Daily globe., 1878-08-06
THE RISKS OF THE STOCKING TRADE
The Caprices of I'm sericas. Wonae,a IN Host
ery-A Dry Goods Mans Experience.

The Caprices of 4ns eric0ss Woase'a IN Host |
ery-A Dry Goods Mans Experience.
LOlive Logan in Cincinnati Commercial.
.sThe riskiest business in America to-day
answered Mr.. Berwick, ssis the dry goods
business, and the most unstable part of the
dry goods business is in the line
of stockings. never saw anything
like it. The caprice of American
women concerning stockings 1s something
almost surprising belief. Two men have
within the last month been sent back to the
United States from Chemnitz raving luna
tics, driven insane by the fluctuations in
taste in the stocking demand at home.'
thought the statement was joke, and
smiled.
ssIt's strict truth am telling you, and no
nonsense. I don't know how much longer
I'll hold out My whole existence is one
elongated hose. I eat, sleep, drink and
think stockings
sWe've got stockings on the brain,'' said
Mr.. White.
Son the brain should think so,'' re-
piled Mr.. Berwick. "Between the top of my
nose and the roof of my head I've got 25,0O0
dozen of stockings packed away. used to
be able to put the whole subject out of my
mind on the Sabbath now the church l at
tend is filed with stockings. [ am wonder
ing during the sermon what the particular
taste is of every one in the congregation con-
cerning stockings, not excepting the minis
ter and his wife and family. The very pull
pit is hung with stockings
"A perpetual Christmas"
| s'Santa Claus is better off than 1 am, for
at least he doesn't have to furnish people
with stockings
'What is it that causes you this great
anxiety?" I inquired.
ssThe constant fear of having twenty or
thirty thousand dozen expensive stockings
thrown on our hands, dead stock, to be sold
at fifty cents on the dollar of what
it costs US, through the crack-brained
notion of some few so-called leaders
of fashion. Why, one noted
lady in town-one alone-has it in he1
power to change the styles in stockings il
the space of twenty -four hours. Mrs. Jones
or Mrs. Smith can walk into store, ask te
look at stockings, be shown the creates
novelties, and if the bull of the stock hap
pens to be red she has but to say ''Oh, reds
no good now; green's all the rage. That's
enough, from that moment we have to seiz,
people by the throat and maui them to ge
them to take red stocking Why, even tn,
children know it, and cry if their mothers
tempted by the lowered price, want to bu.
the questionable color for them. Oh, it il
dreadful!'' exclaimed the excited hosier,
merchant. ''Dreadful! Dreadful! 1t beat
Banniker!''
81 infer from your rematks that American
women, as purchasers, are somewhat capri
cious.''
"They are the most capricious, the mos
extravagent women that God let's live,' con
tinued he. II can't begin to tell you all thi
nonsense about hosiery. Why, an eight
, OF an inch in width of stripe is sufficien
to ruin whole invoice of fine hosiery a
| selling goods. Stewart was bit this way re
Gently. They had 10000 dozen hose with
stripe that was pronounced little too nal
row or a little too wide, forget which, an
} they had to sell the whole lot at less tina
half cost price in Europe. And they wei
difficult to get rid of even at that