Humorist Stephen Leacock’s Take on Advertising

Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) was a widely read Canadian writer, humorist, and political scientist who, between 1915-1925, was the most popular English-speaking writer in the world. An economist by trade, Leacock turned to writing as a means to augment his income. Before long, his popularity as a writer eclipsed his other work. The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, awarded each year for the best English language book of humor written by a Canadian author, is named in his honor. It’s somewhat curious that Leacock’s international popularity waned in the years since his death, though his legacy is still kept alive in his native Canada.

Leacock wrote during an age which begat the development of consumer advertising. Here’s how he described the phenomena to which he was an observer: 

“Advertising may be described as the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it.”

Source: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Quotations