succeeded extraordinarily as an advertiser, for
not once during his long career did he ever try to "put one over" on the
public or on anybody else.

No advertisement should be impertinent or importunate. During the war
there was a splendid poster bearing a picture of Uncle Sam looking
straight into your eyes and pointing his finger straight into your face
as he said, "Young man, your country needs you!" The poster was
excellent from every point of view, but since the war, real estate
companies, barber shops, restaurants and whatnot have used posters
bearing the pictures of men pointing their fingers straight at you
saying, "There is a home at Blankville for you," "Watch out to use
Baker's Best," and "You're next!" After all, Uncle Sam is the only
person who has a right to point his finger at you in any such manner and
say, "I need you." And besides, there is the moral side of it. Imitation
is the sincerest flattery, but the dividing line between it and
dishonesty is not always clear. And the law cannot every time prosecute
the offender, for there is a kind of cleverness that enables a man to
pilfer the ideas of another and recast them just sufficiently to "get
by." It would be very stupid for a man not to profit by the experience
of other men, but there is a vast difference between intelligent
adaptation of ideas and stealing them. This is more a question of morals
than of manners, for the crime--and it is a crime--is usually
deliberate, while most breaches of manners are unintentional and due to
either carelessness or ignorance.

House memoranda are letters among the various people who are working
there. They should be brief, above all things, and clear, but never at
the sacrifice of courtesy. Titles should not be dropped and nicknames
should not be used although initials may be. Memoranda should never be
personal unless they are sent confidentially. An open memorandum should
never contain anything that cannot be read by every one without
reflecting unfavorably upon any one. And it is wise to keep in mind--no
matter what you are writing--that the written record is permanent.

IX

MORALS AND MANNERS

It has become a habit of late years for people to argue at great length
about right and wrong, and what with complexes and psycho-analysis and