Discovering Seadrift…
As I continued to read the newspaper Dorothy Geraldine Wilson had given me, Seadrift Success, I was caught off guard… I don’t know if you out there believe that history repeats itself, but as I read more and more articles, it seemed to be this way. Geo L. Rhea, the Success editor began the publication on September 16, 1911, just about a century ago.
Yet, one of the first articles I read said, “There are said to be over 5,000,000 able-bodied jobless men in this country today, who are anxious to work, but can not find employment. There is a cause and there is a remedy for this unfortunate state of affairs, but it will take men of brain, men of nerve and men of initiative to remove the cause.” This short article was published in a newspaper from May 1915, today, March 2011 there are about 13.5 million unemployed persons, I guess not much has changed… and the cause has yet to be removed.
Any yet another issue of today, famine:
Seven Million Need Food
Hordes in sorry plight in war ridden Europe.
London. May 1, 1915. – Seven million people, of whom two million are Jews, are in dire need of food. This statement was made today by Hermann Laundau, a Jewish philanthropist associated with various Jewish charities of London. “Of these 5,500,000 are east of the Vistula River and 1,500,000 west of the river.” Mr. Laundau said. “The Jews are even poorer than the Gentiles because of the boycott against the Jews in parts of Poland before the beginning of the war, which impoverished, thousands who otherwise would have been able to provide for their families.” I suppose world hunger will never been resolved, neither by action, nor by prayer and no matter how many Miss Universes wish for it.
It goes to show you that we probably won’t be orbiting around in space cars anytime soon if we can’t resolve the issues of a century past. I remember when I was younger, people would describe the year 2000, the new millennium as if we would be like The Jetsons. Don’t get me wrong, technology has brought us into a completely different era, but the headlines in Seadrift Success have proven that we are very much our ancestors.
And on a lighter note and in my neck of the woods; advertising and marketing:
The Latest Greatest and Up-to-Datest
System of advertising adopted by the enterprising business management of the well known establishment of P. H. Kurtz has certainly caused wide commitment and considerable furore among the buying public of this section.
When Mr. Kurtz first announced that he would give away absolutely free the beautiful $400 Claxton Parlor Grand Piano which is upon exhibition in his store, much curiosity was aroused as to how he could afford, from a business standpoint, to do such a thing, but when it was learned that he would give one piano vote with every cent paid for any article in his store; also that the piano was to be given absolutely free to the person presenting the greatest number of these piano votes it looked like an extremely novel and most liberal advertising method. The earnestness with which our buying public have been “going after” these piano votes more than makes good our prophecy that it would be a “merry strife.” This novel advertising campaign, the ever increasing crowds, the many splendid values which he is offering daily has made his name a household name and a mecca for the bargain lovers of this community. He is to be congratulated upon the thoroughness of his business foresight and the citizens of Seadrift should feel that they have all reason to be proud of the fact of having an establishment conducted upon such liberal and true business principals within our gates.
A poem, A New Declaration of Freedom, from the May 2, 1914 issue of Seadrift Success by R.W. Emmons with the Socialist party (at right).
And in light of the upcoming city official elections, a word of advice from Editor Geo L. Rhea from a May 2, 1914 issue:
Let’s All Get Together
Now that the election is over and it is settled who are to be our city officials for the coming year, the Success wishes to take this opportunity of congratulating the successful candidates and trusts that their administration of the city affairs will be met with every success.
It has always been the boast of the American citizen that he was “an awful good fighter” before the election and “an awful good loser afterwards.” Let us bury all past rancors therefore and let everyone put his shoulder to the wheel for the purpose of boosting the welfare and prosperity of Seadrift in every possible way. Let all of us give the incoming administration our ungrudging and hearty support and prove the truth of the old adage that “the harder they fought, the better friends they became after the fight was over.”
I leave you with those words printed 97 years ago, till next time!
