Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1911 — Page 3

Some Suspicious Persons '•« «?T. t . . '"V ■■':%•> ••> & 1 r? -- v' - * .'••■■ •<• •; /( •.1 - . • . ■ 1 ... '• ?• . . i. «vs - -»-.■Jr# •v, , ;f - a”' iAt’ vi User "t ' ■«, i¥j ■■ t ■ Enquired if we were “hiring” a certain “weekly” paper to abuse us.

Of course every time a spot light is turned on from any source (t offers a splendid chance to talk about the merits of the products, but ’port honor now, we are not hiring that “Weekly.” The general reader seldom cares much for the details of “scraps." A few may have read lately some articles attacking us and may t>e interested in the following: * Some time ago a disagreement arose with a “Weekly.” They (endorsed our foods by letter, but wanted to change the form of advertising, to which we objected. ! The “Weekly” discontinued inserting our advertisements while they were negotiating for some changes they wanted in the wording and shape of the advertisements, and during this correspondence our manager gave instructions to our Advertising Department to quit advertising altogether in that “Weekly.” , Quite a time after the advertising had been left out, an editorial attack came. We replied in newspapers and the scrap was on. Then came libel suits from both sides, and some harsh wor4s. Generally tirespme to the public. That “Weekly” has attacked many prominent men and reputable manufacturers. Our Company seems prominent enough for a sensational writer to go after, hunt for some little spot to criticise, then distort, twist and present it to the public under scare heads.

Distortion NO. 1 stated that we have i been accustomed to advertise Grape-Nuts I and Postum as “cure-alls for everything.” It has never been the policy of, this Company to advertise Grape-Nuts or Posi turn to cure anything. We say that in cases where coffee disagrees and is causing sickness its dismissal will remove the cause of the trouble, and we suggest the use of Postum for the reason that it furnishes a hot palatable morning beverage, and contains natural elements from the grain which can be used by nature to assist in rebuilding nerve centers that coffee may have broken down. Likewise Grape-Nuts food does not cure anything, but it does assist nature tremendously in rebuilding, provided the undigestible food that has been used is discontinued and Grape-Nuts taken in its place. Charge No. 2 states that the passage of the National Food & Drugs Act compelled us to drop from the packages some assertions regarding the nutritive value of Grape-Nuts. We Tiave never been to make any change. Since the beginning it has been a universal rule to print clearly on every package exactly what the contents arc made of. Before the passage of the Pure Food Xaw the packages stated that Grape-Nuts liood was made of wheat and barley. We did not esteem the small amount of salt and yeast as of value enough to ■peak of, but after the new Law came ; in we became as technical as the officials at Washington and added the words “yeast" and “salt," although we have no recollection of being asked to. We beliiiyed that onr statement that Grape-Nuts will supply elements to nourish the brain and nerve centers is true and bring authorities to support the fact. Some state. chemists believed this a gross exaggeration and inasmuch as the Food Dept, at Washington could easily harass grocers, pending a trial on the disputed question, we concluded that much the better way would be to eliminate from our packages such claims, lowever certain we may be that the claims are true. Another statement objected to read as follows: “The system will absorb a greater amount of nourishment from one pound of Grape-Nuts than from ten pounds of meat, wheat, oats, or bread." Some Department chemists deceive themselves as well as the public. “Caloried” is the word which defines a unit of heat determined by the amount necessary to raise one kilogram of water one degree centigrade. On this basis a table of calories is prepared showing the percentage of different kinds of food. Butter shows 8.80: Grape-Nuts 3.98; milk 0.70. Remember the statement on (the package spoke of the nourishment tho system would absorb, but did not speak of the calories o t heat contained in it, for the heat is not nourishment, and the nourishment cannot be judged by the number of heat units, notwithstanding the fact that certain chemists would have the public believe so. | ! As an illustration: Attempt to feed a man sixty days on butter alone, with its 8.80 calories. The man would die before, the experiment had run sixty days. I Then, take Grape-Nute with 3.98 and milk with o.7o,—the two combined equal 480 *l»out one-half the number of calories contained in butter. The man fed for sixty days on this food would be well nourished, and could live not only sixty

It may be remembered that we were first attacked and have since defended ourselves by placing facts before that great jury—The Public. • I i 1 - . • * A good “scrap” is more or less comforting now and then, if you know you are right ;• J ’ In the case lately tried, an appeal has* been taken to the higher courts. We have unbounded faith in the ultimate decision of our American Tribunals. Our suits against the “weekly” hayemt yet been tried. They are for libel

days, but six months on that food alone, and we do not hesitate to say from our long knowledge of the sustaining power of the food that a man at the end of sixty days would be of practically the same weight as when he started, —if he be a man of normal weight. We will suppose that from his work he lost a pound a day and made up a pound each day from food. If that premise proved to be true the man in sixty days' time would make sixty pounds of tissue to replace what had been lost, and this would be done on Grape-Nuts and milk with half the number of calories of butter, upon which no one can sustain life. Therefore, we have reason to believe that our contention is right that concentrated food like Grape-Nuts, which is partly digested and ready for easy assimilation by the body, presents more nourishment that the system will absorb than many other forms of food, and we will further say that in cases of digestive troubles where meat, white bread and oats cannot be digested', that GrapeNuts and milk contain more nourishment that the system will absorb than many pounds of these other foods. , Distortion No. 3 charges that our testimonials were practically all paid for and re-written in Battle Creek. These testimonials were demanded by the opposing lawyers. Naturally this demand was refused, for they are held in vaults and kept safe. to prove the truth, and are not to be delivered up on demand of enemies. Testimony at the trial brought out the fact that we never printed a single testimonial that we did not have the genuine letter back of. Many of these letters came spontaneously. A record was kept of twelve hundred and four (1204) letters received in one month from people who wrote that they had either entirely recovered their health or been benefited by following our suggestions on food and beverages. \ On three or four occasions in the past ten or twelve years we printed broadcast in papers offers of prizes to users of Postum and Grape-Nuts,—two hundred SI.OO prizes, one hundred $2.00, twenty of $5.00 and five of SIO.OO each, —stating that each must be an honest letter with name and address. We agreed not to noblish names, but to furnish them to enquirers by letter. These letter writers very generally answered those who wrote to them, and verified the truth of the statements. Under this agreement not to publish names literally /scores of letters came from doctors. We kept our word and neither printed their names or surrendered the letters. Right hers notice an "imitation spasm." The "Weekly” says: "Post got those testimonials by advertising for them. In New York he used for that purpose the New York Magazine of whose editor is now in the Federal Penitentiary for fraudulent use of the mails. For example, Post announced in that magazine in 1907, ’ etc.,” (then follows our prize competition). ' We used nearly all of the papers and magazines in)N>w~York and the rest of America, but the sensational writer gives the impression to his readers that the only magazine we used was one "whose editor is now in the Federal Penitentiary,” etc., something that we know nothing of the truth of now, and never did. Space was bought in the magazine spoken of on a business basis for the reason that it went to a good class of readers. The incident seems to hare furnished an opportunity for a designing writer to deceive his readers. We look upon honest human testimony

f So an attorney from New York spent more or less time for months in Battle Creek hoping to find impurities in our foods, or dirt in the factories. After tireless spying about he summoned twenty-five of our workmen and took their testimony. Every single one testified that the foods are made of exactly the grain and ingredients printed on the packages j the wheat, barley and com being the choicest obtainable —all thoroughly cleaned —the water of the purest, and every part of tho factories! and machinery kept scrupulously clean. That all proved disappointing to the “Weekly.” There are very few factories, hospitals, private —or hotel and restaurant kitchens that could stand the close spying at unexpected timed and by an enemy paid to find dirt or impurities of some kind. In any ordinary or factory he would find something to magnify and make a noise about. But he failed utterly with the Postum Works and products. Twenty to thirty thousand people go through the factories annually and we never enquire whether they are there to spy or not. It makes no difference to us. He next turned to discover something about our advertising that Could he criticized. An analysis of the methods and distorted statements of tho “Weekly” may interest some readers, so we take up the items one by one and open them out for inspection. We will “chain up” tho harsh words and make no reference in this article to the birth, growth and methods of the “Weekly” hut try to coufine the discussion to the questions now at issue.

from men and women as to the means by which they recovered health as of tremendous value to those in Bearch of it. Our business has been conducted from the very first day upon lines of strict integrity and wo never yet have published a false testimonial of human experience. Many of these letters covered numerous sheets; some, if printed, would spread over half a pape of newspaper. If we would attempt to print one such letter in every one of the thousands of papers and magazines we use, the cost for printing that one letter would run into tnany thousand oi dollars. We boil down these letters exactly as a newspaper writer boils his news, —sticking sacredly to the important facts and eliminating details about the family and other unimportant matters. This work of boiling down, or editing, is done honestly, and with a full knowledge of our responsibility, but notice the art of the "twister” in the way he presents to his readers this matter of testimonials. Distortion No. 4. This is a bad one. It reads as follows: "The only famous physician whose name was signed to a testimonial was produced in Court by Colliers and turned ont to be a poor old brokendown homeopath, who is now working in a printing establishment. He received ten dollars ($10.00) for writing his testimonial.” We will wager ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) with any investigator that we have, subject to inspection of any fair committee, upwards of three hundred (300) communications from physicians, many of them expressing the highest commendation of our products, but these will not now or ever be turned over to the publisher for his use. Notice the statement in this charge: "The only famous physician whose name was signed to Postum testimonial, etc.” The truth is, this Dr. Underwood was one of a great many physicians who have not only written commendatory words about the value of our foods, but every now and then some physician writes an article on coffee or on food, and sends it to us with a suggestion of compensation for his time and medical knowledge. Previous to the time when we employed physicians in onr own business, we occasionally emploved a doctor to write an article on ooffee, always insisting that the article be an honest expression of his opinion and research. The “Weekly” hunted up this physician, and because he seemed to be poor, and as it says, “brokendown," had him brought to Court to be exposed before a jury as the "<*iy physician that had ever endorsed Grape-Nuts," hut much to the chagrin of the “Weekly,” when our attorneys asked him if the article he wrote about coffee was true he replied, “yes-” Statement No. 5 reads: "The health officers of Mich., Maine, Penn., New Hamp., and other states in their official bulletins have for years been denouncing as preposterous ana fraudulent the claims made by the Postum Cereal Company.” Ws do not 'recall any criticism except from Mich., Penn., Maine ana S. Dakota. The average reader might think that the opinions expressed by the State Officials are always correct, but that conclusion is not borne out by facts. As an illustration: About thirteen yean ago the Dairy and Food Commission of Michigan for some personal reason printed a severe criticism on us for making Postum of Barley (according to his official chemist) at market price and selling too high. He was shown than was never a grain of harlqy used in Postum. ~Wa report was false and misleading. The governor dismissed him. We believe that most of the state

officials are honest, and on the other hand we are firmly convinced that some of their conclusions cannot be substantiated by facts in scientific research. They never criticize the purity of our foods, for so much we are thankful. If our conclusions in regard to its being a brain food differ from theirs, and we are both honest, they have rather the advantage, because under the law they can order us to eliminate from the package any statement if it disagrees with their opinion. Otherwise they would harass grocers. Bpasm No. 6 says: "The most dangerous thing (in the world for one threatened with appendicitis is to eat any food whatever. Notwithstanding he knew that danger, C. W. Post advertised Grape-Nuts at fifteen cents a package for those so threatened.” This is intended to muddle the reader into believing that we put out Grape-Nuts as a cure for appendicitis. Mr. Post, himself, has had probably as wide experience as any other man in America in the study and observation of food as related to the digestive organs, and we proved in Court by. the physicians and surgeons on the witness stand that the predominating cause of appendicitis is undigested food, and that jt is necessary to quit eating food, and when the body requires food again, use a pre-di-gested food, or at least one easy of digestion. Dr. Ochsner in his work on appendicitis refers directly to the use of the wellknown pre-digested foods that can be obtained on the market. He also brought out the interesting fact that in “after treatment” it is advantageous to take on a pre-digested food. The price of the package (referred to by the weekly) is not known by us to have any relation to the question. Our advice to stop using indigestible food in bowel troubles and to use GrapeNuts food has been a great blessing to tens of thousands of people, and we hope will continue to bless a good many more in the succeeding years. No. 7is a live wire. It refers to C. W. Post and his studies and experience in “Bugpestive Therapeutics," or “Mental Healing” which further lead to a most careful and systematio study of the effect of the mind on the digestive and other organs of the body. He attended clinics in Europe and fitted himself for a future career in which he has become known as one of the food experts of the world, fitted to judge both from the material as well as the side of the question. For about eight years previous to 1891 he was an invalid. In that year, after being under the care of several wellknown physicians, he was quickly healed, by what to him was a curious and not well-understood method. Sufficient to say he became a well man, weighing about 185 pounds. This experience challenged his investigation into causes of disease and their amelioration. Those studies and experiences developed a very profound reverence for a Supreme Power which directly operates upon the human being, ‘ and this reverence for .tfte Matte became to him a form of religion which inoluded honesty of purpose towards his fellow-man. A statement which will be indorsed by everyone who knows him closely. He will nuke a public announcement in detail of these facts, and the Postum Company will cause that statement to be published in newspapers and magazines

and $500,000.00 is asked as damages, and may tlje right man win. After all the smoke of legal battle blows away, the facts will stand out clearly and never be forgotten thatJPostum, Grape Nuts, and Post Toasties are perfectly pure, have done good honest service to humanity for years, the testimonials are real and truthful and the business conducted on the highest plane of commercial integrity. "There’s a Reason” Postum Cereal Co., Ltd., Battle Creek, Mich.

Some Facts v Battle Creek, Michigan, December 30,1910»: t We the undersigned certify that never to our knowledge has * testimonial letter been printed by the Postum Cereal Co., Ltd* which did not have behind it a genuine letter signed, and believed to be an honest statement To the best of our knowledge and belief the Company has receive upwards of fifty thousand (50,000) genuine testimonial letters. This company has never knowingly made nor permitted aa untruthful statement regarding its products or its methods. M. K- HOWE, Treasurer. (With Company about 14 years.) * * • , ■ ■ c' : ' L. J. LAMSON, Inspector of AdvtS. (With Company,about gX yearn.) F. C. GRANDIN, Advertising Manager. (With Company about 13 yeanj R. M. STERRETT, M. D., Physician in charge of Scientific Dep’t. (With Company about 4X yearaj Vj. J . ’ • CHESTON SYER, Advt. Writer. (With Company about 3 yearn.) V, V/jt, - f.• 3 ■/*£ ' ' . ’ £ ;> ;V CHARLES W. GREEN, Advt Writer. (With Company about 5 yean.) HARRY E. BURT, General Sup’t (With Company about *3 year*.) H. G HAWK, Assistant to Chairman. (With Company about 7 years.) C. W. POST, Chairman. (With Company 16 years, from the beginning.)

in due time. We suggest the reader look for it. -' Prevarication No. 8. ‘Tost spends nearly a million a year in advertising and relies on that to keep out of the newßj tapers the dangerous nature of the fraud e is perpetrating on the public.” ( The Postum Company does pay out upwards of a million a year for trade announcements. Newspaper men believe our statements truthful or they would not print them. Ijarge numbers of newspaper men use our products. They are capable of telling the public whether or not we “bribe” them. It may have escaped notice that we did not “bribe” that particular weekly. No. 9 states that the amount of the verdict will "be devoted by the ‘weekly' to exposing fraud.*' This is almost real humor. We have two suits pep ding against the “weekly,” total, $800,000.00. We haven't “devoted” the sum to any particular purpose yet. Item 10 is a "discovery” that wheat bran is a part Of Postum. But the criticism neglected to mention that for years every Postum package announced in plain type that the outer covering of wheat (bran), made part of the beverage. They ignorantly fell into a trap here, not knowing enough of food value to know that 'Taka-Diastase'' the article used by physicians the world over for "starch indigestion” is made from “wheat bran.” So we use that part of the wheat berry because it contains the element needed to develop the valuable diastase in manufacture. Good Postum is impossible without this part. These self-appointed critics do make some laughable blunders through ignorance, but—be patient. Item 11 is an illustration of the squinning and twisting of the sensational writer delivering distorted matter to his readers. While on the witness stand Mr. Port testified to his studies in Anstomy, Physiology, Dietetics and Psychology,—all relating to the preparation and digestion of food. Asked to name authorities studied he mentioned six or eight from memory, and commented on some clinical experience covering several years in annual journeys to Europe. Now notice the distortion. (Copy from the printed criticism.) f “He (Post) pointed out a pile of books in possession of hia attorneys aa the very ones he had read.” (Notice.—“the very ones he had read,” leading the reader to believe that they were the only ones.) “Did you consult the books from these editions?" was asked. "From those and various editions,” answered Port. The attorney "picked up book after book from the pile end showed the title pages to the jury,—ell except two had been published since 1908.” This is an example of distortion and false coloring to produce an unfavorable impression. The facts are Mr. Port purposely introduced the latest editions that could be obtained of prominent authorities to prove by them the truth of his statements regarding appendicitis and the analysis of brain, also the latest conclusions in resard to the action of the digestive organa. These works are: Human Physiology, by Raymond. Physiological Chemistry, by Simon. Digestive Glands, by Pawlow. Hand Book of Appendicitis, by Oehenar.

Physiological Chemistry, by Haaunaw sten. , Biochemic System of Medicine, hgi Carey. 4 The "Weekly” carefully eliminates front its printed account testimony regarding the years of research and study by Mr. Post in fitting himself for his work, and would lead the reader of the distorted article to believe that his education began since 1906. , Distortion No. 12 reports Mr. Post as a “dodging witness." His eye is not of the shifty kind oh* served in the head of one of his chief critics. On the witness stand Mr. Post looks quietly but very steadily straight into the eyes of the haggling, twisting lawyer, trying by all bis art to ask double* barreled questions and bull-doze and confuse a witness.' The '“dodging” it seems consisted el replying, “I don't know." Opposing counsel holds a hook in hit hand while he queries,— T want to know if there is a singla thing in your whole book here that suggests any particular kind of food.” Then followed some discussion between attorneys. When Mr. Post was allowed to reply, he said, “I don’t know until I read the book over to see." This book, it turns out, was written by Mr. Post seventeen years ago and probably has not been read carefully by him in the last fifteen years. It would require a remarkable memory to instantly say “yes" or “no" as to what a hook of 147; pages did or did not contain, without reading it over,—but such conservative and well balanced answers are construed by sensation seekers to be “dodging." The attorney sought by every art to impress the Jury with the fact that Mr. Post’s belief in the power of Mind in» relation to the body branded him as un* reliable and worse. The following is quoted from one fll the questions:— (The lawyer reading from the book.) “The writer of these pages desires fm my nothing of himself other than as ■ simple instrument through which the DI4 vine Principle chooses to manifest itself by precept sad example. "Skill in mental practice is gained fri the same way as skill in any department of science—hr observation, study, experience and the ability to evolve carman conclusions. “Read carefully, thoughtfully no mean than twenty pages daily. Afterward sea« an easy position where you will not bO disturbed. Relax every muscle. Close ss rpusJ e fesSiS and where God talks to the Bon. The thoughts from Divine Universal Mind come as winged angels and endow yeri with a healing power. If you go into the silence humble snd trusting, you will coma out enriched and greatly strengthened id body by contact even for a short time with the Father of all life and all power. You will feel refreshed in every way and* food taken will digest readily as the stomach works smoothly when under the influence of a Higher Power.” "I ask you if you did not write that, and if you did not believe it when yo® wrote ii” 1 ' / ’ . For a moment the Court Room was ini absolute silence. Mr. Poet slowly leaned forward over, the rail, pointed his finger at the A tty's face to emphasise hip reply, and with eyes that caused those of the Attorney to drW ho mid, “Yes, I am proud to say I did”