Sprague's Enormous Business

In the Sunday Detroit Tribune au interesting anido on the liu' letter writers of thut city includes tlie following Information about a conipany doing the greatest amount of law instruction in the country : "The Kprague correspondence school of law has au euormous correspondeuce, the letters coming .and goinir to and from all parts of the world. The business was started seveu years ago by W. C. Sprague, who, while lie does not claim that he is the originator of the correspondente educational idea, prides himself tliat it was under liis direction that it was made possible to suecessfully study law, by muil. Mr. Sprague has systeniatized and analyzed tli e great law authorities uto simple daily or weekly sheets. "For the flrst three years. he says. the business did nut pay, but there was always a constant increase in inquines and a steady growth of pul - lic interest. The cumulad ve effect oí seven years' persistent, advertising Una made itself manifest. "The ehief business is giving instruction by mail in the study of law and journalistn. The rate for law is $150 for a full term, running over twó years. and for jourmtlism, $60, but the law course is the more popular and the more profitable. There are more women apply to take the journalistii: conrses, while in the legal department the majority of the applicants are men. Mr, Sprague has figured onl that it costs him .$2 in advertisiug space for each inquiry, and lic does lot average one new pupil for 10 inqui ries. Thus it costs him $!0 at lease to put the name of each new pupil on lis list. The journalistic course is nol as popular, nor does it appear to Mr. Sprague that the applicants have mucb money to spend for such training. FOK POSTAGE, $18,000 A YEAK. Mr. Sprague's mail is among the largest, if not the very largest, that goes through the Detroit postofflce. He has a battery of 18 typewriter operators, who are busy the year around. The corresponderse does not vary greatly, he siys for a wliile it drops off durinsr the hot months, still, siuce it is gathered from all parts of the world, when northern business drops off the southern business begins, and vice versa. Sprague's postage bilí, he says, was over $18,000 last year, or about $1,550 a month. This would pay the postage on 740,000 letters. However, as there is considerable bulk mail and a huge quantity of circular matter, Mr. Sprague believes bis actual letter writing mail is not over 500,000 a year, approximutely. "The business earn?d $80,000 gross i.;st year. Mr. Sprague said, aad all tliis money is expended in Detroit. In addition to the law and journalistic courses Mr. Sprague ' publishes law books and magazines.