Morning journal and courier., 1886-11-10

nLs
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat
SIT takes an artist to sell books on the
railroad cars. You never see an artist slam
into car, bang the door and start down the
aisle nit or miss, throwing Life of Jesse
James down by a minister. Gems of Moodys
Sermons by Texas cowboy, Allan Pinker-
toms detective books by young lady from
Vassar, and Bouquets of Verse by sheriff
taking prisoner to Sing Sing. Your artist
saunters noiselessly into car without a
book, tells the brakeman funny story
while he sizes up the crowd and moves leis-
urely down the aisle picking out suckers
When he has studied the people long enough
he determines just how ne will strike each
one and gets his stock ready. Then he sits
down by the minister and talks to him grave
ly and in pleasant, subdued tone about
Moody's great work. He drinks some of the
cowboys whiskey and tells him story that
keeps him laughing all the way to Utica He
discusses poetry with the young woman from
Vassar, and converses in an engaging man
ner about ''treads' with the slim young
salesman from the dry goods store. The re-
suit is that he catches every one of them.
ty-five dollars week and throw the peanut
and fruit stock out of the window rather
than bother with it. Amt they artists?
The Hebrew clothing merchants down in
Baxter street think that it is a great thing to
sell a man a coat at all. That's simply moth
ing to selling a man book that he doesn't
want, can't read and has been importuned
hundred times in three days to buy. And
that's what booksellers who artists do.
tfNOw there was Hon aly Dave rad head
ed, ugly hedge fence, without single
handsome feature-he could talk any man
that ever lived into buying book. Did you
ever hear about Senator Evarts' experience
with Davea 1t was when Mr.. Evarts was
Secretary of State under Mr.. Hayes He
had been out to California on kind of
jaunt, and was coming back with number
of distinguished NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Con-
gressmen and officials. They struck Dawes
run at Council Bluffs. Before they had gone
ten miles Dave had looked the party over
and determined to sell them some books He
decided that he would make his first assault
upon Secretary Evarts. Mr.. Evarts was not
feeling very well that day, and when he saw
Dave coming he t1rns sd away impatiently
and motioned the porter to put him out.
'''I have been bored to death by news
agents and book peddlers ever since I left
San Francisco, and I am heartily sick of it.
!" "'Homely Dave was not frightened in the
least. He said with bland smile:
"'Excuse me, Mr.. Secretary, but I don't
want to sell you anything. 1 just want to
read you page or two out of a book just
issued. Have you seen itP
''Mr. Evarts glanced at the title page and
said he hadn't.
"sNow just let me beguile the tediousness
of the journey by reading the first page to
you
$50 Dave, who had remarkably clear and
sweet voice, read on, not only the first, but
the second and third pages, with Mr.. Evarts
a deeply interested listener. When 'Homely
Dave stopped Mr.. Evarts simply said: Ill
take that book. Name your price. Now
what else have you got2'
'sThat book was Edwin Arnold's Light of
Asia 1t had just come out then. After
Mr.. Evarts had picked out a lot of other
books, and Dave had read to him from them,
he called the Senators and Congressman, in
troduced Dsse to them, AMI made them sit
down and listen while Dave read lot of
things. He sold more than two hundred
dollars worth of books to those people before
they got to Chicago. You bet he didn't
touch the peanut basket that trip.
''That was red headed tHome1y Dave
There amt many news agents in the business
nowadays that can equal that performance" !"