The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-29

| large letters ZONE SHILLING." and then In
| smaller letters " ELEvESPEScs," and then In
smaller letters still, almost ilegible to those who
90 not wear sPsstacss Three ing These
pence. But the eyes of the shrewd British
mstron are attracted, first of all, by the staring
announcement Of lone shilling" 6he does
not see the "elevenpence y until she is half.
way into the shop, and the " three farthings" are
unknown to her until she meets them in the
bill. Ssuntering by one of these shops, and OBJ
serving that the proprietor seemed to be dis
engaged, stepped in and asked him. among other
questions, what effect il would have upon his
business II he were boldly to advertise his goods
at two shillings," instead of the deceptive ''one
shilling elevenpence three farthings." "Why,
sr, he replied-l don't pretend to give his exact
words-'it would show that didn't understand
human nature, and / might as well quit the bust.
ness" Perhaps the guinea swinders understand
human nature also; but the fsrthng swinders
have this advantage over them-there is such
coin as farthing. while q guinea is an impossi-
biiity. No London shopkeeper of the present
day ever received one over the counter, and every
tradesman knows that he is taking an extra shiI.
ling out of your pocket dishonesty pleading. of
course, custom for bis excuse-when he sells his
wares for guinea instead Of a pound. But when
Napoleon called the English 81 a nation of shop
seepers AN epigram far from true-his satire
was more bitter than he knew.
=, IL all the English resembled their shopkeepers
they would be completely contemplate for the
British shopkeepers first lesson is to cringe to his
rich customers; his second lesson is to bully his
poor customers. A thoroughly trained English
waiter says Thank You, SIR" when you tell him
to bring scutte of GOALS and Thank you, sir"
when you inform him that he is an unmitigated
blockhead. The British shopkeeper appears to
are an American, he disgnsts you with his ser.
Witty as much as he robs you in his bill. In Paris
You are robbed as badly, but there you expect it.
What relief it is to find that many English shops
~ al H. e.
always more independent than the men. Being
women they cannot quite cringe Even Mrs.
Heep, in David Copperfeld, is not so aggravatngly
'umble as her SON Uriah.
IN; No foreigner can be many hours in England
tween royalty and trade. He sees over every
other shop signs such as these" Gunmaker to
the Queen" Brooches maker to the Queen"
" staymsEer to the Queen and the Prince Con.
Of Wales" At first he imagines that these must
De the best shops in London. Before long he dis
covers that they are only the dearest. After
awhile he learns that the queen has appa- |
[enuy dozen or score of gunmakers,
Dreeches, makers and staymakers in her service, |
ADD that the prince and princess of Wales are |
equally well supplied. few questions will
each him that royalty never heard of nine tenths
y The people who parade its names in front of
procured them bit of parchment from some sub.
'roinate, and their sign is painted In large letters
o astonish the ignorant, and is bedecked with the
oyai arms to convince the sceptical. English
,eople are very seldom taken in by this humbug
coetermopger were to announce himself as
fnrveyor OF Potatoes to her Majesty" or if a
Kinney sweep were to put at the ton of his
ard-as one of them has done "By Special AID. |
ointment to the Royal Family" no Englishmsn
'ould be surprised. This sham parade of ROYAL
ustom is catch to which he has been accus-
omed, and II he be at all economical, 1t only tells
I'm at which shops not to deal. But with for
lRners the case is different. A tradesman whose |
ny clam 10 reputation is that he furnishes his
oods TO the prince of Wales assured me that |
uIing the summer, when the London season was |
yer and all the fashionables had left town. his
mployes were kept busy by the Americans who
anne over just at the time when London was de- |
pods before leaving for Paris. Let me warn nv
ompatriots against putting their trust in any
rlnce's name over shop front. /,
ALREADY has 1t come to be understood in Eng. ,
nd that the best shops are those which make no | !
irade OF royal patronage. High-sounding names | !
yer the door are like the certificates n the adyer
sements OF patent pills. generally bogus. When |
'u Degin TO count how many tAilors, how many | :
rnlsners, how many shoemakers, how many
'slers, how many jewelers. how MANY hasters | =
w many .glovers, how many whipsters, how
any hair-dressers AID how many photographers !
royal family seem to have in London alone. | a
tnout counting any of the other places which | q
ey psuonze literally, according to the adver- 9
ements, you Will begin TO doubt which is the | h
al original Jacobs. Distrust them all, as the
IRE Intelligent Brtishers do. As good wines | d
ed no bush. so good shops do not require this | i,
etension to royal custom. do not know, what | 4
lcal is responsible for these trade certificates or
'lomas, issued with an apparent royal sanction, 7
Wnat are the perquisites Of the Office which "
8 person occupies; but, for the sake of their n
n dignity and honor, those members of the
'al family whose names are taken in vain lin A A
lole sense) by multitudes of aspiring shopmen. n
)uld look into the matter personally and ahata | A
evil which has involved the retail dealers of 10
gland in a mire of petty hypocrisies, pretences
! deceils.