By H. D. Whittlesey

Even as the editorial standard of The Christian Science Monitor upholds the advertising standard, so all supporters of Monitor advertising go forth bearing this standard. It is plain that the Monitor is no ordinary newspaper; it has its own great mission, and its advertising columns are a direct and chief point of contact with all business.

I am an advertiser in The Christian Science Monitor. That is, the company with which I am associated is a Monitor advertiser, and has been for many years. We have an advertising department, of course, and during a recent interview with one of the executives in that department he showed me some pertinent data. He has on file labels from packages, sales slips, stickers, and testimonial letters, all responses to our advertisements in the Monitor, from such far points as California and Oregon; from the South—Florida and Louisiana; from the Middle West—Illinois and Michigan and Iowa; and from the near-by states of New York and New Jersey; and even from Switzerland. As a national distributor of products useful to people in every part of the globe, with a high standard of quality set for its products, our concern finds the Monitor an ideal medium for proper advertising to meet the standard of quality expected by its readers.

These is no one factor which helps to stimulate and improve the interest of those already advertising in the Monitor more than the steady flow of response from its readers. This story of one firm with branches located in key cities over the entire United States is a truly representative one. Not only does our firm itself advertise, but many of our branches carry local advertisements in the Monitor. The labels, sales slips, and testimonial letters are evidence of the kind of merchandise purchased and the consumer interest in Monitor advertising for selective buying. The reader response by Monitor subscribers in this one case was of such value that our advertising department compiled figures and statistics showing the coverage by states, as well as the number of replies and purchases, as a result of these advertisements.

The advertiser feels the quality of the individual thought, and responds, as Truth unfolds the advantages of Monitor advertising when well presented and effectively supported. Our Leader writes in our textbook (Science and Health, pp. 82, 83) that "it is wise earnestly to consider whether it is the human mind or the divine Mind which is influencing one."

An enthusiastic Monitor advertising representative told me this story of one of her experiences with a large department store's advertising manager. His duties also involved those of merchandising manager, and the day of her call he was busily engaged in interviewing a great many people. Nothing daunted, this loyal standard bearer took advantage of the delay to make another important call. Returning to this man's office, she waited but a few minutes to gain his attention. Divine Mind was surely the "influencing" Mind in this case, for the advertising manager was ready to let her tell her story. She placed her sales slips in his hands, gained his immediate interest, and went away with his advertising renewed and his appreciation of the Monitor greatly enlivened. Should not Monitor readers reward such intelligent and successful effort by their enthusiastic response to the advertiser's messages in our newspaper?

Every dealer likes to feel that his trade comes to him because of something about his service, the quality of his goods, his location, the authority in selling which one finds in his place of business, and the willingness to serve and to give equal value. When his advertising meets response, such as sales slips, labels, stickers, and, most important of all, friendly, cordial letters, it is borne home to him that advertising in the Monitor results in more selective consumer buying.

Now a word to those in the audience who are engaged in soliciting Monitor advertising. In this work, as in any great undertaking, prayerful preparation and careful planning are necessary before going into action. Those who are enlisted in the service to carry out these plans will find themselves in the presence of buyers, even though the doors seem to be closed. Our great Master marked out the way for us when he said, "Pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." When preparing the day's calls, one should remember Jesus' inspired counsel, "First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Prayerful consideration of the prospect and the calls to be made, gains that inward sense of peace. Going forth with humility, you then take those human footsteps that are necessary, in a general marshaling of your forces for action.

As you enter a prospect's office, do you wear the badge of consideration? Courtesy demands that you should be interested in and glad to listen to what someone else may have to say. Find out, if you can, before you make a call, what your customer's interests are, or perhaps it will come out in your conversation. If you are interested in him, it follows that he will be interested in what you have to say about Monitor advertising and its general news value.

Then, when your time comes to talk, be sure you know the Monitor. Are you familiar with its pages, its features, its special columns—all the advantages it has to offer? Your love and support of the Monitor, your sincerity of purpose, and your knowledge of its standards will be a backlog which will never fail you. If your prospect is a busy executive, respect the pressure of business and tell your story briefly. Your interest in his welfare will be reciprocal. And, finally, when you are called upon to spend some time waiting between calls, seize these precious moments for inspiration, for communion with God, for gratitude, and for healing of any resistance to right activity.

When we bear in mind that The Christian Science Journal is bought and read because of the nature of its contents —because the testimonies and articles it contains bring healing to mankind; when we realize that the same is true of the purchase and perusal of the Christian Science Sentinel, then we should not place The Christian Science Monitor in a separate category from these other publications. We should see that our daily newspaper is "to spread undivided the Science that operates unspent," as Mrs. Eddy stated in her leading editorial in the first edition of the Monitor (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 353).

"It will never do to be behind the times in thincs most essential.which proceed from the standard of right that regulates human destiny. . . . Metaphysical healing, or Christian Science, is a demand of the times. Every man and every woman would desire and demand it, if he and she knew its infinite value and firm basis." So Mrs. Eddy has written on page 232 of "Miscellaneous Writings."

These inspiring lines from one of our hymns,

express the right tempo for support of Monitor advertising, or circulation, and it is a joy and privilege to bear and maintain this high standard in all our activities for our great daily newspaper. As we unfurl our banners, we can help our advertising representatives not only to hold and increase the older advertiser's continued patronage, but to bring in new users of Monitor advertising space in ever-increasing numbers.

The individual and collective support of every Christian Scientist in all that The Christian Science Monitor stands for—its clean journalism, its healing religious articles, its accurate world news, its carefully selected advertisements—should have the full measure of our active daily interest.