2 January 1910: A New Year's Message from Michael Brothers

On this day in1910, the Michael Brothers department store ran the following message, covering two-thirds of the top half of the front page of the Sunday Athens Banner newspaper:

To the left of this text, appeared an illustration of the departing year and baby 1910:

 

Beneath this image was the following New Year wish, focusing on three of the main economic engines of Athens at the time: farming, textiles, and education.

For the upbuilding of Athens;
For the peace, happiness and prosperity of her people;
For the one who sows and the one who reaps;
For the one who spins and the one who weaves;
For the one who teaches and the one who learns;
For every man, woman and child in Athens, in Georgia and in our country we extend cordial greetings and (illegible-page torn) for all.
Happy New Year!

The Banner typically had full-page department store ads on their front page on Sundays. Though the top half of the Banner consisted of well-wishes for the citizens of Athens from a leading local business, the bottom half of the page alerted readers to the "Great Sale of Seasonable Goods," with blankets for $1.20 to $5.00, and women and children's underwear starting at 25 cents, men's union suits starting at 50 cents.

Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Jan. 1910 - Jun. 1910 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Living Philosophies: The Reflections of Some Eminent Men and Women of Our Time by Clifton Fadiman in the general collection.
• The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers in the general collection.
• The Simple Living Guide: A Soucebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living by Janet Luhrs in the general collection.
• Oh, the Things I Know! A Guide to Success, or, Failing That, Happiness by Al Franken in the general collection.
• The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt in the general collection.
• Made for Goodness, and Why This Makes All the Difference by Desmond Tutu in the general collection.
• Finding Grace When You Can't Even Find Clean Underwear by Lisa Earle in the general collection.
• When You Are Entitled to New Underwear and Other Major Financial Decisions by Eileen Michaels in the general collection.
• Where Underpants Come From: From Checkout to Cotton Field by Joe Bennett in the general collection.
• Lingerie in Vogue Since 1910 by Christina Probert in the general collection.
• Aliens Love Underpants! by Claire Freedman in the children's fiction collection.