unday Bee'
PART 111.
No Filthy Sensation
THE OMAHA DEC
Best ';. West
nftLF-TOIIE SECTIGII
rACI8 1 TO 4.
VOL. XXXVIII NO. 12.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 6, 1908.
SINGLE COPY
FIVE
CENTS.
ALFRED DARLOW WHO HAS MADE ADVERTISING A FINE ART
Something About the Man Who Has Made the Union Pacific Railroad and the West Well Known Throughout the World by His Persistent Use of Printers' Ink
The Omaha
1.
1
N
O 8PHERE of commercial enterprise has developed more
extensively In the last two decades than the advertising
business. No line of Industry has radiated In as many dif
ferent directions, no .occupation has exacted a greater
amount of keen Intellectual endeavor, or versatile thought
or action, or produced more varied results of success. No
large business today Is complete 6r securely entrenched in its chan
nel of competition without an advertising agency or department
Whereas a score of years ago staid conservatives scoffed the neces
sity of such an adjunct, today the leaders of American commerce lay
most emphatic stress upon the essentiality of a well-ordered and
highly skilled advertising system.
Advertising, then, as an Independent vocation and an agency to
trade, has grafted Itself firmly and finally on the body politic of
business. Long ago it passed the stage of experiment and temporary
expedient. Demonstrating Its dispensability, It has gone on pro
gressing and developing, and finally has become a science of Itself,
and In the hands of its best exponents an art. It has enlisted In Its
field of operation men and women of the highest mental attainments,
many of whom have devoted years in special preparation for their
profession. It has led keen intellects into new channels of thought
and research. Aside from its Intrinsic value to the business directly
involved, this exploitation has proved of Incalculable benefit to the
world-at-large, contributing In a vast degree to the sum total of its
wisdom and learning.
The advertising agent who does not believe in his work, who
cannot faithfully and conscientiously give his talents to the promo
tion of the Interests that have employed them, would do himself
Injustice and his employer severe injury if he did not abandon his
field. That Is one of the virtues of the profession. 'Success in this,
as in most other lines of occupation, depends upon a complete mas
tery of and faithful subservlance to business. This Is peculiarly true
of advertising. The evils of pretended devotion, whether it take
the form of high-sounding rhetoric or fictitious personality, are ob
vious and Inevitably fatal, reacting with equal detriment upon the
representative and represented. A man may for a time exploit to
the world an interest in whose merit he does not believe and seem
to succeed, but If he pursues this course long enough it will In all
probability lead to mutual failure, or at least come far short of the
possibilities which a genuine faith might attain.
High Exponent of Business '
'Alfred Darlow, the advertising agent of the Union Pacific, who
completed twenty years of service with that company and resigned
September 1, is a high exponent of the advertising business. He
is one of the men who has given to It and derived from it those ele
ments of constructive and productive value that have made of It a
science. In the nature of things Mr. Darlow would have produced
the same influence on any business, for hta is a zealous, faithful
character, impatient of success, intolerable of failure, thorough, ex
haustive in whatever the task may be.
Fortunately Darlow was eminently fitted for his work; and yet
not trained with any reference to it He received a thorough classic
education at old Oxford, England, traveled extensively and read
prodigiously. This, supplementing a natural craving for knowledge,
a discriminative intelligence, ability to read men and things with
prompt decision, and the power to gather and present facts in their
' most formidable manner these elements are a few of those that
enabled this man to succeed In the advertising world and leave for
himself an imprint which will require a longer period than that he
has devoted to the business to efface.
Railroad advertising requires a wider range of research than
does many another line of trade and demands a more varied class
of productions. - For this reason it -really la necessary for a man to
devote some years to his work before he can hope to become of any
great value to his road. 'And yet the task of the average railroad
advertising agent today, under the new order of things, is not to be
compared with that which confronted Alfred Darlow when he took
up the work on the Union Pacific or at various stages of its progress.
It must be remembered that the Union Pacific has had an unique
history In the railroad world. From a government-subsidized rail
way It became a bankrupt line and went Into the hands of receivers,
where It remained for several years. The crucial test of advertising
came when this road was redeemed from the receivers, purchased
by E. H. Harriman In 1897, and by him reorganized. Darlow took
full charge of his department at that time and entered upon an
epoch-making campaign of advertising. When he, rather unexpect
edly, handed in his resignation a few days ago and the matter was
brought to the attention of Vice-President Mohler, the operating head
of the Union Pacific, the comment was:
"It will be a keen loss to the Union Pacific." .
ALFRED DARLO.
No One in His Place
.When General Passenger Agent Lomax was asked who would
take Mr. Darlow 's place, he replied:
"No one, the passenger department will look out for the work."
Mr. Lomax, of course, meant no reflection upon the man who
was to take up the details of the work, but he spoke a great truth
when he said "no one would take Darlow 's place." A man who could
not make a place for himself in such a capacity would come far short
of measuring up to the possibilities of the office. And Darlow made
that place. It was because of this fact and the general appreciation
of it that promptel the epitomised tribute from the vice president
of the company. '
Darlow has a faith in the power of advertising that Is as simple
and sound as the faith of a child in the unerring rectitude and wis
dom of its parents. To him there Is no limitation to the possibilities
of printer's ink. And why should there be? Why should a man
who has wrought such results with legitimate advertising doubt the
magic of its charm or the power of its possibilities? It is no untried
experiment with him; it is a proven fact, a demonstrated principle.
He knows, for Instance, that the widely circulated newspaper Is the
voice that speaks with a million tongues to tens of millions of ears.
He knows that men depend for their information very largely upon
what they read in the press, the dally press taking precedence In his
judgment as the most potent factor in this system of education. But
In the vast and varied campaign of railroad advertising the little
pamphlet, the folder, the chart, map, book and brochure have their
place, and they were employed to excellent advantage by this man
In his many years of service. Indeed, the fine, finished skill of his
talents found much of their best play and versatility in the wide
scope given them by this interesting line of work.
Work foT Union Pacific
It baa been given to few men in the advertising business to
exploit interests of such far-reaching importance as those which en
grossed the efforts of Darlow. In the first place, here was the great
est of transcontinental railways just released from the bondage of
financial stringency, reorganised and set on Its course of develop
ment 'It traversed the most rapidly developing empire of natural
resources in the world. With Its main line and tributaries it pene
trated the remotest corners of this kingdom of agricultural and min
eral wealth. Its tracks were the arteries that permeated a system
of untold and unfathomable riches. Beneath 1U roadbeds lay gold,
sliver and coal In inexhaustible volume, and along its right of way
stretched land and reared mountains pregnant with undeveloped
fortunes. Its terminus on the east was the gateway to this realm
of wealth, its extremity on the west led to the Golden Gate, which
opened on the trackless trail to the Orient, the objective point of
the kings of American and European commerce.
It was such a subject that invited the efforts of Alfred Darlow,
an opportunity few could have. Under the new regime the Union
Paclflo was destined to become a vital element In the development
of this empire, anj on its advertising department much depended.
A campaign of colonisation was one of the means decided on. Irri
gation was another. The physical reconstruction of the road was
still another. The people of the United States, of Canada, Mexico,
of Europe, of the world, must hear about this land of opportunity.
This could be accomplished in Just one way Intelligent, scientific
and persistent advertising.
Student of the West
Well, Darlow had already been a student of the west, but now
he redoubled the Intensity of his zeal to know this country. In short,
he became an authority on the west. With its early and current
history, its resources, its development, topography and population
he became familiar. He exploited the country more thoroughly,
perhaps, than has any other one man. This great kingdom became
the playground of this man's energies and talents. Over every mile
of Its boundless area he has traveled and retraveled, and on )very
phase of its character he has written, having his work illustrated
with artistic excellence, and to every quarter of the globe his works
have gone. Today he has a library of several hundred books per
taining to the west, and many of them are his own production.
Nature's handiwork whether along the rolling prairies of Ne
braska, up the lofty summits of the Rockies and Sierras, in the
wlerd wilds and fantastic nooks of the Yellowstone, or even on the
placid waters of the Pacific and the lakes and rivers intervening
has been made more vivid and preclouB to hundreds of thousands of
people by the power of this roan's pen and his artist's brush or cam
era. The Union Pacific has indeed been well advertised. Its adver
tising has been of a high order, too. Darlow, unlike many men
who see in such an occupation only the means of earning a gooc
living or advancing to a higher plane commercially, brought to hi
work the fine, sensitive touch of the man of letters and made of it a
sphere of literary excellence that attracted universal attention and
multiplied the benefits to the Union Pacific.
As the advertising agent of the Union Pacific, and as an adver
tising man, Darlow has a national reputation. He was one of the
most widely known and popular railroad advertisers in the United
States. Among the newspaper and magazine workers it is question
able If he was not the most prominent. He had a good acquaintance
with newspaper men In almost every state In the Union, and they
knew him and liked him. They do yet, and always will. They and
Darlow were friends, and are friends yet. True, they can't do for
Darlow and Darlow can't do for them just what they used to do for
each other, but the friendship established in those years that are
gone will endure and on memories' tablets will be inscribed lasting
Impressions of pleasant associations.
Why did Darlow cultivate this extensive acquaintance among
the men of the press? Why, if not directly to help the Union Pa
cific? The old Union Pacific was dear, and no doubt will always be
dear to Darlow's heart. His devotion to its interests and welfare
knew no bounds. It burned into the life of the man until he thought
In Union Pacific.
When E. H. Harriman took a tralnload of railroad and news
paper men as hi special guests formally to open and dedicate the
Lucln-Ogden cut-off he unconsciously gave Darlow the opportunity
to achieve his most distinct advertising success. Darlow with avidity
seized the opportunity. He did something stupendous, colossal
in the line of advertising for the Union Pacific. He had the story
of that wonderful line of track across Great Salt Lake toll and Illus
trated In dally papers, weeklies, monthly magazines and periodicals
of every description all over the world, and they kept telling It and .
retelling It for months. It made fine reading, yes, but it made ex
cellent advertising. Darlow knew this. Mr. Harriman soon perceived
it, and railroad and advertising men everywhere showered their con
gratulations upon the passenger department of the Union Pacific.
How much was this worth to the Union Pacific? No telling. More
than it would seem modest to estimate. The publishers realized
they were giving the road great advertising; they also appreciated
its value as legitimate news.
Triumph for "A. Darlow"
Simple matter, easy enough. True. How many of those sim
ple, easy things get away from us, though! Strange'. To many and
many a man it would not have been a simple matter, and many a
man would have met failure where this man encountered success.
There was a popular personality back of it all, a certain magnetism
that does not radiate from every bosom. Anyway, it has gone down
on the records as a distinct triumph for "A. Darlow."
For many years Mr. Darlow has compiled and Issued for the
Union Pacific crop and soli bulletins and reports that have given
Union Pacific crop and soil bulletins and reports that have given him
some claim to being a statistician, and Ingratiated him and his
company in the good graces of the farmer and business man. Hyper
critical In the detail of his work, Darlow's statements always had
the element of scrupulous fidelity, and this gave to them a standing
of much value. Annually he has Issued volumes pertaining to the
products of the various states in Union Pacific territory. They In
volved laborious work, but filled a large want.
Diverting his efforts Into such channels as these marked Dar
low as no ordinary hack and showed him. to be not only equal to
his task, but, larger, a man of resource, Initiative and creative force.
He raised the sphere of his profession to a high standard and set a
difficult pace for those who follow.
And all this is recognized by the best and most scientific adver
tising men in the country. A few such, fifty in number, recently
formed a select organization under the inspiration of the dis
tinguished St. Elmo Lewis of Michigan. When Mr. Lewis got ready
to select his associates he called on Alfred Darlow, bidding him come
in. He did. This little company meets once or twice a year In some
city of the country and indulges in social Intercourse.
With a weather eye always open to the future, Darlow has been
able by making good Investments to accumulate until the present
finds him in comfortable circumstances. When he decided that the
end of the second decade would be a good time for him to lay down
the work of the Union Pacific he stepped out of the railroad head
quarters where he was an employe Into another office uptown, where
he was the employer. Some two years previous he had secured con
trol of the Thompson Advertising agency, to which he annexed a
large clipping bureau, and he resigned to take full charge of this
business, which has grown extensively since he acquired It. Aside
from this, he possessed other Interests that demanded more time
than he could give them before.
His Private Life
Mr. Darlow was born and reared In London and educated at
Oxford, taking a classical course. He traveled extensively over
Europe and other portions of the Old World and came to the United
States when a young man. He went to St. Louis, and from there
came to Omaha in 1888, beginning his service in the passenger de
partment of the Union Pacific. He held a subordinate clerkship at
first, was later ticket agent, cashier, and finally became the adver
tising agent. His scope of authority and operation was much wider
than t.bat usually given advertising agents. He was in fact, though
not in name, manager of the advertising department.
Mr. Darlow was married to Miss Anna Borglum, daughter ot
Dr. and Mrs. J. M. Borglum of Omaha, some eighteen years ago.
They have three interesting children, Ida, Clarence and Dorothy.
MrsDarlow, who is a sister of the distinguished artists and sculp
tors, Gutson and Solon Borglum, Is a talented woman, and she and
Mr. Darlow went from the altar before which they became man and
wife to the hearthstone and there established another altar, an altar
of the most genuine, beautiful domestic felicity. Their nome, their
children constitute a world of comfort that grows bigger and
better each day to them. A large and well-ordered library Is one of
the chief features of this home. That library has been selected
with studld discrimination as to the tastes and needs of each member
of the family. Each child, as It comes into a new stage of childhood,
finds the exact food for thought best calculated to nourish and de
velop its mind. It is one ot the largest, most complete and valuable
libraries in the city.
Mr. Darlow is a member of the Omaha and Commercial clubs
and Is decidedly popular among business and social acquaintances.
Incidents That Go to Mark the Revolution in Turkey
USKUB, Macedonia, Aug. 16. Some time
between 12 and 1 o'clock each day the
so-called express on Its way down from
Servia to Salonlca draws In to the rail
way station here. It awaits then the
coming of a mixed goods and passenger train from
Metrovitza, on the border of Albania, that closed
country, the most westerly of the Turkish empire,
which Abdul Hamld has always kept lawless as a
barrier to Europe.
All Uskub in these days goes to the -allway
station for the arrival of the trains, which usually
takes place within the hour. Turks, Albanians,
Bulgarians, Serb3, Greeks and Tziganes (gypsies) ,
each distinguishable by their dress, made way yes
terday for a line of troops picked men, chosen
for the scarcity of patches in their trousers, for
there were present also a number of foreign con
suls and newspaper correspondents, and the young
officers now conducting the Turkish government
are thoroughly ashamed of the sultan's ragged
men-of-arms.
There could be, however, no choice of mu
sicians from the single band of the garrison, an
almost shoeless, threadbare crew, whose martial
conductor leads them not with a mere baton, but
with his sword. The soldiers bad been brought
to do honor to five young Turks who had long been
exiles, but were now returning in triumph from
Paris to the new headquarters of their party at
Salonlca.
Being a privileged character, the correspondent
of an American paper, I entered the station
restaurant, where the local committee of young
officers had served a lunch for their five compa
triots In European drees. There was a brief
speech ot welcome by Jaafer Bey, a thin young
man with a slight lisp, the leader here; a speech
by one of the exiled followed; then the three long
cheers for liberty, people and country no longer
the ominous shout of "Padlshahlmlz chok yasha!"
("The Padisha, long may he live!"), which one
could hear up to a few weeks ago, delivered horri
bly over the ruins of massacred villages.
The lunch had begun and every one was put
ting questions "What does Europe think of us
now?" "What is the latest news here?" when
a loud, significant murmur from the crowd without
lulled the chattering and all eyes turned toward
the door.
With curses, two other youig officers stumbled
into the room dragging a third, a tall Turk with
a terrible nose a bald-headed man with a heavy
white mustache. No fez, no sword had he, and
has dark blue jacket was rent at the shoulders,
where his epaulets had been torn off." He was
pale as death and sweat rolled from his hooked
nose and his chin and clung in drops to his thick
gray eyebrows.
"This is Hlfsl Bey," the newcomers told to
tbfllr f3llows. All the army knew Hlfsl Bey, a
trusted man of the sultan.
In the center of the room, under an oil lamp
to which were hung little Turkiah flags, the word
"Liberty" in Turkish, sewn in relow the stai1 and
crescent, was a square table covered with a white
cloth, though unoccupied. Someone shouted to
put the frightened prisoner there and, half-dragged
by his captors, up he went.
His head struck the lamp, for, as I have said,
he was tall, and set It swinging over him, taunt
ingly waving the blood-colored flags, now no
longer the emblem of ghastly despotism. The
two young men on the table with the prisoner
shoved his bowed head back upon his shoulders
and spat into his eyes. ,
"So be it to spies!" they shouted, and spat
again. "So be it to enemies of their brothers!"
Again and again, muttering phrases like these,
which the whole room cheered, they spat into the
face of their feUow Moslem.
-Amid hisses and shouts and the clapping of
hands Hlfsl Bey, the man who escaped when
Shimsl Pasha was shot, and who made his way
secretly from Monastlr Into Albania, there at
tempting to stir the ignorant tribes against tho
new regime Hlfsl Bey, the "palace spy," was
dragged back to the train which would take him
down to Salonlca and to prison. As the tralu
moved on its way, conveying with Hlfsl the re
turning exiles whom he and his like had caused
to be driven from the country, the raggod band
struck up the Turkish "Marseillaise."
When the soldiers started back to their bar
racks high above the Varder (the Axlus of ancient
times) they were cheered everywhere, even by
Bulgarian and other kommittajes, revolutionists,
still armed, whom a few weeks ago under the sul
tan's government they would have shot on Eight.
The following of Mohammedans who trailed
through the dust on the heels of the soldiers, did
not now, as in other days, go out of their way to
push Christian women off the footpaths. Even
the Albanians a wicked-looking crowd ot bri
gands recently let out of prison In the general am
nesty did not swagger as they hitherto were
wont.
I went with the mob out over the Roman
bridge that spans the river and up to the heights
of the citadel; for the telegraph office is there, and
I had a dispatch to send off. I knew the old censor
from other days and was greeted as of old, with
proffers of cigarettes and Turkish coffee. Around
him were the same old satellites, sitting on divans,
legs crossed under them the civil administration
has not yet been purged ot its unnecessary num
bers. "There is no censorship now; you may send
what you please, effendi. We are now all Young
Turks,' said the old frock-coated villain.
"Yes," I wanted to say, "because It Is good for
your skins to be Young Turks." I could not say
this, of course, but an opportunity came in a mo
ment. "What do you think of the way our young men
have treated Hlfsl Bey today? Do you approve?
Do you think we do right?" There was a good
deal of audacity In that "we;" none of them
would have dared to use It had any of the young
officers been present.
"In my opinion it was very gentle treatment,"
I replied. "In America we would hang spies."
"Hang them! You mean " and the former
censor gurgled and put his fingers significantly to
his neck.
"Yes," I nodded.
A shudder went through the room; the old
Turks looked at one another, and there was a mo
ment of significant silence. v
There have been several well known palace
men brought down from Albania this last week,
among them Muzaffer Pasha and Ismail Pasha,
scoundrels of the old regime. They had to flee
somewhere when the Young Turks began shooting
spies and went up into Albania, and in a last des
perate effort attempted to rouse the Albanians
"to save their sultan."
Their mission had a certain effect, which for a
day last week seemed threatening to the youthful
reformers. Stirred by the stories of the spies, the
old Albanian chiefs sent for the members ot the
Young Turk committee at Mltrovltsa, told them
that they had heard that the sultan would be as
sassinated, or at least dethroned, and demanded
assurances that he would not be molested and
would be allowed to remain Padisha, supreme re
ligious head ot the nation. To this the ever con
ciliatory Young Turks agreed, giving assurance la
writing. FREDERICK MOORE.
