The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-07-15
COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS.
The Men who Have No Abiding Place
Life ON the Rail and I'm Hotels.

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS.
The Men who Have No Abiding Places
Life ON the Rail and I'm Hotels.
A New York reporter sketches the fol
lowing:
"Off again 20 said to well-dressed
man hurrying along with traveling.oag
in one hand ana shawl in the other.
Where are you bound now?' He was
commercial traveller. and worked for one
of the largest hous' in The city.
Yes he replied, cheerily, I'm on
again I'm always of and never on.
don't know nv own wife. Que of these
days I'm going to stay at home long
enough 10 get acquainted with her. II |
can. She seems 10 be nice Kind OF n
woman. I've got to catch the train at
Forty-second Street in an hour. Jump in
the car and go little way with fellow,
can't you? That's the only way Lean say
how dye do TO my friends, | did "a he
requested, following The Biblical mi nc
ton, q" If any man compel you TO go a
mile 60 with him twain"
This is queer sort of life you lead,
said, on being seated. Don't YOU enjoy
going about the country. living at tirsI-
class hotels, riding in p lace cars, smoking
the best cigars, and, in word, making n
long spree OF life a at other peoples ex-
pine? Seems to me a c. m ercidl travel
'r has mighty easy berth Of il. d like
to be one myself"
He listened 10 all said with an amused
twinkle in his eye, and replied: well
now il Is strange that about every man
outside Of the business has just exactly
your idea of (which Is just exactly the
wropg one There never was more in
| 49, nj
commercial travellers than the popular one.
Why. man alive ~ he said, spiritesly
- you mustn't suppose the merchants of
New York are idiots, or that thew LOSE
sight of us the moment we leave the store.
They know all about us, and We know that
they know ii, and take care that they
shan't know any harm OF u.s.
SELLING GooDs.
"Our calling Is our bread and butter,
and We have TO earn it by the hardest kind
of labor. You needn't laugh, it is so.
Business of all kinds now -a-days is done
by actual personal representation and So
| licitatiOn. A merchant has certain kinds
of goods which he puts on the market he
advertises them fully, and then follows up
his advertisements by his travellers, and
rakes in Ill he can. Commercial travellers
are more numerous to-day in I'll lines than
ever before. When you see smart, ac-
tive young man going from store ID store
in suburban cities, talking with the pro-
prietor confidentially, and producing a
book in which he makes notes FROM time
| 10 time. that man is a commercial tourist,
as we call ourselves for fun, and is doing
as much business in his way for his house
as they do for themselves. No firm can
get along without them. Some have
twenty travellers securing the country at
| the same time, and Others have two or
three. according to their line and extent
of trade. You spoke of our seeing the
country. You'd laugh if told YOU that
never saw Niagara Falls in my life until |
was thirty five years old. though | have
been within two miles of it hundreds OF
tunes. At last | was ashamed of il and
absolutely took day, and wrote the house
was going to the Falls on a spree.
went there and stayed a couple of hours
and happening to think of man wanted
TO see in Buffalo, took the first train for
| that city and let the Falls 60 to pot: the
| fact is, when / am on business | can't take
any pleasure in fun. / scarcely know one
| place from another, except by the bust
ness houses in them, and as for scenery
the finest scene know OF is a merchant
calling at your hotel two or three time
before you arrive wanting to know if you
haven't come yet, so he can buy bill OF
goods of you.
HOW THEY LIVE.
ave do stop at first-class hotels.
md we always get just as good accommo-
dations as there are in the house. Why?
! Because wepay our bills; because ne are
the biggest kind of walking advertise
ment for hotel, and the men who know
how to keep one understand that fact. We
can send hundreds of dollars worth OF
business to hotel or drive hundreds away
from it, simply by reporting TO each other
how we are treated. We get together in
smoking cars and in our rooms nights,
and detail every mean act or petty eXtor-
ton, and you bet that landlords dom
make any millions out of us 10y crOwding
Some of us have our regular rooms-be>t
family rooms. too, we occupy every month
for years, and we always get them, every
time. no matter who is in them The
head walters know Us like book, and
so do the boys; and you bet we don't get
any tenderlOin steaks or broiled chicken
or birds and things! Oh, no, they ain'r
for us.
alt makes a mighty sight Of
difference to man VINO works twelve
and fourteen hours dav, as We do, talk
ing and walking all the time, what kind OF
| fare he get he can't have any too good,
and a sensible firm knows it How is a
man to have any spunk or spirit in him
after riding, say 800 miles a week, and
talking all the time except when he's
asleep, if he is disturbed by bugs or fed
on bull beef and slops generally? He
can't do il. Can't ride 800 miles a week
aud do any business? Young man, we
work all day and ride all night. That's
the way we do it, except in big towns
like Buffalo or Chicago; there, of course,
its different.
| SAMPLES AND EXPENSES.
"Samples! yes, of course, we carry
samples some of us have half dozen big
trunks full of 'em I; regular store in Itself
to lug around. Dry goods, hats, boot
and shoe men, all have 'em. and at the END
OF their trips they sell the
lot for what they can get To
some Cheap John, trunks and all un.
less they are some sample trunks made on
purpose for their business. Some hav,
samples which they carry in hand, anC
those are the worst of all. Cutlery me.
catch it heavy on these. They amt heavy
enough to put in baggage car, but they
have TO be toted round from store to store
weigh twenty-five pounds, some of 'em
You take one of them, carry it all dav in
a country town or city, talk all the while
and perhaps make no sales after all-find
some chap has been ahead of you and done
ii all for you, and when it comes night
if you don't feel tired you're horse
that's all.
Big bill of expenses! Well, that de
ponds on where and how you travel. In
the Eastern States, where distances are
short and hot lcharges smalli1 the towns