JOURNALISM OF TO-DAY 433
ment an act of reprisal against the paper on account of its edi- torial attitude on national politics. Subscribers put their own interpretation on the disappearance of the advertising and in- ferred that the paper had been threatened with a loss of adver- tising unless its editorial policy on politics was modified. Let- ters and telegrams of protest in large numbers poured in upon the owner of the department store. Their writers threatened to refuse to trade at the store unless the advertising was returned to the newspaper. The advertising was sent back without any con- dition suggested or implied. The editorial policy of the paper was not changed one iota, although it may have seemed to the public that it was a little more vigorous than ever before.
In passing from Philadelphia to New York, the two stores just mentioned, for branches of them are in both cities, may again be used for purposes of illustration. When the first store opened in New York it wanted to give its name to the thoroughfare upon which its building was located. In spite of the thousands of dol- lars which it was spending for advertising the press of New York fought the change, although the store was only attempting what it might perfectly legitimately try to do. Later, the store at- tempted to free the sidewalks in front of its store from " cadets," "mashers," and all other groups of young men who follow the swish of a silken petticoat, as patrons of the store had been an- noyed by the insults of these good-for-nothing chaps. It was a fine thing to do. But some one blundered in making a request that any account of this activity of the store be suppressed in the local press. The request simply sent the account of the affair to the first page and put the firm's name in the headline. Other- wise, there probably would have been just passing mention. The store was again badly treated by the newspapers for it obtained undesirable publicity about a condition which undoubtedly ex- isted around other stores whose owners lacked the courage to take up the matter.
When the Bryn Mawr Fire Prevention study was seemingly lacking the cooperation of the Philadelphia papers, a New York evening paper The Evening Post, to render unto Csesar the things that are Csesar's sent a man to Philadelphia to make a quiet investigation and to discuss the situation with the Phila-
