A word that is frequently misused i is “optimism.” ”
“A: man engaged in any business whatsoever who.
looks for success without exercising his faculties
to achieve that end, is not an. optimist, but a fool

| “Two things: make advertising
“almost a synonym for optimism.
One ‘is: that.the advertiser who

would ‘be successful’ must be an ,

_ ‘optimist. The other is that when
“an advertiser loses his optimism he
. generally concels his advertising.
ca _ “Business is rotten,” exclaims
i the. manufacturer, and forthwith

oe orders all his advertising stopped, . |
vy, little realizing that his own action .
isi one of the principal causes. that:

~ -makes business rotten.
Cancelling advertising is so easy

that. it is nearly always the first .

= step. ‘toward retrenchment. . The

matter is seldom decided on’ its”
‘merits... It.is impulse. Advertising .

‘must'be an‘ expense, the advertiser

: ‘reasons,’ Therefore: to cut it off

os eflects a saving.
- The: ‘stoppage of advertising in

times of stress and change has two:

‘bad: effects upon the business in-
“volved. . It. turns off immediately ‘a
method of securing new business
and. holding ‘old business. In addi-
tion to that, it ‘advertises the pessi-

mistic. views of the advertiser, and

_ faith ‘in himself, his. country, his
. goods, cand the. future to other bus-
“ness men who are perhaps on the

verge of doing the same thing. oe
"Without i in any way minimizing -

the crisis’ which the world is now.
facing, without. ignoring | the. fact

that a long, expensive war in ‘Eur.

ope will result in a great deteriota- oo

tion of values” and a tremendous

_ adjustment. of finance and eom-*- >
+ Merce when iti is over; there i is nev ne |
“ertheless sufficient ground. for be-. .
_ lieving that this country is going ~

on,.that the manufacture and: ‘con-".

‘sumption of ‘goods will continue,
and that the manufacturers who -
. are enterprising, far-sighted and
alert enough to take advantage of
- existing and new markets and to-
” push their’ business: as: they would:

in ordinary times, are going to be-

° néfit by. their:actions. ~ . et

~The point is that the war will
either end everything in the world

or it will not. If it does‘not, busi- ; —
‘ness, among other things, must go:

on. In our own country it must ~
go. on now: «It cannot wait until —

the wari ‘is over.