Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-02-25
Enterprise and Advertising.

Everybody remembers that blessed
woman, Mrs. Sairey Camp, and the
charming, comforting ways she had at
the bedside of the dying and the dead.
Said Mrs. Harris to me-" quoth Sairey,
~ IL ever there was sober creetur to be
got at eighteen pence day for working
people and three and six.pence for gen.
tlefolks might watching being extra
chargel, you are that invaluable person.
Mrs. Harris says to her, don't name
the charge, for if l could afford to lay all
my feller-creeteurs out for nothink /
would. gladly do it; SIGH is the love /
bears EN-"
There is class of male Sairey Camps
springing up in some of our large cities
who deserve the admiration of society
equally with the sweet model above
named. Mention is made of this class
in late number of the New York Com
naefciG advertiser, and they are described
as being in the business of preserving
funeral wreaths and flowers by patent
process which they are careful to adver-
tise in the nick of time. Says the Com
mercioi:
gentleman, whose wife now lies dead at his
mousse was the recipient yesterday of three letters
nom parties advertising their abilities preserve
natural flowers. One OF those CHASTITY documents
lies before us. IL Is printed on paper heavily
Dordered with black, and Is lugubrious in style
were the verbal advertisements of Msld, the I'M
dertaker, who kept a silent partnership with the
highfly-respeeted gentlewoman and nurse known
In literature as Sairey Camp. Says the latter-day
ghoul, by way of Introduction to his wares:
Surprising you would be DESTROYS of preserving
flowers associated with the memories OF the dead
ones gone, take the liberty of informing you
that we will give entire satisfaction in this branch
OF art.M
Positively, Il does not occur to him that be IL
upspcrafipn wit SIT
impertinence, he proceeds To make his apologies:
" Pardon me for addressing you In the hour of
grief" What pardon can there be for intrudng
into the presence of the dead with an advertising
placardr But lot us hear his reasons: "As In
competent persons have claimed the right of
process that l introduced in this country,
thought II best" Could impertinence go fur
therf over the white face of the dead he waves
his his sdyertisi1g banner and cries aloud !" am
too severe for such wretch
This practice, which is denounced so
strongly, is not confined 10 New York,
by any means, but is known in Chicago
and other cities; nor is this disposition
To earn an honest penny confined to this
class alone. We vouch for the following
as a fact: A life insurance agent had
been trying to prevail upon German
mechanic to take out a small policy.
The German thought he would do so,
but kept postponing it until the agent
became well-nigh discouraged Sudden
ly an intimate friend of the young man
died. His acquaintance were very much
grieved, and collected at the house on
the evening of his death to console his
family and express their sorrow. Quiet
ly and unostentatiously there appeared
among them the insurance agent. lie
had handkerchief to his face and
was quite bowed with grief. While
the body was surrounded by weeping
relatives and sorrowing friends the
agent stepped to the side of his German
friend and gazed mournfully on the face
of the dead. "Alas!" he murmured,
Gin the midst of life we are in death
If Hans had taken out q policy, now see
where his family would bel Let this be
a warning to you, John, and he shook
his forehnger In awful solemnity under
the young mechanics nose. "Think
where you may be, even in day." he
added, and do not delay your applica-
ton"
81 know it," answered the other, and
am going TO look out"
"NowS" asked the agent
"Yes, just as soon as you can fix the
papers," said the German.
No quicker said than done. The agent
pulled the application from his pocket,
and there upon the table which con-
tanned the remains of their departed
friend made out the preliminary docu-
ment and had 1t signed. A moment az
ter, the agent who had entered mourn
or left the house a conqueror. He re-
lated the circumstance TO his acquaint-
anccs and TO the officers Of the company,
and was soon promoted for his excessive
keenness, Surely the hower-preserving
business hardly equals this in what is SO
aptly denominated "cheek."
But the fact that it is deemed essen
tial to advertise this business in the very
midst of dissolution Is striking com
mentary on our thoughtless mode of life.
Hand a man the card of an undertaken
or of person skilled in making and pre-.
serving funeral wreaths, while the form
er and his family are In the full blush
Of health, and the act would be regarded
as insolent, absurd, or of evil omen.
These tradesmen understand this, and
know that their name and location would,
under such circumstances, be forgotten
in an hour They must call the atten-
tion of the people TO the matter mt an
opportune moment, much as the preacher
embraces similar occasion to impress
upon his hearers the necessity of prepa-
ration TO meet the King Of Terrors. The
way TO avoid the objections raised by the
Commercial Adrertiser, and at the same
time convey the needed information to
those in need of IL, is TO keep standing
advertisements in the newspapers, which,
while addressed to the public generally,
and therefore not Objectionable because
pointedly aimed at one individual, new
ertheless contain all that is necessary TO
be know by parties desiring such serv-