St. Paul daily globe., 1885-12-27
Ups and Downs of an AGENTS Life
Whereby They See the
World.

homemade sign On one of the principal
thoroughfares of ST. Paul, and so read
GLOBE reporter just before he stopped and
turned up the two dark flights that led to
| the object of his curiosity. AS the door was
opened, Good morning, SIR" came from
the aldermanic-looking individual who was
the sole occupant Of the two dingy rooms
related to the sign below. The room was
certainly curiosity, wearing a complexion
OF thrifty slOvenlinesS," and lit up to
light shade of gloom by the light that
crowded its way between Two buildings and
filtered through two dirty windows. The
nature of the oGdly-stocked apartments it
would have puzzled many to ex-
plain without the label of the
aWkwardly-printed sign ON the door.
Two big tables, made of loose boards, cov-
cred with collection of widely-variant
articles and sections of the floor similarly
stocked. might have suggested the remains
OF notion store, or a collection of samples
from every line of trade.
| But, to be honest about it. it was one of
the centers that supply the mighty host of
agents that are engaged in ferreting out
quarters and big round dollars in every
! hamlet and country road of the land
''I'm out of a job just now," explained
the reporter, land / thought I'd see if [
couldn't make something in this line for a
| while''
''That's right; you've struck the right
line, if you're good for anything" said the
proprietor. Ever done anything at it?"
''Well. yes; l tried it awhile once, though
didn't make it pay very well.'
In fact. the reporter did remember wildly,
and almost with shudder, of two dreary
days. before he took up the cross of his
| mr. snal inr rhn,, ho+ ~ -
| t1attenlng purse and little unoccupied
time by canvassng for Gems of Poetry
and Art, bound in green cloth and red
leather, and sold on easy payments. He
also remembered of feeling himself a
boil on society's anatomy most of the
time and OF spending the greater part of the
second day in enjoying the board and cigars
he had traded for his sample copy. But
golden memories were not in order Just
then and he quickly added an inquiry about
the inducements this fountain of wealth
had to offer. Well now there's something
THAT'S REASONABLE
and sells like hot cakes-that griddle over
there. You see you can bake twice as many
cakes at once as on any ordinary griddle and
it don't take up any more room. That's bus
tie and there's stocking-supporters You'd
better let our lady agents handle them"
and the party addressed quickly suppressed
his curiosity and proceeded to handle a
combination corkscrew and shaving brush
with greater feeling of safety. The SELL
ing qualities of numerous articles were
quickly displayed by the individual who
was remorselessly coming the peace of
homes into lots of silver dollars. There
were sewing machines, castOrs, broom hol-
ders, lamps, lamp shades, things
| which no woman or home was
complete without, novelties in
cooking utensils which combined more func-
tions than country editor, and which were
supposed to appeal loudly to that element
of human nature which likes to save work
and has weak side for the new and novel.
If the would-be agent wished he might,
too, sally forth with little drug store-a
case of rather small dimensions containing
sticking plaster, ointments, pills, cosmetics,
lint and fifty other articles intended to
minister to the ordinary, everyday ills that
flesh and skin inherit.
''You can make good living with any
of these samples if you tend to business" /"
advised the agent-in-chief, ''but a man
doesn't want to waste any time loating
around. just stick right to it. You may
go all the forenoon without selling anything
and then make a big days wages in the
afternoon. We have great many appli-
cants start in and quit in a day or two.
They haven't got the sand. 1t takes
sand to get dust in this business"
Have you got many agents out in the
cty?" querried the reporter.
Yes, few. The most of our agents
are in the country though" Further con-
versation elected the information that the
myriad of agents abroad with their little
samples get their supplies from similar es-
tablishments in other cities from manu-
facturers, from general agents and some
sell articles of their own manufacture"
lone of the best class of huSterS is the
old-clothes-man, went on the proprietor.
''His graft
| ISN'T SLICK TALK,
but startling cheaDness. They make money
too. We start them out quite frequently
and they get rich. They run about like
this in their business deals-pack, cheap
one-horse wagon, better one-horse wagon.
small store bigger store, biggest store and
perhaps bank. Then we have the seller of
jewery and silverWare on monthly pay
ments, the man that repairs sewing machines
and old chairs, the retailer of clocks,
patent medicines, stove polish and a thou
sand other things of common use as well
as thousand things new and strange, and,
of course, we start a good many book
agents. When women take the road. they
generally confne themselves to books, fe.
male fixtures and patterns, and mos
| women are more successful than men,"
''Some men are born agents. They arc
so fashioned that the short work made OF
them by the fierce woman with red hair
and a broom effects them about as
much as the mud crossed to reach the
gate," went on the man. THE true agent
takes it philosophicaly as one of the neces-
sary features of his business and that is the
end of it. He meets enough who will listen
to his explanation and surrender to his elo-
quence to make a good living and is salts
fed. The proof of years successful work
as house-to- house agent, ought to be le-
gal tender anywhere as good Recommended
tion for industry and perseverance at least.
The business is one which man can pick
up or Law down at any time, and so is re-
sorted to by many who fail to find other en-
plovmeut for the time Not every young
man that raps at the door and shows up a
book or a clothes-wringer is professional
hardshell agent Many are educated and
refined with sensitive natures, but are the
victims of hard luck"
HE SEES LIFE.
There are many ins and outs in the
agents life. They are an interesting study
and may be looked at from more than one
point of view. It's long scale from the
gentlemanly solicitor for upright pianos, or
ali art portfolio, to the ragged umbrella
fiXer or the buyer of old clothes. and though
some are little out of the line of agents
in the general impression of the term. the
gradatons between shade into each other so
imperceptably that it is hard to draw the
line between them.
What an endless study of human natu re-
is this fitting about! How delightful to go