The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-06-15
THE gNGLisH "BAGMANr
Queer Customs on the Read and nj the Ise'
or she Commercial Travellers Of the Iisn

Ill kSxE VA&o~
oueer Customs on the Read and NJ the Table
ar che Commercial Travellers Of the Tight
Little Isle.
The men whom Charles Dickens calls
" bagmen," and the English generally
commercial travellers, as compared Win
the American drummer. are neither 80
we'll dressed, 80 voluble, or so well edu-
Gated. SAYS a London letter to the Phila-
delphia Press. Very few Jews are TO DC
met with on the road, most OF them being
their own "bosses." The commercial
traveller IN this country gets % day Tor
his expenses, and is usually remunerated
for his services by fixed salary al
though In some cases he is paid by commits
sion only on his sales. AT nearly all OF the
country and some OF the London hotels q
room Is specially reserved for the use OF tpe
" drummers," and Is known as the COM
mercal room. Here the knights OF the
road do their feeding, writing, talking,
and, after o O'Clock, smoking. None but
" commercials {" are allowed IN these rooms,
and the charges for meals and lodgings
made to those who frequent them are less
by one third than those In which guests
using what Is known as the coffee-room are
mulcted.
In DAYS gone by, when railroads were
unknown and stage-coaches travelled from
London to all parts Of England and Scot
laud. the advent OF the drummer was eager
ly looked forward to by the country Gus
toners. Then, as an old commercial told
me. with the suspicion OF tear in his
watery eve, customers would drive mile
OF two to meet the coach bringing the sales
man and his samples. eager TO hear the la
test news from the big city, get the PICK OF
the new goods, and percbance crack DOT
tie of tawny port at the visitors expense,
Mt the old-fashoned inn OF the country
town. All Is changed nowadays; in
creased facilities Of travel have induced
hundreds OF new firms, large and small, TO
put men upon the road, and now 1t is cal
culated that there are no less than 10000
commercials hunting up orders daily
throughout the limits OF the three king
doms.
At a moderate calculation, each OF these
perseverlng individuals covers upward OF
| lO. 900 miles in the course OF his annual
wanderings, doing an average trade OF
some 900, 900 per annum. Here, then, is
an enormous annual trade OF S2,409, 000,-
600 done by these welnigh ubiquitous
/ busybodies. Taking 3 per cent. on this
amount for railway fares. and the estimate
| is asslrcdly moderate one, one finds that
this class, or their employers, contribute
an enormous sum each year to the Golfers
OF the railroad corporations. And yet.
with the exception OF two lines, tue Great
Northern and the Great Eastern, none OF
the companies make any concessions what
ever to them.
Next to the all-important question OF
"the line" BrOwn took yesterday from
Filkins, the recent failure OF J0bson, and
the gluttony OF Grogson, who invariably
has to be treated to big dinner before an
order can be extracted from him, this mat
ter OF the illiberality Of The railway COM
panies is the burning question Of the hour
among the English drummers. band OF
live members OF the order have recently
started q bright little paper called On the
Road. which is working hard to soften the
hearts OF the hitherto obdurate railway
magnates. The commercials seek from the
railroads the granting OF return or eI-
cursion ticket, available from Saturday to
Monday or Tuesday. at the price OF ticket
for the single journey. Many OF them who
now loaf away Saturday and Sunday in
dull country towns could then afford TO
spend the day OF rest with their wives and
little ones.
There are some old-iasmoned customs
preserved to-day in the commercial rooms
Of the provincial hotels which appear GU
rious, and sometimes turn out embarrass-
ing TO the newly-nedged drummer or out
slider who obtain the entry to the "lair"
OF the traveller under something very like
false pretences. The dinner hour is usu-
ally O'Clock, and the drummer who has
been staying longest in the hotel presides
at one end OF the long table. while the
latest arrival faces him. These two do the
serving of the joints, and dispense the pie
and puddings. In some houses the Gus
tom OF drinking wine at these dinners pre-
walls. As q matter Of form, the worthy
bagman who occupies the post Of honor at
the table will say to the guests: "Gentle-
men, will it be agreeable TO you to join me
I'm glass OF wine!" Guests murmur:
eyes, Dir. President, with pleasure" and
forthwith sherry Is ordered-One. two, or
three bottles-according to the number OF
diners.
Woe betide the impecunious drummer il
the president OF the hotel be IN old tippler,
or, worse still. the representative OF wine
me rchant anxious to obtain an order from
the gentleman who keeps the hotel. In
either case he will, as fast as the bottles are
emptied, order further supply, and the
unhappy commercial who, with a light
pocket and Discrimination to partake OF
stimulents, while he is perfectly at liberty
to pass the bottle as often as he likes, will
find himself called upon to pay his share OF
the wine bill pro rata, and, as old hands OF
the road say. the cost OF the drink amounts
to three times the sum charged for the food.
This absurd custom il, however. rapidly dy-
ing out I'D the better class OF houses. and last
SUNDAY, at the Compton Hotel, Liverpool,
when an excellent dinner OF half a dozen
courses was set on the table at a charge OF
but Is cents per head, l was agrceably
surprised to hear the president announce
before attacking the soup: "Gentlemen.
this is not wine-h0use; so you will be
pleased to give YOUR own orders for wine,
or whatever you may be pleased to drink
with your dinner" IL YOU address the
most commonplace remark TO the gentle
man at the top or bottom OF the table you
will commit gross breach OF commercial |
room etiquette il you omit TO preface your |
speech with ''Mr. President" or "Mr. |
Vice."
One admirable custom prevails at all |
hotels where commercials temporarily take |
up their abode. When the cheese has been |
passed round the waiter produces plate |
which he hands to the president. This |
gentleman puts a two-cent piece in it, and |
it is passed round the table, each person pre- |
sent doing likewise. A collection box OF |
the Commercial Travellers Orphan Asylum
is then placed before the president. who
counts the cash, announces the amount. |
and deposits it in the box. This penny |
subscription realizes, 1t is said, something
like s25, 0O0a year.