The Daily Missoulian

HOME TRADING--The holiday season is the field day of the mail-order man. At this time of year it is especially timely to be persistent in urging the consistent patronage of home merchants and the encouragement of home institutions, so great is the temptation to do otherwise.

So, at the risk of seeming over zealous in this matter and of being monotonous, The Missoulian would again call the attention of its readers to the fact that, from every point of view, it is better to trade at home. The city whose citizens are united in the support of home institutions is a city that is prosperous. A city where the money of the townspeople is spent at home is a city that can afford anything, for there is a local pride that will conquer all obstacles in the way of progress and a spirit of mutual regard that develops a good town from the fact that the citizens respect each other. And there is no sound argument in favor of sending away for anything that can be purchased at home; the home merchants are the backbone of every local enterprise; they are the men who stand back of civic betterment and municipal improvement; they are the men who go down into their pockets to help along the town and the institutions which make the town. Certainly, the townspeople owe them support. Look over the advertisements in The Missoulian this morning and see if there is not an array of announcements that should inspire pride in this city. Where in this or any other country is there a city of the size of Missoula whose mercantile establishments make a better showing? Are they not a feature of Missoula's prosperity which should receive the unqualified support of the city's people?

Holiday plans are in the making these days: they should all be based upon the trade-at-home idea.