Mature Minds Can Bridge This Gulf

In December the Atlantic introduced a new form of business communication, giving it the descriptive name Advertorial. The Advertorial is intended as a bridge between the mature minds of business and the mature minds of the arts, sciences, education, labor, and government.

There is a gult between these two kinds of minds. They have matured under different conditions. The business leader, from the day he left school, has been obliged to adjust his business thinking to the practical requirements of profit-and-loss.

On the other hand, the leaders of arts, sciences, and government have developed in a different environment. The mature minds among them know the mechanics of business, but the very quality that makes them good theoretical thinkers also creates a gulf between their mental attitude and that of the businessman.

Events are forcing men in all fields of activity to seek a common ground of understanding and coöperation. Clear-thinking people all through American life know that our vigorous production is the chief hope of those who hold freedom dear. But how can we best adjust to the impact of our global effort?

For example, how far should we go in diverting manpower and essential raw materials such as steel, aluminum, fibers, fuels, and food to the Rearmament Program both at home and abroad; and how should we allocate what is left between Consumer Goods which provide today’s standard of living, sufficient Plant Expansion to meet tomorrow’s needs, and a continuing program of Industrial Research, on which the miracle of American production depends?

How can we best stimulate the production of strategic raw materials like copper, lead, alloying metals, rubber, and so forth, to ensure an adequate stockpile for Western defense? Or, how high should corporate profits, corporate wages, corporate taxes be in the best interests of all?

There are scores of other problems which are troubling thinking people everywhere.

To meet this need, the Atlantic has suggested to businessmen a combination of display advertising with the new Advertorial form. The Advertorials will be paid advertisements, of course, and we are confident that our readers will respond to them as they do to any section of the magazine. They involve the thoughtful participation of the reader; they are intended to give compelling facts about the way American business works.

The publisher will ensure the integrity in the presentation of the Advertorial which the magazine has ensured editorially for many years. We expect the Atlantic audience to take a lively interest in the evolution of this new technique for building new confidence between business leaders and leaders in other fields.

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