The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-03-02
MODERN SIRIiEs.
Female Canvassers and the Bright
Weapons Of Their Success.

The female canvasser lost her grip
On place in mythology by being born
90 RECENTLY. Had she been around
when the willy Ulysses was going about
with those impressionable Greeks on
yacht cruises. she would have conn
handed good salary in any chorus OF
sirens. Coming into existence in the
Ammo Domini period, she is perforce
compelled to change her tactics. She
does not try to catch tar, although q
Tartar every now and then falls in her
wsy. but sets about Turing the business
man into financial ruin. The female
eanvasser is one of the few things of
oontemporaneous interest that were
not created to fill long-felt want. No
one has. ever been known to yearn for
her coming or to feel that her absence
manufactured q vacuum in his exist
ence. The result is that she has be-
come an interesting waif hunting for
an opening, who difuses herself over
.
shekels are ripest.
The female csnvasser is generally in
the book or. advertising line. She
somehow contrives to find something
In both with which she can make appeal
20 the sluggish charitable instincts of
humanity. She never seems to be
working for business, but only for the
love of the cause in which she is en-
listed, and'there is always some ulte-
rior person or purpose to be benefited
by sale or subscription. Upon the
deserving character of this person or
purpose she always. brings her elo-
quence to bear. 1t is not the mere
money she seems to want. Her object
appears TO be only the stimulation of
interest in the scheme she represents.
When she does take the money or its
eouivalent-and that happens pretty
often-she does it as though she were
only performing subordinate part of
the donors duty for which he ought to
be grateful to her. G-..
The man who contributes to 8 char
ity or buys bill of goods from q
drummer has vague notion that he
has done . service for the solicitor.
aut the female canvasser never permits
him to harbor any such idea about her.
BE is given to understand that he has
done only what he should have done
long ago, and it was highly improper
for him TO wait till she reminded him
of it. That is the reason every one
feels himself humble and abashed
when female canvasser looms ND in
the horizon, and feels humber and
more abashed when she leaves.
There are two kinds of female can
vassers-the old and the young varie-
ties. Their methods are diametrically
opposite. The'one says everything she
can: the other IS little as she can. The
former is born exhorter. She can
get in more vocal work In q given
space than any male agitator of the
organ of speech extant- The young va
riety of csnvasser does not run the
campaign that way. Her strong
points are her eyes. Once her tongue
has set forth her business it suspends
and her eyes begin to issue dividends.
Thereafter all operations are carried on
from that quarter.
She finds this the most effective way.
A whole park of artillery would not
hold its own as an instrument of de-
structior against the eyes or a WE'LL
organized canvasser. If she is coldly
received she throws q little warmth and
feeling into her chances. If she is re-
buffed the eyes fiji. : If she is turned
away she suffuses them with look Of
pleading that would reduces adamant at
. hundred PAGES. She begs with them.
prsys with them, urges with them and
exhorts with them. and as there is no
force known to science that will over
come this. mute insistence, humanity
has to yield and the reluctant purse
strings have to loosen
Cunning business people know this.
They know that female canvasser is
more fatal than any other engine Of
war that can be brought to beaE: upon
the works with which mankind has
trenched itself agaipst booksellers and
So nowadays they reserve
her for the ferlorn hope work and
launch her against the stoutest pointed
confident of the result.
"A Reporter yesterday had talk with
onesof these long headed people. He
found her IN an -pfice which exhaled;
more aroma than .. Sixth avenue phar-
macy. md contained more feet of femi-
nine artfulness than any known insti-
tuition outside Of Q charity fair. The
ladBG It were i'll cant assers. One
could tell In . tviukling from the fu-
ency of the attSraAcess Of the more ell
derlEx6d -theS aimpid catch-on-fulness
81 Ia Ct pa zssPsss sP sSas
y5 siS :. S IND sTIss :
fuf kefr&ins descriptive Of now certain
were carried and the ''lootn