Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-10-08
STRIsET-HAWKING.
Fortunes Made on the Street.-The Mo,
ern Hawker's Progress Decline Of
g Gnnp.


ern HawISer,s Progress-Dcciine Of
the Gong.
The street-hawker we always have
with us. He has become fixture Just
as much so rs the very streets which
he daily passes. Moreover, he surpass-
es all other public characters in that
independent, don't care-for- nobody
spirit so essential in gaining the mighty
dollar. Who ever saw a hawker dis
concerted, thrown off his balance, or
at a loss Tor a word? Against the
cheek of hawker there has never been
a word thrown that has left a blush.
1t is weather. beaten through years of
service in facing the attacks Of sharp
tongued housewives.
There are many varieties of this same
hawker seen on our streets every day.
lie is not only ragman-he is pota-
toes, tomatoes. Strawberries, apples:
he is silk handkerchiefs, collar buttons.
and matches; he Is more than this. he
IS everything that has nickel in it.
As he passes through the streets, year
IN and year out, either on foot with
basket IN hand. or, if more fortunate,
In rickety old wagon, to which is at
tached an ancient horse of feeble pace.
he somehow or other grows into a
place in our memory-so much so that
we recognize at distance the rumble
OF his creaklng vegetable chariot, and
know that he is coming.
Like all other progressive characters,
the hawker of the present day would
be 10th to follow in the footsteps of his
predecessors. He is more wide awake,
his plans of attack upon doubtful Gus
toners are executed with more than
usual success. lie has more COMPETE
ton than his ancestors in the hawking
line. and competition makes better
business men. Formerly, in going his
rounds, the hawkcrs blew discordant
bellows from gong to announce his
coming. People have been known who
lost their senses from the frightful
sounds daily heard from these gongs.
The modern hawker has generally dis
carded the gong. Now he carries a
bugle, and he blows from it a melody
that is no less pleasing than it is in
spring. You hear it from afar, and
you almost feel patriotic in hearing it.
1t is the call to battle, you think, and
you rouse yourself for the fray. Alas,
you meet IN an engagement with a
hawker and he conquers you with
box of strawberries. Every time YOU
stop to parley with .hawker you are
lost.
In and about the city. where there
are different grades and respecta bilities
among the hawkers, there is, among
the better class. considerable abate-
ment of former nuisance so common.
1t is that of bawling out their parlicu-
lar businesses to the annoyance of
whole street The better class of
hawkers don do this now. The buglc
tells you he is coming, and he gets off
has wagon and goes to the doors of the
houses, specimens of his stock in hand,
and tells you quietly that he has very
superior articles at very low prices.
This is more tolcrable. You feel that
you would rather see man any time
than hear him yelling something you
cannot understand. But much of this
nuisance still exists in all its pristine
glory. Yesterday a loud cry was heard
on the streets. 1t sounded like .'Ra-
a-ha-o-a-gs!" ''r-r-ah-o-ah-g sr' 1t is
only the ragmcn and ashmcn that yell
this way now. They are masters of
the field.
Are you making anything now?"
was asked Of an old hawker recently,
as he stopped his wagon to sell half
peck of peas.
''Hain't very brisk just now," said
he slowly. Too many of these one
horse groceries about town. They're
thick n liic, in l,ucklcbcrry time "
The I'd man was brought TO admit.
at laat, that I'll was payin'.n Some OF
these Old fellows have lived well on
money made in this very way. Some
have money laid away in bank. Others
have made enough to set themselves
up as corner grocers. On the whole.
hawking has been Il profitable business.
Ii there are exec lions 10 this-and
there arc--it has occn among the rag
men. Very few Of them have become
mllonaires through skirting the alley
WAYS and wharyrs for rags
There is one man in this city who
now owns some valuable property,
who rents dozen hon Is Or more, and
lives in a good one himself He COM
menced life by selling potatoes on the
street. lie Keeps mp the business yet
He don't personally drive 4 horse and
wagon, but he has others to do it for
him. He has retired from active BUS
mess. and is worth 500 0)0 He lives
down in the First ward, and he is WELL
known there.
There are hundreds of these hawk
ers, hucksterS. and pcddlers about the
city. They run their wagons miles out
of the city. and ii IS when in the coun-
try towns that YOU see the hawker in
all the distinctive phases OF his occu-
patton. He yells, bulldozes, talks his
loudest, and never takes mo for am
swer.
Most of these hawkers are not at all
bad fellows, and consequently most OF
them arc good-humorcd. A surly
hawker is an exception. They swear,
but where can you find man that
don't when hc has to drive 81 horse?
There are. taking them all around,
worse people in the world than the
hawkers, even though he may beat
you in business way. blow gong,
or swear at his horse. The genuine
hawker would be missed out of the
world. P.ttsburg ChroH, c!c- telegraph.