NORTH PARK JOURNAL, a publication.
How Advertising Helps Me in Buying
By Mrs. G.D. Martin 3735 32nd St.  San Diego, Calif.
Winner of First Prize in Recent Advertising Club Contest

The following is the winning entry, receiving first prize, in the “Advertising Achievement Week” contest held in May of 1931.
The first place prize was $15.  A total of 75 prizes were given by the Better Business Club and the Advertising Club of San Diego.

Coins of contentment will pour into the family coffers if the strings of the budget are attached to the advertisements read in the home.  The weekly balance of debit and credit is the measure between wasteful spending and choiceful buying.

Advertisements, unobtrusive salesmen, place timely bargains before me in my home, for my deliberate consideration.  If I am busy, I need but scan the ads to see if I can make my money earn anything by buying today.  If I have leisure, I can note competitors’ ads for comparison or choice; later visit the stores, knowing just where to go and what to ask for.  Or I can telephone my order, as truth in advertising guarantees no misrepresentation in reputable publications.

Advertising keeps me abreast of a changing production.  Something better replaces the old; quality is progressive, and prices constantly alter.  My money’s value becomes expansive or the reverse, with what I have to select from; it is variable.  And I am as rich, only, as my buying power, or as my money is worth in goods.

Pennies scattered over the pavement are no more wasted than those lost through spending without the guiding arrows of advertisements, leading to choiceful purchasing.

Next HNB Letter - June 8, 1931.

[1931.05.29 / day - How Advertising Helps Me]

THE IDEALIST, a publication.
“My Ideal of a Husband”

“My ideal of a husband is one who cheers, tantalizes, scolds, or soothes, as need arises.  My words have weight with him, but I do not ‘manage’ him, nor he me.  He plays pranks on me; I have to shoo him out of my kitchen continually.  He asks me to ride with him even when he drives in to put the car away, and he seldom goes out nights without me by his side.  He has perfect confidence in me and is not one bit jealous.  He would make a desert a beautiful garden for me if he could.  He is not afraid to tell me ‘I love you’, with a few kisses daily.  I can’t imagine any sweetheart being finer or nicer to me.  He enjoys the esteem of his fellow men in high degree, and his credit vouches for his honest dependability in business.  (If he were not my ideal of a husband, I would not have kept him these 19 years.) - Mrs. G.D.M.

Published May 21, 1931 - probably in response to a contest, apparently the winning entry.

Courtesy - The Idealist.

Note:  Mrs. GDM refers to Mrs. Guy Dennis Martin, Hemme’s formal married name.  HNB refers to her given birth name, Hemme Naratte Backlund.  “Hemmie” is the Americanized version of her name, foisted upon her by her early school teachers in an effort to Americanize all children of foreign immigrants.  Hemme (hemma) is a variation of the Swedish word for home.  “Naratte” was presented to her as a middle name by her parents, but with several different spellings, she never was able to determine with any finality the meaning of the word or the significance of its meaning.  “Backlund” was her father’s ‘new’ name, adopted when he and his brothers chose to abandon the old Swedish “father, son, son” naming system.  Lund is Swedish for land, ‘Back’ refers to the deep rich loam traditionally found ‘back’ in the forest, often soil that is almost black, as in “Blackland Farmer”, which is from where his family lived and came since the early days of Sweden, before he left the family farm for the city and then with his wife, left to America.  She uses the name Hemmie when writing to her brother as that is her name, as used, by her siblings within the family during her childhood.  Her parents always referred to her by using her given, and real, Swedish name.

Next HNB Letter - May 24, 1929.

[1931.05.21 / day - My Ideal]

3735 32nd St. San Diego, Calif.
May 6, 1931.

Dear brother John, -

Your letter and clipping about Aunt Margaret received.  Someone made a nice write up about her.  I suppose Minnie gave most of the information for it.  Did any of them write you about her illness or funeral?  I know they telephoned.

Well, that is hard luck about your arm and I hope it is already better.  But anyway I hope you have had an X-Ray of the elbow to see if it is broken or dislocated.  It might be the bones slipped or broke there.  Or it may be one of the two bones in the fore arm is broken.  I think Dr. Morton surely has an X-Ray.  He ought not to charge much, they ask $2 to $5 here.  And you don’t want it to be long in healing so you should have it in a splint perhaps.  They have shaped metal ones to fit that are very comfortable and will keep all strain away and that would protect the elbow and keep the line of the arm as you want it to be.  I wouldn’t have anything done without an X-Ray as he might just make it worse, since it was already stiff and he doesn’t know how it is.  It takes an hour or more to develop the plates after an X-Ray picture so you might have to make two trips, or else wait.  You should have Loyall with his car now.  He would be good for something.

I sent Mother a card for Mother’s Day yesterday.  I am glad she can be up and out in the garden some.  Something to be busy about and fresh air.  I hope your weather is as nice as ours today.  We had a rain week before last week too, and nearly two inches of rain, the first in months.

Our house is ready for plaster.  They began today.  Got it all lathed and roof is on.  I painted all door and window frames, first coat.  Guy & his father did all carpenter work.  There is little “trim” on these modern stucco houses, so expect to be done in about two weeks.  Then we will sell it - maybe.  Will have “interior stucco” in colors inside and white outside and a red tile roof.  So not much to paint anywhere.  It has 1,420 sq. ft. of floor space, 3 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 dining room, 1 breakfast room, 1 service porch, 2 bath rooms, 1 hall, 1 linen closet, 3 clothes closets, 1 entry hall, 1 porch.  This week they have started 5 houses as big, all in a couple blocks of ours, different people.  So I guess we are in the right spot to sell.  Anyway I hope so.  Today Guy is starting a house on contract for a couple by the name of Hansen across the street from ours.  They saw ours was well built and asked him to build theirs, framed like it (200 sq. ft. and one room less) and he drew the plans and they signed a $3,600 contract.  Yesterday I helped him stake it out.  They have already bought all new furniture for it and want it in two months if possible.  Then there will be a double garage and summer house.  So I guess we will get along for awhile until building gets still better.  If we sell ours we will be well on our feet again.

Lloydine has a month yet at College.  She is doing very well at school and is gaining weight.  I got her new glasses last week.  She uses them when reading.  Has had the others 2 1/2 years.  The oculist let her have these lenses wholesale 4.50 and did not charge for examination at all.  He asks all the way from $13 to $30 generally but he has all he can do at that.  He does a lot of work for school children, and is very good.  I had an understanding about the price before he did her work.  I guess they make a lot of profit.

We have a new Mayor and all the rest this week, and the city will turn over a new leaf.  The Co. Assessor (for ten years) leaves tomorrow for prison 1 to 10 yrs for stealing funds, and nearly every office has had some scandal exposed in city and corporation affairs.  Next January we have a new charter and new kind of gov’t (City Manager) and new elections.  Times seem to be better on the Pacific coast but there is still some unemployment in all lines.

John Persson & Carol & wife & boy are in Brawley yet.  Eva’s girl Dorothy is living with Carol’s and going to school (Junior College) and helping C.  John P. was in to see us one Saturday.

I must close, lots to do.  Hope you are getting along all right and Mother keeps able.  Let me know if there is anything I can do, at any time.

Your sister, Hemmie.

Next HNB Letter - May 21, 1931.

[1931.05.06 / day - HNB to John Backlund Jr. in Lasita, Kansas.]