Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-17
A PEDDLER'S METHODS.
ONE OF THE FRATERNITY TELLS
ALL ABOUT HIS WORK.

Ways That Are Dark and Tricks That
Are yain--A Successful Peddier Must
Have just Enough self Confidence.
Up Stairs and Down.
''Good peddlers, like successful men in the
higher walks Of life, are born, not made, v
said the particular member of the fraternity
whom a reporter questioned ON the subject.
He was loaded down with rugs, door mats,
feather busters and other articles until he
looked like perambulating house furnishing
store Any or all of the articles under which
he struggled he offered to sell on thine pay
ments of fifty cents week, and when the
reporter gently but unhesitatingly declined
the offer, the peddler looked so unutterably
disguised that the reporter offered him a
chair and some refreshments. Soon the two
were engaged in a conversation which
brought forth the observation made above.
''No," he continued, "a peddler is naturally
a good peddler, and no amount of training
or trying will make good one of man who
hasn't it in him. On the other hand, good
pedder is generally good for nothing else on
earth. let him try to stop peddling for any
other business and the chances are ten to one
that hell make fizzle OF it..
MADE A SUCCESS.
"Now, | am a born peddler, and at peddliHg
| have at last made success, where in all
things that | tried before | failed. went to
school until was IL, and since then-that's
twelve years ago--I have been successfully a
lawyers clerk, bookkeeper in an importing
house, clerk in dry goods store, driver of a
delivery wagon car driver, elevated railroad
guard waiter and peddler It's four years
since found my true vocation, and I've done
pretty we'll"
Does good peddler make much money!
the reporter asked guardedly.
'Well that depends Now, average $50
a week Some, few, make more but the
majority make less. Anybody that's good
peddler, though, should be able to make SIS
"a week without any trouble and be able to go
out on Sunday for "A good time"
"What characteristics must good peddler
possess"
''Oh, a great many. Self-confidence, or
Check as it is called, is the most essential.
Without it no peddler ever peddled with
success. But too much Of it is even more
fatal for his prosperity, for in addition to
failure he often gets a broken head. No, he
must have self confidence, but not too much
Just enough, you know. Then he must be
character reader-know just to whom he can
sell and whom not, who will stand a stiff
price and who must be offered the goods at
cut rates
.'To be good peddler you must also have
a firm, yet gentle disposition. You must al
low nothing to deter you when you see per-
son to whom you feel you can sell. No mat
ter what he or she says, you must persevere.
This is where the firmness comes in. The
gentleness is necessary, so that you may, I'M
der no circumstances, lose your temper. 1t
doesn't pay. If the door is slammed in your
face, swearing will only make matters worse.
The people next door will only laugh at you.
No, you must preserve e dignitied silence
and smile indulgently as you turn away.
Then you can sell to the neighbor. Her SYM
patty will be aroused, and by patronizing
you she thinks she can administer a rebuke
to the unmannerly woman next door and
shine by comparison"
UP STAIRS AND DOWN.
SIS peddling hard workf'
"Trudging up stairs and down with this as
sortment of goods isn't as much fun as play
ing poker, but there is more money in it for
the average person; and, besides, it's no
harder than many other things-selling dry
goods, for instance. 1 can pick my custom
ers in this business, but when was n counter
jumper l was entirely at the mercy of any
woman who happened along"
'tWhat becomes of all the peddlorsP'
"That question has often puzzled me- There
are two things l never saw in my life-a
dead mule and dead peddler. Sometimes
think that when mules and peddlers die Old
Nick carries 'em Off bodily as choice bits of
'cussedness.'"
care all peddlers full of ways that lead to
Old Nickf
This was rather a leading question, but the
peddler met it unblushingly.
"Well, generally" he replied, nonchalaHtly.
"Some save their money, but very few. 1
generally turn up with big head and empty
pockets on Monday morning"
''Then how do you manage to buy your
goodsl On time,"
''We don't buy our goods. We get them
from houses around town that are only too
willing to let us have them to sell on commits
sion When a new hand starts in he has to
deposit the value of the goods he takes out,
but after awhile, when he gets better &C
quainted, he can get all the goods he wants
to take out
81 must go now. just saw the red headed
woman who lives across the street return. l
knew she was out, and I've been waiting for
her all this time. l can always sell to red
headed woman. / don't know why, but l
can. A red headed man, though, is n useless
being as far as peddlers are concerned"
With this parting shot THE reporters hair
takes on russell tinge at sunset the migrate
full vender of rugs took his departure,-New
York Press.