It Won't Rot Clothes -- 1897

Whenever I look at an old newspaper, the entire page gets read. In the case of the article below, I was copying an obituary, and found the serious letter about soap rather amusing.


Letters to Northfield People.

MR. J. C. DONAHUE, Northfield, Vt.

DEAR SIR :--One of the things against which you grocers must contend in introducing our Harmless soap is the price.

Most people think soap is a thing they ought to buy cheap.  They think low priced soaps are economical, and high priced are extravagant. Never was the truth more completely turned around. The soap that costs most by the pound costs least by the year for two reasons.

First reason : They won’t use so many pounds of it.

Second reason : It won’t rot clothes.

To convince customers that a high priced soap costs no more than lower priced, you may sell Harmless on a positive guarantee that one bar (8c.) will out-wash two 5c. cakes. If they say it doesn’t, give them back 3c. on each bar and charge to us.

                                                                         Yours truly,

                                                                         C. H. Post & Co.,

                                                                         Newburgh, N. Y.

From: Northfield News, February 2, 1897