The Portland daily press., 1885-04-10
EUCHRE AND THE PRAYER MEETINGS
Rooto,, uo~old
Book Canvassers.
The Methods of the Male and Female of
fhe Genus

tn l. OEapnlc
In no other part of the world is canvass
ing carried on so large scale as in the
United States, particularly 10 the city of
New York. Advertisements can be read in
almost every daily issue of our metropolitan
journals offering employment to those who
will undertake this mode of gaining living.
Yet it is an occupation that not one man in
one hundred will succeed in. It attracts
that very large class who have by some
means or other failed in what is generally
termed "the genteel profession" and so
clerks, lawyers, authors. actors, artists aud
many clergymen take to it. Canvassing APP
pears at first very easy way of realizing an
income. Yet it is one of the most difficult;
for man to be good "canvasser' must in
reality have thorough knowledge of the
world and be keen judge of every day life.
No matter what position in life man be in
-brown-stone-mansion man or tenement
house mamie will not generally deny from
mere vanity's sake, but what she's read
err" although probably some have no little
difficulty in recogniz ing one author from an
other. In canvassing book the canvassng
must be able to freely speak of the author
and his works, the illustrations, the binding
and the publishers.
"You see,o said an old canvasser few
days since to reporter, 'swhen you canvass
book you have to carry ii with you. Con-
sequently when you approach the man or
house the book canvasser' is at once recog-
nized, and you get refusal in some shape
or other before you can hardly utter word.
Now, sir, you would be surprised at the sue
cess OF women as canvassers"-they far out
shine the men. The fact of being one of
the gentler sex is largely in their favor. The
sight of a woman tramping around in search
of livelihood touches the tender impulses
Of the hearer.' The lady canVasser gains
the entree where the gentleman canvasser
would fear TO tread. AS Iule the former
merely carries prospectus or sample
sheet of The book with her This, of course
can be concealed or rolled up like docu
meut. She calls on bankers, merchants and
people of leisure. The notice of mo ped
dlefs allowed in the building she disregards.
The janitor, the elevator boys, the office
clerk or the domestic servants cannot tell
her errand, aud she is politely ushered into
the presence of the party she seeks without
any difficulty whatever, while the majority
of men would have been unceremoniously
denied admittance across the outer thresh-
old. Once in the presence of the BOSS the
lady Cowper diiates upon the merits of ner
book with little fear of rebuff, or most men
have a spirit of galiantry in them; so they
listen paliently-whatever they may think
and possibly order the book. Female can
vassers are pretty well educated class.
They have been school or music teachers, or
they are poor gentlemsn's daughters. In
dress they are neat, not CANDY, and have
reserved, modest style of manner which al
ways commands attention. Ii she is middle.
aged she is perhaps widow lady who lived
IN Southern afiuence before the war, or an
ex-opera singer and should she find the
listener III the melting mood, she will drop
few remarks about financial or domestic
troubles. Hundreds of Wall street men
have ordered books from them they never
cared for. or expected TO see, purely from
feelings OF respec;, admiration or sympathy
Sewing machines were another difficult ar
ticle to handle. l REFER" went on the old
canvasser, ito the time they were not so
common as now, when man had to be we'll
posted about their working gear and
the different improvements being con-
stanty made. / remember one who
was known among the canyassing
fraternity as 'the Bump Man. He was
very successful with the machines, which
he attributed to his knowledge of phrenol-
ogy, and this will show you the many de-
VICES Intu ICsOlb ~ III SahfoSolbS' TUE H.
stance, if this Bump Man should call upon
a woman TO solicit her order for a sewing
machine he would, while making sale, at
intervals break off in The conversation and
look admiringiy at her children. Then he
would say, Excuse me, madame, but | have
made phTenology study in my days of pros
perlty and that child has very fine head, it
will gain some lofty position in the world
Then would he, while the mothers eyes lit
up with pride, examine the Juveniles crani-
UNI and ioretel Tor it great success in some
high-sounding profession. Praise the
child and capture the mother for customer,
was his saying, and many orders he got in
this manner"