In succeeding chapters of this part of the book, we shall give some attention to these problems.

CHAPTER II

SECURING FAVORABLE ATTENTION

You would find it an interesting study in human nature to stand in front of different shop windows and record the types of people whose favorable attention is drawn by each.  Select, for example, a book-store window, a jewelry display, a window full of tools and instruments, an offering of meats and groceries, and a traction engine.  You will find a description of various types in the first few chapters of this book.  Suppose you took fifty, one hundred, one hundred and fifty, two hundred observations before each display and then analyzed the records to find the percentage of each type whose favorable attention was called to each window.

Our own observations, taken in New York City, produced the following results: 

Phys.        Bone &  Imprac-  Profes-       Mechanical
Display      Frail  Fat  Muscle   tical   sional   Vain             Total

Bookstore 30 10 12 15 20 6 7 100
Jewelry 15 20 3 12 19 35 6 100
Tools & 8 12 30 6 14 4 26 100
 Instruments
Meats & 6 42 8 8 13 11 12 100
 Groceries
Traction 8 16 31 9 7 3 26 100
 Engine

THE PHYSICALLY FRAIL

These results show that the individual of the physically frail type, as described in Chapter 2 of this book, is chiefly interested in books, in beauty, ideas and ideals, elegance, and luxuries.  His favorable attention is caught by that which is beautiful.  If the thing offered him has in it or about it any elements of beauty, elegance, luxury, or idealism, this should first be presented, even if the true value of the article lies in its utility.  In the same way, this individual will respond most quickly with his favorable attention to that which is intellectual, educational, literary, scientific, or philosophic, unless he is also of the strictly financial type which is sometimes, though not often, true of the physically frail.  Then his attention may be readily secured by an apt quotation from a price list.

Because the physically frail man does not like manual labor and cannot do it well, his attention may be gained by any contrivance for saving labor, making life easier physically, and substituting mental work for physical.

“Let the Gold Dust Twins Do Your Work” is a headline which no doubt attracts the favorable attention of many of this class, who might utterly ignore “Let the Gold Dust Twins Save You Money.”

THE FAT MAN