At Port Royal Racine was happy

At Port Royal Racine was happy. He was a gentle-hearted boy and his
masters loved him. He early began to compose verses and showed an
intense love of poetry. At nineteen he left Port Royal for the college
of Harcour, at Paris. When he was twenty-one Louis XIV. was married, and
invited every versifier in the kingdom to write in honor of the
occasion. Racine was an obscure student and was unknown as a poet. He
wrote a poem on the marriage, and it was shown to M. Chapelain, who was
the poetical critic of Paris at that time. He thought it showed a good
deal of promise and suggested a few alterations. It was carried to the
patron of the critic, who sent him a hundred louis from the king, and a
pension of six hundred livres. The poet"s friends were anxious that he
should choose a profession, and that of the bar was strongly urged upon
him. He objected. An uncle who had a benefice at Uzes, wished to resign
it to his nephew. Racine concluded to visit his uncle in the provinces.
He remained for some time there, but he found there was little hope of
advancement and grew restless. The scenery around him was magnificent,
yet, though he was a poet, he had no eye for the grand and impressive in
scenery. He was too much of a Parisian for that. A Parisian is all
art--and cares nothing for nature. He prefers fine buildings and
paintings to fields, mountains, and majestic rivers.

Then there is the correspondent whose descriptions are too vague;

too general--little more than bald assertions
Then there is the correspondent whose descriptions are too vague;
too general--little more than bald assertions. A letter from a
vacuum cleaner manufacturing company trying to interest agents is
filled with such statements as: 'This is the best hand power machine
ever manufactured,' 'It is the greatest seller ever produced,' 'It
sells instantly upon demonstration.' No one believes such
exaggerations as these. Near the end of the letter--where the writer
should be putting in his clincher, there is a little specific
information stating that the device weighs only five pounds, is made
of good material and can be operated by a child. If this paragraph
had followed quickly after the introduction and had gone into
further details, the prospect might have been interested, but it is
probable that the majority of those who received the letter never
read as far as the bottom of the second page.

_Arguments--prices, styles, terms, quality or whatever they may

be--are effective only when used on the right 'prospect' at the
right time
_Arguments--prices, styles, terms, quality or whatever they may
be--are effective only when used on the right 'prospect' at the
right time. The correspondent who has some message of value to carry
gathers together a mass of 'raw material'--facts, figures and
specifications on which to base his arguments--and then he selects
the particular talking points that will appeal to his prospect. By
systematic tests, the relative values of various arguments may be
determined almost to a scientific nicety. How to gather and classify
this material and how to determine what points are most effective is
the subject in this chapter_

If gold and silver were produced in relatively equal quantities,

the world would go on trading with money of both kinds, but the
proportions are not the same
If gold and silver were produced in relatively equal quantities,
the world would go on trading with money of both kinds, but the
proportions are not the same.

Few men would receive a letter like that without taking the time to

read it, at least hurriedly, and if the rest of the argument is
presented with equal force the message is almost sure to be carried
home
Few men would receive a letter like that without taking the time to
read it, at least hurriedly, and if the rest of the argument is
presented with equal force the message is almost sure to be carried
home.

The mode of foreclosure differs in some states

The mode of foreclosure differs in some states. The usual method
is to foreclose on an order from the court, and to have the sale
conducted by a court officer.

Appeals to men can be peppered with technical description and still

interest and get results
Appeals to men can be peppered with technical description and still
interest and get results. The sales manager of a house selling
cameras by mail says, in speaking of this principle:

Talking of this street and its reputation in Eugene Sue"s novels,

reminds me of the man
Talking of this street and its reputation in Eugene Sue"s novels,
reminds me of the man. When I first saw it he had just been elected to
the Chamber of Deputies by an overwhelming majority. It was not because
Sue was the favorite candidate of the republicans, but he stood in such
a position that his defeat would have been considered a government
victory, and consequently he was elected. I was glad to find the man
unpopular among democrats of Paris, for his life, like his books, has
many pages in it that were better not read. At that time he was living
very quietly in a village just out of Paris, and though surrounded with
voluptuous luxuries, he was in his life strictly virtuous. He was the
same afterward, and being very wealthy, gave a great deal to the poor.
His novels are everywhere read in France.

If the commercial and financial community is short of cash, all that it

has to do is to go to the Bank of England and borrow a few millions, and
the only effect on the Bank"s position is an addition of so many
millions to its holding of securities and a similar addition to its
deposits
If the commercial and financial community is short of cash, all that it
has to do is to go to the Bank of England and borrow a few millions, and
the only effect on the Bank"s position is an addition of so many
millions to its holding of securities and a similar addition to its
deposits. It may sometimes happen that the borrowers may require the use
of actual currency, and in that case part of the advances made will be
taken out in the form of notes and gold, but as a general rule the Bank
is able to perform its function of providing emergency credit by merely
making entries in its books.

8

8. Each bank must keep on deposit in the treasury of the United States
lawful money equal to five per cent. of its circulation as a fund
for redeeming the same. This five per cent. may be counted as
part of its lawful reserve. This does not relieve banks from the
duty of redeeming their notes at their own counters on demand.

The police regulations of Paris are very good, but not so good as those

of London, though New York might learn from her many useful lessons
The police regulations of Paris are very good, but not so good as those
of London, though New York might learn from her many useful lessons.
Rogues thrive better in Paris than in London. The Paris policeman wears
no distinctive dress, and there are streets in which if you are attacked
by night, your cries will call no officer to the rescue. The police have
been proved often to be in league with bad men and bad women, and these
cases are occurring from day to day. I should not like to walk alone on
a winter"s night, after midnight, anywhere for half a mile on the
southern side of the Seine. Some of the streets are exceedingly narrow,
and are tenanted by strange people. Still, one might have many curious
adventures in them, and escape safely--but _La Morgue_ tells a
mysterious tale every day of some dark deed--a suicide or a murder,
perhaps.

The best performance of the service of transportation by rail requires

the fullest possible co-ordination of the different parts of our
transportation system and the largest attainable measure of
co-operation among the agents who perform the service
The best performance of the service of transportation by rail requires
the fullest possible co-ordination of the different parts of our
transportation system and the largest attainable measure of
co-operation among the agents who perform the service. Section 4 of
the act of 1887 and the law of July, 1890, as far as the latter
relates to railways, are based on an unsound theory. Provision having
been made for that kind and measure of governmental regulation of
railway rates that will insure reasonable charges, the railways should
be permitted to co-operate in rate-making and be given power to pool
their competitive business.

In case none of the samples suit you, let us know what colors you

like and we will send more samples
In case none of the samples suit you, let us know what colors you
like and we will send more samples.

If no price were offered for capital, we should none of us save, or if

we saved we should not risk our money by lending it, but hide it in a
hole, or lock it up in a strong room, and so there could be no new
industry
If no price were offered for capital, we should none of us save, or if
we saved we should not risk our money by lending it, but hide it in a
hole, or lock it up in a strong room, and so there could be no new
industry.

When you buy a draft which you mean to send off in payment of a

debt, a good plan is to have it made payable to yourself
When you buy a draft which you mean to send off in payment of a
debt, a good plan is to have it made payable to yourself.

Of these three types of business stationery, the first is

essentially practical and sane; the second is forceful if it does
not violate the fundamental rules of color and design, and if it has
a peculiarly apt application; while the third is almost invariably
in as poor taste as eccentricity in dress
Of these three types of business stationery, the first is
essentially practical and sane; the second is forceful if it does
not violate the fundamental rules of color and design, and if it has
a peculiarly apt application; while the third is almost invariably
in as poor taste as eccentricity in dress.

'Does it appeal to the farmer"s need,' is the overhead question

which is back of all advertising directed at the man living on a
farm
'Does it appeal to the farmer"s need,' is the overhead question
which is back of all advertising directed at the man living on a
farm. It is not necessary to go into proofs; the reasons are
apparent.

Whatever theory of rates may be accepted as ideally best, it cannot be

strictly adhered to under the existing conditions of active competition
obtaining in the United States
Whatever theory of rates may be accepted as ideally best, it cannot be
strictly adhered to under the existing conditions of active competition
obtaining in the United States. Actual charges have to be fixed and
revised to meet the varying circumstances under which railway traffic is
conducted. This competition takes several distinct forms. One is that
between railways and waterways. A large part of the domestic traffic of
the United States has the choice of transportation by rail or by water
on the great lakes and the tributary canals, by the navigable rivers, or
by one of the many ocean routes followed by our coastwise commerce.
There is also the competition of rival railways connecting common
termini or serving the same cities. These forms of competition are the
ones most frequently noted; but they perhaps exercise a less potent
influence over rates than what is known as competition through the
markets or through the channels of trade. The competition between rival
centres of commerce and industry--between the Atlantic cities and the
gulf ports, for instance, or between the manufactures of New York and
Philadelphia and those of Chicago or Cincinnati for the markets of the
Southern States, to cite another example--is a force that must be
considered in making rates and fares. Even towns served by only one
railway and by no waterway enjoy the benefits of this industrial
competition. Unless the railroad can give the industries in these
local towns rates that will enable them to market their products,
the industries will decline and the railway will lose its traffic.

Many propositions can be exploited in this way

Many propositions can be exploited in this way. In other instances a
much more complete statement must be made to elicit a reply. Here
the illustrated personal letter comes into use. And it is
significant that in a number of specific cases these letters in post
card form have been far more productive of inquiries than ordinary
letters on the same proposition. Their unique form, the accompanying
illustrations, by their very contrast in method of approach, prompt
a reading that the letter does not get.

There are a hundred things that might be said about this commodity

that you want to market
There are a hundred things that might be said about this commodity
that you want to market. It requires a knowledge of human nature,
and of salesmanship to single out the particular arguments and the
inducement that will carry most weight with the individual to whom
you are writing. For even if you are preparing a form letter it will
be most effective if it is written directly at some individual who
most nearly represents the conditions, the circumstances and the
needs of the class you are trying to reach.