4 minute read

Random Editorial Ramblings

By Jack Dionne

People in business institutions who come into contact with the public, are becoming more mannerly and courteous all the time. It is one of the finest signs of the times to realize that all modern business management recognizes the incomparable value of courtesy and kindliness and interest. In hotels, stores, depots, theatres, everywhere-you are more courteously treated than you ever dreamed of in years gone by. Business has learned that throwi4g bouquets pays better than throwing bricks. Every time you find yourself treated with more than necessary courtesy and interest, show your appreciation. Thus the tide will grow.

**!f{€

Psychologists say that the average person uses only ten percent of his brain power. To run an old ifashioned lumber yard, or an old fashioned sawmill, this was probably plenty. But unless we miss our guess the lumber folks will have to get a much larger percentage of their thinking capacity into active operation during the next few years, if thetr are to keep step with the times. With the Elstlllr facturers of other building materials setting the pace at creating business, and the mail order retail stores selling homes and building things house-to-house, the old ten percent average will only.land us in the scrap heap.

****

All wise men and philosophers have agreed that success in life means finding happiness-not necessarily finding material wealth. Many men make a success IN life, who entirely fail to make a success OF life. The happy man is the successful one. And, since happiness can only be founded on demonstrated USEFULNESS, it follows that the successful man is the USEFUL man. Happiness is just a by-product of a useful life.

****t

Profits are what the lumberman has left after all the bills are paid. Right now we are approaching the season of the year when the lumberman is wondering just how much cash per dollar his book accounts are worth, how his stock will inventory, and how his books will balance on December 3lst. This is the time of the year when he severely repents unwise sales and toolax credits-when he loolrs with joy at those accounts that are gilt edged, and with groans at those that are doubtful. It is now that he realizes the axiom that a sale is never consumr mated until the goods are paid for. Inventory time, and book balancing time approach. Everyone is getting set for them.

The surging foodof color is being considered and discussed on every hand in business as the tide swells. It rerninds us of the lumber dealer who is a keen paint mer- chant also, and who was asked by a lady on the street: "Do you sell paint?" and who answered, .,No, lady, I sell color schemes." Truly, many new lines of business have gone in for color schemes, and others are ready for the plunge. Who would ever have believed that the tSpewriter salesman would make his chief sales talkon giving the buyer his "choice of five attractive and permanent colors"? We know that beautiful colors and, color blends and combinations have sold more automobiles in the past three years than driving performance. fnstances are given where an automobile model entirely failed at first sight in plain colors, and went strong when light and attractive colors were substituted. Storekeeper reports of foods jumping immediately in public demand when offered for sale on the counter in attractive colored packages instead of plain packages or bulk, are frequent. In New york they reported that books that were slow in moving were rebound in attractive colors and immediately came into demand. We all know what colors have done for costume jewelry. There are thousands of other examples all around us of the pub_ lic craze for attractive colors. It is proving so with holes, home equipment, etc. And it should and will be carried much farther in the building business. The most attractive home f have seen in a year has one room that hotds the attention of all visitors. rt is one in which the floor is of strips of hardwood of blended *colors.

An English magazine calls attention to the fact that many of our orthodox wedding rites are pagan in their derivation. The veilis a continuation of the eastern rule' that the husband must be the first man to see the wife's face; throwing rice is an old Eastern custom, symbolizing a wish for plenty in this, their chief food; the iirrg o'tt" fourth finger of the left hand comes from the old Roman belief that a nerve leads directly from that finger to the heart; shoe throwing comes fromthe Orient, where the bride's father used to give a shoe to the bridegroom to show that he surrendered to him the right to beat his daughter with shoe or slipper; the wedding cake is also fromthe old Roman custom where the bride and groom alwa5rs atd cake in front of the priest as part of ttrJ wedding geremony, etc. Likety all very true.

These, says the writer quoted from, are relics of the days when woman was a chattel. Undoubtedly! Giving tie bride away in our Christian eeremony is arelic of such times. And they weren't pagan, either. They come direct fromthe Bible, in rvhich Book all women were chattels. TheLord, according to Genesis, said to Eve, when He cast herout of Paradise, ..Thy husband shall rule over thee." And St. Paul, in the New Testament, says: ..\it/ives' submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord."

I've often wondered how woman's rights and Funda(Continued on .Page 8.)

Servicing Tee Souteland

60 Million Feet Of Lurmber Stocks

Supplementing the 6O million feet of lumber always in stockat llammond fistributing yards, are regular rail and water shipments en route from Hamrnond mills in'Washington, Oregon and Northern Cali' fornia; an immediate and continuous supply service on Western forest products. Dealers find the Hammond organization geared to handle unusual demands for all grades of Douglas Firo Redwood, Ilemlock, Spruce, Pine and Cedar, for Hammond affiliations provide an elastic service that is definite in supply and shipment. And the sarnedegree of service is available'on Hard' woods, for Hammond stocks include 5O varieties of domestic and imported woods in l5O grades and l9O sizes.

fn aIIo a lumber service that embraces quality stocks and ready shipments.

This article is from: