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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1948-08-05, Page 6Itneiat Q Ccatect !P ALADK ELAM B Was That Jingle Ever Really Read? Good News for Those Who Enter Contests "I like MERRY MONDAY soap flakes because- - - -" When you fin- ish this statement in 26 glowing words and dropyour bid for the grand prize of the advertising con- test into the mailbox, do you some- times wonder if your pearl will ever be read by the judges? writes Doro- thea Icahn in the Christian Science Monitor. Do you sometimes think it may be overlooked entirely among the hundreds of thousands of entries these contests attract? Be reassured. It's true that the makers of Merry Monday flakes and Tranquil Tuesday starch may not have time to read everything that comes in, but they can, and do, hire experts who do. Every Little "Gem" Read To find out just what happens to our entries, let's call at the offices of Reuben I-1. Donnelley' Corpora- tion in Chicago, a direct mail ad- vertising concern. This company has handled many of the larger con- tests since it embarked upon the contest judging business in response to a client's demand for help in the early 30's. This year, so far, it has conducted nearly a score, including Armour & Company's Chiffon Flakes contest, which offered $100,- 000 in prizes, and the Pepsi-Cola Treasure Top contest with its prizes totalling $206,725. Their system, like those of the three or four other companies doing this work, simply does not permit personal or geographical consider- atfons to 'influence the choice of winners. You would be wasting your time if you tried to dress up your entry in novel form to catch attention. No Frills Allowed Fortunately, the lady who em- broidered her 25 words on a table runner in order to make a hit with the judges doesn't know what hap- pened to her entry. It was typed out by a clerk and sent to the judges in the same form as all the rest, for the embroidery would be pretty awkward to handle on a judging desk. The same thing happend to the entry of the man who surrounded his jingle with electric lights and sent it in equipped with battery, ready to be turned on to dazzle the judges. It, too, went to the judges on a neatly typed slip. And so did that of the cook who entered a cake - flour contest with an endorsement written in frosting on a beautifully baked cake. As for the enterprising contest- ants who make records of their con- tributions, hoping the judges will take time to play them on a phon- itg toy ivaegy 47P1 isr v ed.rdtzs -iqt .Z11 ®o 414 82-9 f :t2:i4MVO ill A. gegii cvsAh.cr V V "�aa Trousseau time is here—and here is the perfect giftl Embroider linens with these smart monograms; HIS, HERS, MR. and MRS, , Colorful, practical, easy. Pattern 929 has transfer of 12 motifs 6j4x 734 to 2%x4 inches. Laura Wheeler's new, improved pattern makes needlework so sim- ple with its charts, photos, concise directions, Send TWENTY-FIVE CENTS in coins (stamps cannot be ae- eepted) for this pattern to the Needlecraft Dept., Box 1, 123 -18th Street, New Toronto. Print plainly PATTERN NUMBER, your NAME and ADDRESS. ograph, they would have done just as well jo write them with a pencil. on a piece of scratch paper, accord- ing to Donnelley executives. All these contestants showed great ingenuity, but they expressed originality .in. the wrong place. The contest terms stated t hat c redit would be given for originality in the wording of the entry, not in its presentation; and judging is kept strictly to the terms as. stated. Judges Must Be Fair Geographical location is not al- lowed to enter into decisions either, the Donnelley people explain. The companies that make a business of judging stake their reputations on the fairness of their work. They say they would not stay in business long if they manipulated the awards in any way, even if they did it to please an advertiser. One of the reasons that most big companies hire their judging done outside, they say, is to make sure that the judging is entirely removed from any personal considerations. But in a contest with thousands, sometimes millions, of entries, to be fair requires more than good in- tentions. It demands know-how. What would you do if even 10,000 entries were piled on your desk some morning and you were re- quired to pick the best? How It's Done Here's how the Donnellys do it. First they arrange with the post- office and the advertiser to get a post -office box number. This en- ables the postal workers to place all contest mail directly into Govern- ment postal bags, which can be picked up and carried to the contest - judging room upon presentation of proper credentials. In popular con- tests, it is not unusual to get two or more bags a day, each with around 2,000 contributions. As the deadline draws near, the volume swell enormously. Most people rush to get under the wire for con- tests just as they do to file their income tax. A bonded messenger gets the bags. Careful check is made to be sure the number signed for reaches the contest room. In the room they are kept under lock and key until the contest staff goes to work upon them. The steps in judging are system- atic. A. battery of workers, picked for natural judging ability and trained in the actual work, is ready and waiting when the letters arrive. As fast as the envelopes conte in they are opened and examined to see if the entry complies with the terms of the contest. Was it posted before the expiration of the contest date? Is a box top, or reasonable facsimile thereof, enclosed? (Yes, some persons actually go to the trouble of making facsimiles, and do it very ,;dl with color effects). Preliminary Judging . Then canes what is called "pre- liminary judging." The trained workers run through the entries to see if they meet basic requirements, such as the specified number of words or the rhyme. A rough estim- ate is made of the merit of each. Each worker who passes upon an entry writes his or her initials upon it. Next comes the "junior judging," with scoring by points. For each contest a scale is set up in accord with the terms of the contest. A typical one may read something like this: For completing statement (or. jingle) e) 10 points maximum. For aptness, 30 points maximum. ' For sincerity, 30 points maximum. For originality, 30 points max. Total, 100 points maximum. The junior judges "grade" the entries just as if they were examin- ation papers on the basis of these points and total the score. They too, sign their initials. The senior judges then take over. The seniors grade the papers over again, sometimes changing the marks given by the junior judges, but leaving the first ratings visible so that the next set of judges, who have the final say, can see what was. done at each stage. Secret of Winning When I had the opportunity pe talk with the executive who it is charge of this big judging business at the Donnelley Corporation, 1 couldn't resist asking him to tell me the secret of winning contests. "Send in a good entry," he said laconically. Then he enlarged a bit on his reply. Freshness and sparkle are the qualities that make an en stand out. But tbve mart be a Ft of sincerity, too Cleverness alone Es not enough What -Is -It Mystery Animal May Be `Catabbit'-The $64 question in Kirkland Lake hinges on the strange animal shown above with its owner, Patsy Marinich. It apparently is half cat, half rabbit. Fronthalf is cat—rear half, rabbit. It eats lettuce and carrots, but also likes milk, fish and other cat tidbits. At..top right it plays with string, like a cat, but can't climb trees because of over -long rabbit -like legs. kNE H{kST a�;, V 'Family ap-. MANY A GIRL, after a couple of years of marriage, finds that her husband is irresponsible. He floats from one job to another. It doesn't natter how good the pay is, or what sort of work he is doing. At the least little . excuse, he quits—and she is left holding the bills. Through many years of reading such complaints, I find that most of these girls mar- ried in good faith. The lad had a position, told her he had a future ahead. During their courtship he spent generously, took her to nice places, brought her gifts, and seem- ed entirely secure. But after they return from their honeymoon, she is flooded with earlier debts he made which, of course, she knew nothing about. And she finds him tossing them off lightly, with, "Don't worry!" and more and more come inl He is not taking care of their current obli- gations, either. Why? A Hasty Marriage * COULD it be that she really did * not know him when she married * him? Could it be that, then in * debt, he had no other idea than to * keep on getting further into debt? that this irresponsible way of Iiv- * ing was part of his character? * Well, if that is true, it is too * bad for her. Brought up to real- * ize one's responsibilities, she is * shocked. He is not the man she * thought he was. Her respect for * him vanishes with the knowledge. * For she discovers he has no * idea of making any sacrifices to * get them on their feet. He is * fastidious about his food, and If * she tries to economize there, she * throws a scene—and goes out to * a restaurant alone. * After these few years of mar- * riage, she needs a new wardrobe. * So does he. Does it worry him? * Not one bit. Her Solution * WHAT is she to do? * She can appeal to his sense of * honor, if he has any. She can * show hint exactly what it costs to * run the home for a single month * —adding payments on the various * obligations he has not taken care * of trying to explain that paying * the bills and establishing credit * is the only way to live honorably. * If he refuses to co-operate, then * it means separation. He will not * like the idea. But if he is to keep hie wife (andY hopes the family she ho es * to have) he must buckle down, If * he will not, then she will go out * on her own—but NOT to support * him. * A man must deserve the wife * he married. Security is the least * she should expect. To "Mrs. E. C.", "Frightened", FACE your husband with your budget—pleasantly bat firmly. Four whole future, and his, depends upon his acceptance of it. If he fails you, then you are on your own ... Such rascals as the man you mar- ried can get away with their folly for a little while. But if they per- sistain it, they have no right to drag you down with them. It is a sad situation, and I sym- pathize with you. But now you must take the man's part, look ahead, try to secure the future of you both. If he will not co-operate, then you two do not belong togeth- er. *' * * If a wife cannot trust her husband's sense of honor, what has she to tie to? If you are in this spot, Anne Hirst can help guide your future. Write her at 123 -18th Street, New Tor- onto. YOUNJIAANND TING at‘dL, Arrmott. This week's script comes from California and it tqlls us of some interesting characteristics about the writer. The letter 'q" in -the word "re- quest" has no loop but conies down to a point at the bottom of the stroke and then leads off in a straight line to the next let- ter. This sign is indicative of an aggressive na- ture, a person who is ever ready to exert mental and physical effort in the desire for accomplishment: Such writers are usually hard task- masters and invariably expect others to keep pace with their ef- forts, becoming very impatient when their instructions are not car- ried out quickly 'The lower stroke of the letter "y" is unusually long and has a wide loop, signifying two things: desire for change and variety, and the ability to associate easily with others. These features give the writer an unusual combination of ability to make quick changes to meet new and varied conditions and yet remain poised and reserved, making others feel at ease. The extra long loops have an added meaning: the writer is food of pleasure, and especially of out- door activities and sports. Anyone vets8tttt, a more complete analysis please send self-addressed, stamped envelope to Alex S. Arnott, 123, i8th Street, New Toronto 14. Advance Notes From the "Ex." For Teen-Agers Onlyl—Every day of the CNE two visiting teen- agers will be in for a fine treat. Each afternoon at Teen Town. in the Coliseum two names will be picked out of the hat—the lucky pair to dine that evening at the Celebrity table in the new Balcony Restaurant with two of Canada's top celebrities. On music day, one of the celebrities might be Sir Ernes' MacMillan. On Press and Radlo Day they may include one of Toronto's top newspapermen and a well-known radio person- ality. On WarrIor's Day, the celebrities will be key military men; on Manufacturers' Day, leading Canadian business execu- tives, and on the remaining days, other well-known Canadians prominent in the fields for which that particular day has been set aside. UNDAY SCii COL LESSON By Rev. R. Barclay Warren Ebed-melech, The Ethiopian ian Jeremiah 38:7-13; 39:15-1 Golden Text—As we have there- fore herefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, --Galatians 6:10. Until little more than a century ago, the buying and selling of slaves was legal in the British Empires While that traffic is stopped, racial' prejudice still raises its ugly head. Bvery race believes Itself superior. Ebed-melech was a black man from Ethiopia. When he learned that the princes who viewed Jere- miah as a fifth -columnist, had put this servant of God In the dungeon, his heart was moved. He plead for Jeremiah that he might be moved from the dungeon °before he died of hunger. Ebed-melech was a kind man. Accompanied by thirty of the king's men he took old rags and let them down by a cord to Jeremiah. With these under his shoulders to protect him from rope burns they were able to raise Jeremiah out of the mire. Ebed-melech was rewarded. Jere- miah's prediction that those who remained in Jerusalem would die by the sword, famine or pestilence, but that whoever went forth and sur- rendered to the Chaldeans would live, came true. But in the meantime Ebed-Melech was the subject of a special prophecy. He would not be slain but his life would be spared, because he had put his trust in the Lord. God has his great souls every- where. vie "hath made of one blood all nations of men." While the leaders of the chosen race with all its privileges and blessings sought to silence God's messenger, a color- ed man saved the prophet's life. Let us follow the example of Jesus in doing good to all men as we have opportunity. Very Absent Stories about the absent-minded professors are legion, but maybe you haven't heard this particular speci- men. The professor was roused from his studies by the telephone ringing. When he answered it, he discovered that it was his married sister calling. "George," she said, "you really must do something about The Globs and Mail. This morning — just ima- gine — they printed a story of your death." "Goodness, gracious," answered the professor. "I suppose we real& ought to send flowers." "1 don't care if you can't cook, darling — so long as you can open packages of Post's Grape -Nuts Flakes!" "Oh George—you're wonderfull I'll just open a package of malty- rich, honey -golden Post's Grape- Nuts Flakes, and quick -like break- fast will be ready!" "Um-m-m—that one -and -only, out -of -this -world Post's, Grape - Nuts Flakes flavor!" "And good nourishment, too, don't forget." "Yep, Hon—they're jam-packed with carbohydrates, minerals and other food essentials that sure will make your husband a husky guyt" "And of course I was only kid- ding about not being able to cook. I can make scrumptious cookies, cakes and other good things from those tested recipes on the Post'r Grape -Nuts Flakes packages." "How about picking up some crisp, crunchy Post's Grape -Nuts Flakes on our way down to get the marriage license?" Honey and Hank