Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-12-14
Catering to Hobbies.

A plainly but richly dressed gentle
man, OF progressing appearance and
quiet, unassuming manners, boarded q
New York train the other evening. He,
was recognized by a reporter as one of
the best known and best paid "drum-,
mers" in the country. There was some
thing in his appearance that was not,
familiar, however. The inevitable ac-,
compartments of one of his class, the
silk skull-cap and the .grip-sack,'
were missing. In their place he had q
formidable bundle of newspapers and
magazines.
"About to start q news stand?" asked
the reporter of his friend, as he sat down
beside him.
ono" !
"Going to become an editor?" !;
"No; I'm still in the old line, selling
clothing for the million at prices utter
ly beyond competition"
"What in the world are you doing
with all those papers, then? Surely they
can't he a part of your stock in trade
your samples?" .
Ono, they're not samples, but they
are a part of my stock in trade, and q
very important part"
"Will you tell me what part they
play N the sale of shoddy trousers?"
Eyes, Twill reveal a trade secret, and
one that 1 consider a very valuable one.
read every one of those papers nearly
every week, and a great many more not
included in the list you see.here. 1 read
as many papers each week, in all prob
ability, as does the editor of any daily
paper, and in addition I keep up with
the current literature of the day, and
with all theatrical, musical and sporting
events, and am constantly ''cramming"
up on the practical events of the day at
home and abroad.
"When I went into the business of q
commercial traveller I intended to make
a success of it. l made up my mind to
master the business, so that | could not
only get, but keep, customers. This
was a o OF years ago. | noticed that
a customer was o pleased to meet a
drummer who could talk intellieentlY
upon some subject in which he was in
terested than one whose merits, outside
his sample trunk, consisted of his ability
to tell a good story and to buy unlim-
tied cigars and drinks. So I began to
=" - ""!Ay PoPolo gave Aue y Su-
perficial knowledge of everything, and
/ read both sides politically. The news-
papers of those days didn't treat mat
tiers so fully or in%telligently as they do
to-day. Consequently 1 supplemented
the information | got there by reading
weekly papers or well-conducted MONTH
ly publications and quarterlies which
treated special topics exhaustively. I
had both European and American poll
tics, and social, sectional, religious, fin
ancial and a hundred other topics dtmy
fingers and tongues ends. If 1 had a
customer in view 1 found out his Pc
culiar hobby, called on him and talked
with him about his hobby. That pleased
him. He became a good fly for this
very greedy spider. OF course, Ididn't
forget to mingle with my specially as q
heavy nan the low comedy clement
that is, the storytelling and ioke-crack-
ing. Nor did | neglect the social part
of my duties-that's what we call cigars
and drinks. The scheme worked adj
mirably and paid we'll. Igot new Gus
toners and held them, because l kept
pace with them on their particular hob
by."-M. Y. Times.