The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein, 1836-1862, with notes, comments and references to contemporary letters

It pleases the other man by asking him to do the writer a small favour-a favour that makes him feel important. My own comments on the letter appear in parentheses. Mr John Blank, Blankville, Indiana. Dear Mr Blank: I wonder if you would mind helping me out of a little difficulty? (Let's get the picture clear. Imagine a lumber dealer in Indiana receiving a letter from an executive of the Johns-Manville Company; and in the first line of the letter, this high-priced executive in New York asks the other fellow to help him out of a difficulty. I can imagine the dealer in Indiana saying to himself something like this: "Well, if this chap in New York is in trouble, he has certainly come to the right person. I always try to be generous and help people. Let's see what's wrong with him!") Last year, I succeeded in convincing our company that what our dealers needed most to help increase their re-roofing sales was a year 'round direct-mail campaign paid for entirely by Johns-Manville. (The dealer out in Indiana probably says, "Naturally, they ought to pay for it ...»