The billboard (July-Dec 1898)

THE BILLBOARD The Billboard. PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT 127 East Eighth Street, Cincinnati O., XT. S. A. Address all communications Kor the editorial or business departments to THE BILLBOARD PUBLISHING CO. Subscription, $1.00 Per Year, In Advance. ADVERTISING RATES: Advertisements will be published at the uni- form rate of ten cents per agate line; copy for advertisements must reach us on or before the twenty-fifth of the month. Oar terms arecash. Billboard ,: Advertising is sold in London at Low's Exchange* 5J Charing Cross, and at American Advertising Newspaper Agency, Trafalgar Build- ings, Northumberland Are., ty~, C. In Paris, at Bretano*s, 17 Avenue del Operas The trade sup- plied by the American News Co. a nd its branches. ^Remittance should be made by cheque* post-officeor express money order, or registered letter addressed and made payable to The Bil'boardPub. Co. The editor cannot undertake to return unsolicited manuscript; correspondents should keep copy. IVhen it ts necessary to voire us the instructions and copy'for advertisements, great saving in the matter of telegraph tolls may be had by recourse to the Donaldson Cipher Code. Entered as Second-Class Matter at Post Office at Cincinnati, Ohio. NOVEMBER. 1898. The time is fast approaching whrn Advertics will he taught in our com- mercial colleges. It will he estecmei - as important an element of the college course as aecountics, and fully as much time and attention will he de- voted to It. Ahont all that is lacking at the present time is a text-haok, and it will he forthcoming shortly. There is never a need made manifest hut some one arises with the ability to supply it. "We have a vast fund "of facts, and of course we must necessarily have among them more than one pseuclo- dox. These latter will he readily de- tected and thrown out in the process of systematizing and co-ordination. With our facts arranged and classi- fied, the method of induction will read- ily give us an order among them, and bring to light the regular laws, by which disseminative incentive, like every other other natural agency, op- erates. * * * Of course, advertising itself is an applied, or rather, a progressive art. Viewed in its purely utilitarian or ar- tificial aspect, it can never he reduce J to a science, from the very fact that science has to do only with the agen- cies of nature. But back of advertis- ing's artificial habiliments, back of the press, beyond the bill board, dis- tributing facilities, the telegraph and the mails, is nature, ever restless, ever operating. Her- agencies, ever pro- ceeding in a. regular manner, accord- ing to fixed and clearly defined laws. And here Advertics finds its prov- ince. The new science will not pro- fess to impart to man the power of advertising any more than logic glv:s i r m the power of thinking, or gram- mar the capacity of speech. Advertics will find men engaged in disseminat- ing incentive intelligence, and then proceed to unfold the laws involved,- just as grammar presupposes that men can speak, and proceeds to detect the rules of correct speech. And as gram- mar, by~its rides, enables persons to express themselves correctly, cl-.a.ly - and accurately, so Advertics, by ex- pounding the laws of disssminative incentive, will guard against mistakes in advertising. * K- * Its field is well marked, rigid and exact; for though it will always be more or less intimately as;OLiated with psychology, logic, grammar, rhet- oric and the science of language, it need never trespass upon the teriilo:y of its neighbors. "We may even go so far as to define it, and thereby accord it a place among the sciences. Let ns say that "Adver- tics is the science of the laws of in- centive intelligence." Starting with this the next step wi" be to carefully watch the operations. By so doing we may discover what these laws are, and express them in language or in formulae, as the case may be. * * * In doing this we are constructing a science which is co-ordinated knowl- edge, as distinguished from the knowl- edge of individual things or isolated facts, as they present themselves. The next step necessary is to effect the grand divisions. They readily present themselves. Intelligence is of two kinds; thought, pure and simple, as it exists in the mind, and thought ex- pressed—reduced to language. Therefore, Advertics should he di- vided accordingly. Tart I should take up thought, and the observations should, or rather must; he conducted by pure self-consciousness. Cognitions must be followed from sense percep- tion through their various phases, un- til they reach tne motive faculties or orective powers. Tart II should deal with the nature of the expressed in- telligence, examining into the partic- ular attributes which create desire or move the will to action. In both instances investigation should be conducted" by induction. Further than this we can not go in outlining our coui-se. We must be guided by the discoveries we make, by the nature of the new country into which we have ventured. .■'■■■* * * It can be said with certainty, how- ever, that progress will be greatly fa- cilitated by the construction of a par- ticular logic, an oganon, as it were, which will give us the laws of correct thinking upon our subject. This we require as a propaedutic, but many difficultiespresent themselves in form- ulating it, for although we need it in the beginning, according to the course ©f human reason, it is the best tiling we arrive at, when the science has been already matured, and needs on!y the finishing touches to perfect It. Still the work would b3 fascinating. Let us organize a party to blaze a path into the new district. One man can not do it alone. "Who will go along? Early Bird. Regarding the "Earlv Tliid" showing at Knoxville. Tenn.. $am W. Jloke sends in Ihe following correspondence. The first letter is from the bill poster to the manufacturer, Knoxville. Term.; Oct. 15, 1S9S. Mr. $am W. Hoke, New York City: TVar Fir:—Yrtirs of the 13th at hand, and in rrplv will sav Mr. Hanes' representative call- ed at cur office and requested to check his paper. I made an appointment personally to meet him that afternoon, had my horse and bug-y readv. but he failed to come. Now h's paper was in good standing at the time, and to the full expiration of thirty days. We can not afford to lose the reputation we bear for a small iob like Mr. Hanes". If this gentle- rppn wil take the trouble to call on me. I will gladlv take him out and check his paper 'r.r him. Or If it will be of any satisfaction to ycu to sec your paper up. I can have it photographed and sent you. *What mere can I do to give satisfaction than this? I have followed this business for twenty-live years, and find "honest service gives more work." Tf vou can suggest any other method to sat- isfy all parties, let me know. I refer you to Ottenberg. who saw his woik in our citv. and r'so saw how we exert'ourselves to push his er.rds, as we do for all others. I may. per- haps, see vou in person soon. We renmin at your service. SOUTHERN BILL, POSTING CO.. E.C. Barnes, Manager. The second letter is from the inspector also to the manufacturer, viz.: Knoxville. Term..- Oct. 1G. 1S9S. Messrs. P. H. Hanes & Co.. Winston. X. C: Dear Sirs:—Yours with bill posters' list en- eV.F«d received. When I called on the bill poster on Monday. October 3. he could not furnish the list, but stated that they wou'd be up the next dav. This was impossible on account of rain. This morning Cameron and myself checked only five, and found that many were not up at places designated. While in the vicinity of his office tj-da*-. I saw him and three associates enter his office. 1 went in to see him. and Cameron ■ crossed ever to wait for me at the hotel. He saw that I had him. and the four stood me down that the boards had been up until yesterday. One of them assaulted me with a stick.: and struck me once, while held by his associates. They huFt'ed me cut of the door and closed it. I waited until they came out—and he will remember "Early Bird." Wish ycu would send me all communica- tirns you have from him and his list. I am net hurt in any wav. cniy slight bruises on my arm and head. They certainly are thieves and cowaids, too. Yours truly. DAN HALL. Mr. Barnes' assertion that he had followed the business for twenty-ii\e years is erran- ecus. (Editor's note). Paris Exposition. The Way They Boom It. Desperate cases require desperate meas- ures. The American exhibit at Paris will be a frost, but it will not be on account of nig- early space accorded by the newspapers. Here are two clippings from the same edi- tion of the same paper: Tl'RNED DOWN BY MR. PECK. ■■New York. October 21.—A dispatch to the World from Paris says: Twenty-eight appli- cations for space in the American building at the Paris fair of 1900, approved by the late Maj. Handy as commissioner general and submitted by him to the French commissioner general, have been "turned down" by Mr. Peck, the new American representative. When Maj. Handy was in Paris last year, he selected from among the requests for space for restaurants, caves and amusements with- in the American building twentv-eight which he judged to be up to the required standard. These he recommended-officially. As all con- cessions which involve entrance fees, sale of articles, etc., must be accorded directly by the French authorities, the commissioners of foreign nations have only the right to ap- portion space for and decide upon the purely competitive exniblts of their countries. In a letter to the French commissioner Gen. Peck declares that he can not sanction the appli- cations submitted and approved by his pre- decessor. As to space not another inch be- yond what was granted to Maj. Handy will be allowed the United States. It Is utterly impossible to get any more. Exhibitors must make the best of it and prepare to con- form their exhibits to the space limits. At the American Chamber of Commerce ban- quet M. Picard, in a witty speech, blasted American hopes for more territory when he. declared such a thing out of the question. He advised Mr. Peck to abandon his big dream and remember that Paris is not Chi- cago. The space accorded the United States is about S.flftO square metres in the Champ do Mars and 1,500 in the Esplanade des Inval- ides. MORE SPACE GRANTED AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION. Paris, Oct. 21.—Commissioner General Peck has won his fight for more space In the United States exhibit at the Paris Exposi- tion. Not only have the exposition officers withdrawn their decision that the United States could have no room for a separate Government building, but have granted 22,- 000 more feet of space for the American ex- hibit. This gives the United States a total of 98,000 square feet. New York as Reflected from the Billboards. -The fall business Is on with a rush, every blllbaaid in town seemingly being fully of live paper. The geneial commercial work is on in full blast, every theatre In town (forty- nine in-all) is using the billboards, and to cap it all. the-political canvas Is now beginning, and Innumerable small woik has got to be accommodated during tho coming few weeks. Hustling Hairy : Muneon is constantly springing some new surprise on the adver- t'seis. his last being the renting of the entire building at Forty-first street and Broadway, and covering it entirely with billboards, five, six or seven decks. Munson's billboards at City Hall, some 700 feet of them, and along New Kim street, are among the sur- piises of the downtown district; and in addi- tion to these he has secured the thousand-foot blliboaid around the new Tombs Building now in course of construction. The fact of the matter is that other billposters can give an advertiser a showing on the Eide streets and in Goatville. but Harry Munson has practi- cally the entire downtown district. That the advertisers appreciate his plant is evident from the numerous exclusive contracts he carries. Amcng the paper seen on Munson's boards (not mentioning any of the amuse- ment paper at all, nor any of the small paper) are Franco American Soups, Blue Label Ketchup, Seidenberg's Cigars, Young's Hats, Adams Tutti Fruttl Gum, Virgin Leaf To- bacco. Hawes' Hats, noro Lithia Water, Pearline. Johann Hoff's Malt Extract. II. O., Reach Salt. Mennen's Toilet Powder. Quaker ats. O d Valley Whiskey. Reekitfs Blue. Dia- mond Dyes, Eldiidge Bicycle, Emerson Shoes, etc.. etc. Early Biid Tobacco. Thomas Carlyle Cigars .and Young's Hats are among the new posters bearing $ani W. Hoke's Inlpriut. All th-a theatrical printing houses have been extiemely busy for the past two months, but are catching up with their work now. and are sending their emissaiies among the manufac- turing concerns, and we may, therefore, hope to see many new advertisers on the billboards before the end of the year. The suburbs in the vicinity of Xew York City are getting their full share of the good things. Mildrum. of Yonkers; Le Veni&s. of New Rcchelle: Ring, of Mount Vernon: Dunn, of Tompkinsville; Charley Wood, of Jamaica, and the McElroy boys, of Flushing, all arc expressing themselves very well pleased with the opening of the fall season. M. F. Spreng- er. "the honest king" or Poughkeepsie, re- ports that business never was better. George Vanderbilt. of Tarrytown. has every billboard full, and is busily engaged in buying lumber. The Paterson Biltpcsting Co. have Patcrson. Passaic and Rutherford well covered, every- body is happy, and the goose hangs high. About the most beautiful poster seen here this year is the Alice Melson Daisy Stand, made" by tht? A. S. Seer Co. The background is a mass of daisies, a portraitC full figure) in center of the stand, lettering in white on the background of daisies. These delicate effects are usually lacking in advertising strength, but this poster is not only a thing of beauty, but an easy reader as well. Miss Griswoid is quietly laying wires. Nearly all the Executive Committee are now in favor of making h«er paper the official or- gan as soon as the Hyphenated Resuscitation expiics again. Sam W. Hoke is off again to the Sunny- South, bent on both business and pleasure. He is loaded down with life-sized sketches, and. cf course, his Humber goes also. Chl'.ds' Clgais. Scalping Knife Tobacco." Star Tobacco, Red Indian Tobacco, arc among the commercial posters on the Phila bill boaids. , Jam W. Hoke says he would willingly for- give everything if Dan Robison would onlv use clear water Instead of rye paste to "rub In." On another page of this issue we publish a picture of Advance Advertising Car No. 1 of the Buffalo Bill Shows, together with a group of the boys who have constituted the crew during the past season. They come In with the story that one of their number (we will not say which) posted one thousand and twelve sheets on a country route In one day of fourteen hours. It is curious that these phcnomlnal records arc Invariably made on country routes, but it is. nevertheless, a fact, as the driver will testify. The Santa Fe has put out a very pretty poster, announcing the Priests of Pallas and Karntvnl Krewc festivities of Carnival week. The paster Is In black and red upon a back- ground of old gold, and the Illustration In- cludes King Ki Ki, his satanlc majesty: Kween Karnatlon and other appropriate char- acters, with a full list of the attractions of the week. THE POSTER GIRL. The poster girl is passing fast, Her. vogue on earth is .o'er: Her violet lips and greenish hair ■ Wo. soon shall sec no more. That wobbly waist, her twisted arms. Her slanting eyes and hands. Arc fading from these smudgy skies - to other grotesque lands. Oh. ere you die, weird poster girl. While yet for speech there's room- Say, when you're burled would you like A pink and purple tomb? —Exchange. THE BILLBOARD Who Was He ? ADVERTISING CAR NO. J. Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Rochester. Gty Loses in Action Against Billyosting Co — Sought to Have the Company Remove Billboard - Company Given a Permanent Injunction Restraining the City from Re- moving the Board. . (Special Correspondence.) The Rochester Bill Posting Company has come out victorious in its fight with the city which sought to have a bill board on East Main street removed on the ground that it was unsightly and dangerous. The case was decided by Judge Dwlght of the Appellate Division. ptember 27, the court giving the company a permanent injunction restrain- ing the city from removing the bill board. In November, 1894, the Rochester Bill Post- ing Company, had a bill board about ten feet high and 150 feet long erected on the south side of East Main street between University- avenue and North Union street. In the Sixth Ward. Objection was made to- the board by- some of the residents of the vicinity, and the matter was called to the attention of Alder- man Adams, who brought it up at a meeting of the Common Council. A resolution direct- ing the Fire Marshal to remove the bill board was adopted by the Council. President Stahibrodt of the company at-once took the matter into the courts and secured a tempo- rary injunction restraining the city from re- moving the bill board. The matter has been in the courts ever since, the temporary in- junction remaining In effect pending a de- cision on an application for a permanent In- junction made by the company. The case came up before Judge Dwlght In the Appellate Court to-day. Assistant Cor- poration Counsel Flcckenstein appearing for the city and John R. Fanning for the com- pany. Several witnesses testifteld for the company for the purpose of showing that the bill board was not dangerous or unsightly, as •lalmcd by the city. No wltuesses were pro- duced by tho city. ______^__^_ Judge Dwlght rendered a decision gi anting a permanent Injunction restraining" the city from removing the bill board. The costs of the action will, therefore, fall on the city, and tho bill board will remain. The Youth's Companion. The principal attractions offered by The Youth's Companion for the remaining weeks of 1S98 provide a foretaste of the good things to follow In the new volume for 1S99. To the first Issue in November Frank It. Stockton will contribute a humorous sketch, entitled "Some of My Dogs," and In the Issue for the week of November 10th win appear Ttudyard . Kipling's thrilling story of the heroism of soldiers in the ranks. "The Burning of Sarah sands." In the seven Issues to foilow there will be contributions by Lord Durfcrln, will- lam. D. HowellB. J. E. Chamberlin, the Amer- ican war correspondent: Mary .E. Wtlklns. Hon. Thomas 11. Heed, tho Marquis of Lome: Mine. Lillian Nordlca and I. ZangwIU. Thoso who subscribe now for the 1SI9 volume will receive every November mid December issue "f The Companion from tho time of sub- scription to tho end of tho year free, tho Companion Calendar for 1S99 free, and then the entire ">2 issues of The Companion to January 1. 19C0. An illustrated announce- ment of the 1S99 volume and sample copies will be sent free to any one addressing THE YOUTH'S COMPANION, 211 Columbus Ave., Boston, Mass. Painting Water Color Signs. The first thing to consider is the brushes. Regular water color brushes should it used. They are numbered from 1 to 12. For ordi- nary work alternate sizes should be used: that is, skip every other size. A couple of sky or wash brushes, a large one and a small one, are needed. These are used for putting in backgrounds, heavy sceneiy. etc. For rough, heavy work on brick, old weather- beaten boards, etc., ordinary house brushes will come in handy. He should also have a couple or more of lacquering -or varnish brushes; black Siberian are considered the best. A set of camel-hair quill pencils in sizes from 1 to S will complete an outfit for", all ordinary sign work in water colors. If you desire to save you brushes and keep them in condition to do good work, never permit them to be used in oil. When done using them for the time being, wash them out in water and lay them away. When wanted to be used again, dip them in water and work them until comparatively dry on the palm of the band or on a smooth board. The colors for fine work come in three forms, viz., dry cakes, mcist cakes, and moist tubes. Moist cakes seem to be the favorite. Tubes are the best, but are con- sidered too expeusive, except for fine illus- trated work. Outfits in mcist cakes suitable for placard work may be bad at any art store anywhere from $3 to $2S. House painters usually call them distem- per colors. No matter by what name the} are known, they are nothing more than the dry pigments, the same as used In oil. There are several prepared products used is, house decoration that servo admirably for water color signs; they are known by such names as Gypsine. Plastico, Onresco, Mures- co, etc. Gypsine is considered the most use- ful to the sign painter. This is the stuff that show people use when advertising on glass. Fading is the worst thing to contend with In water color signs, particularly when in a strong light. Purple and green fade most. However, the use of them may be avoided. To make them stand the weather, mix the water colors in gum or glue wtter, and when dry Bow on a coat of pale linseed oil. Another way is to give the work a coat cf isinglass, then a coat of Damar varnish. Possibly the best way Is to spray on the fixatlf made for the purpose. Common water colors always work best hot. Do not use common water colors as soon as mixed. First soak the colors in water for several hours, then pcur on hot water until tho proper consistency is reached. When mixed In glue \vater. dissolve a little chloride of potash In it. This prevents tho glue from cracking. Aim to wash in the background in one coat and to do the lettering In one coat. " Keep the colors stiff when lettering, relying on the dexterous use of the brush to get them smooth. A good and easy working water color may bo made by rubbing common dis- temper up in dextrine. A druggist's mortar may bo used to do this. Some thirty years ago a man painted a tij:i at "Harper's I'erry" in Chicago. The summer's sun and the winter's storms have in no way dimmed the lustre of the paint used on this sign. The words stand out boldly, and the sand blown against it by the wind has worn the unpainted wood until the letters stand out about one-six- teenth of an inch. Xo modern paint, it is averred by those who should know, could resist the inclement elements as that which was used on this sig::. Its /reparation is one of the lost arts, and the Western Society of Engineers is en- deavoring, to find the man who painted the sign and learn from him the valuable secret of making paint that will outwear wood and retain its lustre. Your subscription to "The Billboard" is new due. Have you paid it? Pete Mylius was a "Billboard" caller Octo- ber 3. In-the-Swim was a "Billboard" ealier Oc- tober 5. Publishers* Corner. With this issue "The Billboard" enters upon the fifth year of its existence. During the past twelve months the paper has grown much both in circulation and influence. It has lost few readers and has gained many- new friends. The increasing favor which it has fcund amcng sign painters is truly re- maikable. Twelve month's ago we numbered scaicely a dozen among our paid subscribers, and these were mostly bulletin painters. To- day we reach upwards of fifteen hundred, be- tides the many billposters who also follow sign painting and paper hanging. We have also added many new names among the billposters to our list. Amcng distributors our increase has been less noteworthy, simply from the fact that we had already reached the limit of circulation long before the past year begun. We could have made substantial increase among so- called distributors in the small towns, but the * circulation would Lave been neither substan- tial nor desirable. For the most part they are mostly boys or very young men. They can net make a livelihood out of distributing, and therefore we do not think they are entitled to be called distributors. As we said before, they are mostly boys, and about the only thing they accomplish is to rob the billposter of a share cf his legitimate income. We hope to see the time when the city bill- poster in the small towns will control the dis- tributing, sign-tacking and sign painting. They are kindred callings which complement each other, and together will give one man a good living, and make it worth his while to devote his best efforts to the business. When this state of affairs has come to pass adver- tisers will fir.d it possible to procure good service in the real small towns. And speaking about advei Users, we have really made most gratifying progress among them. For the fim three years we found ciiculaticn building in this field about the teughest preposition we had ever tackled. Duiing the past year, though, we have really done very well. We have secured almost one thousand subscribers who are prominent in the advertising world, and we can tell from our correspondence that interest is on the increase. We can confidently promise to in- ciease this number three-fold during the ccmijjg year. We shall give them the kind of a paper they want, and our experience tells us that they will buy it and read it. We are going to publish cur usual and ela- borate and special number for Christmas. It wili be an improvement on all our past ef- forts, and we Invite billposters, sign painters, distributors, fair managers and poster print- el s to use advertising space'"libera!ly. The edition will be 12.3C0. No advance in adver- tising rates. Following our usual custom, we will mail large numbers to bill posters and ad- vertisers in foreign lauds, especially Eugland, Ireland, Scotland. Wales. India and Australia. An advertisement will more than pay in this particular number. Wanted—An Editor. W. H. Donaldson has severed bis connec- tion with "The Bi'lboaid." The executive committee of the Associated Bill Posters de- manded of Mr. Donaldson that he institute a policy in the conduct of this paper that would have ruined it. Mr. Donaldson's associates In The Billboard Publishing Co. objected, and he resigned. Many efforts have been made to have him reconsider Ms action, but without result. ■ His time is fully occupied with other mat- ters, and he is bound and determined to hold his membership in the A. B. P., so "The Billboard" needs an editor. It also wants to hear from a capable young man to occupy the position of advertising manager. Good salaries will be paid both, but good does not mean fancy. The pack of knockers and snapping curs that have been howling house-organ at "Tho Billboard" whenever the chance offered will loir have to frame a new hue-and-cry. This ought to hold them for awhile. D/lllLK l/ll fa Aeoodtownof ~ s.ooo. \A1. NEU/ELL, Billposter and Distributor. r.ooo feet of well built boards and more in course of construction. Rate. 5c per sheet per mouth. U. P. R. & G. Send me your Paper. I will treat it right. I SOME OF THE BOYS OF ADVERTISING CAR NO. J. Buffalo Bill's Wild West.