possible to obtain. At nine a. m. he made his problem known. Before noon he was placed in touch with two manufacturers who had scores of idle machines suitable for manufacturing women's wear. Arrangements were made, and now two factories that formerly manufactured gloves and trousers are producing women's wear.

A large railroad supply company closed its doors and laid off its men, many of whom were highly skilled woodworkers. The reason given was that the railroads were now purchasing steel cars, with steel furnishings instead of wood, as of old. Experiments were made to see if the class of woodwork used in wooden railroad cars could be used in homes. Indications were highly favorable. And now the railroad supply house is being kept as busy as ever with orders from contractors for "railroad woodwork" for use in apartment houses and bungalows.

Manufacturers of automobile speedometers, too, ran into trouble. They had been importing all their dials. American manufacturers could supply flat dials, but not curved. A big eastern manufacturer of motor headlight mirrors was approached with a proposition to supply curved speedometer dials. He was sure it could not be done -anyway, at the right price. Finally a starting order for two million dials tempted him to try to adapt his bending machinery to the manufacture of curved speedometer dials. He tried, and with the cooperation of the speedometer people, succeeded. And now American speedometers have American dials-dials that hitherto had to be imported.

When it was found impossible to duplicate imported goods, notably raw materials, arrangements were made to insure uninterrupted shipments. A typical case is that of kapok-an East Indian fiber used for stuffing mattresses. Supplies had been coming over in German boats. Consuls of various nations not at war were called in to see if the goods could be brought over in neutral boats. In the case of kapok, arrangements were made with the Netherlands consul to bring it over in Dutch boats.

Maintaining a nice balance between Brain and Brawn in the building of a Boy calls for intelligent caution and care. Boys are not built with books or baseball alone. They are the product of intelligent feeding combined with rational outdoor exercise. The best food for growing boys and girls is

Shredded Wheat

It has all the tissue-forming, bone-making, brain-building material in the whole wheat grain prepared in a digestible form. The crisp shreds encourage thorough mastication which aids digestion and develops sound teeth and good gums.

knowledge that the manufacturer could easily adapt his machinery to the manufacture of the pump. And as a

result a new business has sprung up, and the manufacturer faced with a shut-down is running full time producing the new product.

Similarly a manufacturer of timestamps reported that he would be forced to lay off most of his men. He was introduced to a man who had invented a new motor cycle. At first the time-stamp manufacturer refused the proposition because of the inventor's lack of selling experience. Then a man with a successful selling record in the motor cycle business was called in. The three men got together, and now the time-stamp plant is manufacturing motor cycles.

Several of the railroads rendered valuable assistance in the matter of finding work for idle factories. They applied to the Association for lists of articles for which substitutes were required, and new articles waiting to be placed on the market; also for the names of manufacturers with idle machinery.

Then they wrote to their special agents and had them make thorough investigations in their respective districts to bring together the man needing a product and the man needing work for his factory. In a large number of cases difficulties were permanently bridged in this way.

Unlooked-for results came about in several cases through these investigations. A furniture manufacturer was throwing in an alley each week tons of waste. A box of this waste was obtained and submitted to an analytical chemist. He found cotton fibers in the waste. A sample of the waste together with the chemist's report was submitted to a powder company. Now the powder company has contracted to buy all the waste, and is using it to make gun cotton.

Likewise an aluminumware manufacturer was throwing out aluminum dust and clippings-"useless waste," he called it, of no value. Investigation disclosed the fact that a live market existed for this "useless waste" among aluminum founders, and even peopie in the iron and steel business. And now the aluminum manufacturer, as well as the furniture manufacturer, are making money out of what they formerly looked upon as junk.

(EDITORIAL NOTE.-If any reader of this maga zine has any good reason for wanting to be placed in direct communication with any of the firms referred to, or if he has a similar problem, he is invited to write to Mr. Anderson Pace, Industrial Commissioner, Chicago Association of Commerce.)

Rome flourished when she had live competition, and decayed after she had subdued the world. The more our competitors make us hustle the better chance we will have to do something worth while.

ADVERTISING AND SELLING

A

DVERTISING and selling are not the same thing," says Glen Buck, and he ought to know because he is recognized as one of the best advertising men in this country. "We have confused the two-to the detriment of both. Advertising is the force which builds a reputation for a commodity or service. Its proper function is to make the commodity or service as widely and favorably known as possible. Salesmanship is the force which cashes in' on the reputation thus established.

"The fact that some things (or under certain conditions and at certain times all things) may be sold directly by written or printed words has led to a costly confusion. It is possible to advertise a commodity and sell it at the same time but it is often tremendously more important that it shall be advertised only.

"Selling by printed words is at best an inefficient means. Man power is the most efficient selling power. Letters, circulars and printed appeals in the newspapers and magazines may produce a certain number of sales. They skim over the surface and collect a few easy orders. But this sort of matter is not advertising, properly speaking. It is merely printed solicitation-and may not in any way help to build a reputation for a commodity.

C

HECK over the list of advertisers whose first endeavor it is to build reputations for their commodities, and you will have a list of successful businesses that have been built up with the aid of advertising. Cull out from the newspapers and magazines the advertisements that are endeavoring to do those things which the salesman can do best-and you will have a list of advertising weaklingsconcerns that are finding advertising a burdening expense.

"Advertising is reputation building. And a rightly used trade-mark is nearly always the best tool for the work. Could any possible arrangement of letters or words tell the story as quickly and forcibly as does the simple Red Cross emblem? I think not. Speak the words and the emblem immediately presents itself to the mind's eye. Present the emblem to the eye, and all that it stands for is immediately suggested. One can scarcely think the term "Red Cross" without visualizing the emblem. It is a picture of an idea. And the human mind thinks in pictures - not in words or letters.

Had it been called "The First Aid to the Wounded Association' and no emblem adopted, the work would have been seriously handicapped, if not irretrievably ruined, at the start.

"The Red Cross emblem is one of the best trade-marks in existence. It indicates what a trade-mark should be. In spite of the fact that it has never had a big advertising appropriation back of it and has not been kept conspicuously before the public, it has burnt its way deep into the general consciousness. Everywhere the Red Cross emblem instantly commands the right of way. It tells its story at a glance.

"It 'gets over' more quickly and more effectively than could any possible arrangement of letters or words. Had some of our big advertisers made as

283

There are times when we think that a little lie, a white lie, a joshing lie, any kind But of little immature lie, does no harm. we cannot escape from this: That every thought we think, every word we speak, every deed we do, either strengthens or weakens to some degree the fabric of character. A little lie, a little misrepresentation, a little indulgence in any negative quality, will weaken character. Just as a drop of aniline dye will tint a hogshead of water, just as a grain of musk will scent room for twenty years, so will the indulgence in a slight negative or undesirable thought, word, or action, weaken one's character. To be a great personality, one must be patient in the doing of small goodnesses.-Thomas Dreier.

a

Western Electric

Washer and Wringer

This wonderful household help is making electricity do the hard part of Monday's work in modern homes. It is the easiest, quickest, and cheapest method and the safest. Sold and guaranteed by the world's largest distributors of electrical supplies.

In the Western Electric Washer the clothes are gently rocked back and forth in hot suds, in a smooth, perforated, revolving cylinder. No attention to the washer is needed while at work. The mechanism which operates it is enclosed. The wringer is reversible. The whole apparatus is quickly cleaned after using. Attaches to any electric light socket and uses very little current.

LEARN ALL ABOUT IT WITHOUT OBLIGATION

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COVERING TOO MUCH

W

TERRITORY

E DO not know whether this is a true story or simply a Chicago man's little joke, but there is a point to it anyway. The café of a certain Chicago hotel is regularly patronized by well-mannered business men who sit around the tables for a social hour in the late evening. The other night a medium-sized, ordinarylooking man came into the café and treated its patrons to a novel experience. There was nothing in the newcomer's appearance as he entered the room to make any one look at him twice. It was apparent at a glance that he had spent the earlier hours of the evening taking on board a considerable cargo of "be joyful" fluid, which he was navigating with dignity and precision.

Possibly the stranger was nettled by the evident indifference of his existence. At any rate, he steered for the bar, and in a voice that for an instant commanded the attention of the roomful, ordered a drink. He put the drink away with a flourish; then, facing about, he glowered over the room, squared his shoulders, and announced: "I can lick any man in this room." No one paid the slightest attention to him. Turning to the bar again he said, "Barkeep, gimme 'nother drink and make it stronger." He drank it, faced the room, squared his shoulders, and in a louder voice announced: "I can lick any man in the city of Chicago."

An expression of hurt surprise crept into the stranger's face, but he was game. And again he sought the bar. "Barkeep," he said, "gimme 'nother and make it the hottest you know how." He tossed it down; then, taking a "Washington-crossing-the-Delaware" pose, and in a voice that made the glassware rattle he bellowed: "I can lick any guy in th' United States uv Merica." At this a quiet little man got up, walked over to the stranger, knocked him down, helped him up again, propped him against the bar, and asked in a mild, kindly way, "I say, friend, what's the trouble?" "Trouble?" said the stranger; "trouble wiz me is I tried to cover too blamed much territory."

Of course this fellow had absorbed his courage one at a time until he was not accountable either for his words or his actions. But how many of us in our normal senses get into the same trouble. We become inoculated with the big-head germ because we have accomplished some little thing in some one place on this earth, and then with an ambition that is far in excess of our capacity, we branch out with the idea that we can cover the country.

New York City

To err is human-to brag about it, idiotic.

EMPLOYEES PROMOTE AND DEMOTE THEMSELVES

N NEW YORK there is a large public service corporation the employees of which can promote themselves, they can demote themselves, and it can even be said that they can discharge themselves, under a system. which has been in operation for several years. This system is not influenced by opinion, whim or caprice. The record of every employee is carefully tabulated from the time. he enters the service, and is opened with a "survey" of the man himself-his natural qualifications, education, general health, and the positions he has previously held. His personal appearance and characteristics are carefully noted. Following this first tabulation, are entered frequent reports of the manager of the department in which he is employed. These reports are quite comprehensive and include a record of his attitude toward his work-promptness, accuracy, need of supervision, whether he is adapted to his work or needs additional training, whether he is capable of filling a better position, his pronounced good habits, faults or bad habits. Naturally, these subsequent reports are not made until the man has been employed long enough for his manager to be able to form more or less definite conclusions on these points. Under the old system, a man was hired for some specific position. If he didn't "make good" in that position, he was discharged and someone else was given a trial. This old system is both expensive and wasteful, for it frequently happens that a man who ignominiously fails in one place may be a genuine success in another. Employers know that they cannot "fit square pegs into round holes or round pegs into square holes," but until comparatively recently no comprehensive plan was inaugurated for sorting out the infinite variety of shapes to find the place for which they were created or can be trained to fill.

W

A Training School for Employees.

'HEN a man enters the employ of the New York Edison Company, for that is the public service corporation using the personal record system outlined above, he is first placed in a training department and is assigned to minor duties, so that his capabilities and his attitude toward his work can be studied. The company also maintains three schools, and each new employee is required to take one of the courses. Classes are held during working hours, and the record made by each pupil is an important element in his promotion or demotion. Classes meet once a week,

and each alternate week there is a written examination based on a set of questions distributed before the lecture. At the end of the year each pupil must have a rating of seventy-five per cent. in order to pass. If he falls below that point he must reenroll and begin over again.

This personal record system and plan of school work was introduced by Arthur Williams, general inspector of the company, and is under the direction of F. C. Henderschott, a man who has taken a very active part in the promotion of industrial education. For a small business, where the employer can keep in personal touch with his employees, such a system is not necessary; but even then some plan of keeping a record of each employee is of value. It often happens that a man who is not "making good" in one position can do

The crude, expensive way of cleaning

285

creditable work in another position; and sometimes a man who cannot get along with one manager or foreman works cheerfully and efficiently with another.

As Mr. Henderschott says, "Our estimate of a man depends upon the man himself, and we do not take the word of one person, or even of two or three persons about him. In addition to the survey which is made when he first enters the employ of this company, is added the frequent reports of his manager and the report of his school work. All is down in black and white. We do not discharge a man when his record is unfavorable from his first manager. We shift him to another position instead. A new record is started, including his 'history with the company, and reports of his previous work. These earlier reports are some

The simple, sanitary way of cleaning

Cleans best under every test

In many exhaustive tests conducted by custodians of universities, colleges, institutions, department stores, etc., the ARCO WAND Vacuum Cleaners have performed 100% in suctioning more dirt out of the carpet after the competitive machines had quit trying. Make your own test: Clean your rug with your broom, portable or stationary vacuum cleaner, and then bring it to any of our showrooms and let us prove up! Seeing is believing.

ARCO WAND

VACUUM CLEANER

The ARCO WAND is stationary-sits
in cellar or side room; runs by elec-
tricity (or gasoline, if desired). Works
through a single iron suction pipe run-
ning up in partition-wall about
central in your home. On each
floor, usually at baseboard, is
11⁄2 inch brass-covered open-

ing to piping, into which the end of a light hose is slipped.
Press an electric button to start the machine, and presto! the magic WAND or
cleaning tools instantly pass over ceiling, walls, floors-everything in the room
-and thoroughly exhausts all dirt, without raising any dust.

The ARCO WAND does not clean house 40% as in broom-duster method
but it removes entirely the dirt, dust, trash, lint, threads, cobwebs,
moths, insect eggs, germs, etc. Everything can be cleaned-carpets,
draperies, ceilings, walls, pictures, upholstery, books, mattresses, dresser
drawers, furs, clothing, etc. Saves an hour or two every day for social
enjoyment.

A permanent, unfailing Cleaner, at $150

The ARCO WAND is a complete, practical, permanent cleaner-tested and proved efficient by three years' use in stores, schools, churches, theaters, hotels, garages, flats, farm and city homes. It is as easy as turning on the water faucet or the electric light. Accept no substitute! Bring your rug to our nearest showroom for test; or write for catalog (free). Public showrooms in all large cities. Write today.

Machine is set in basement or side-room. A Suction pipe runs to each floor. ARCO WAND Vacuum Cleaners, hose and tools, are sold by all Heating and Plumbing Trade, in sizes at $150 up. Price does not include labor, connections and freight.