The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-01-06


Europe, amid the bleak winds and barren,
ness of winter, in the land of hardy and
happy people; there in that Scandinavian
country. that beautiful land of legenu md
song was, as tradition runs where the first
sprinkle of travelling men started, but soon
spread into England and Germany, and
thence swelling the great tide of commerce
until it has swept all over the civilized
world, and to-day there are between two
and three hundred thousand commercial
travellers in the United States. A little more
than hundred years ago, English and Ger
man merchant princes being ambitious of
capturing the commerce of Asia, and as 1t
could not be accomplished by correspond
.ence, conceived the idea and practicability
of sending statesmen to personally Solicit
that trade. They did so, and they were
successful, bringing the mammoth inter
ests of England and Germany face TO face
with the commerce of Southern ASIA, thus
securing free exchange for all the great
departments of trade in both countries. On
this side of the Atlantic the system of COM
mercial travelling is as potential an agency OF
interstate commerce as it has been over the
sea III International commerce. Perhaps no
class of men impress themselves more dis
tinctly upon every material interest than the
commercial traveller. He has many OppOr-
tunities to do good. he is brought III con-
tact with multitudes of people i'll all the
various walks of life, and he courts the
cordial appreciation of all"
In conclusion he said: with the assur-
ances of the love and well-wishes of those
at home he goes forth upon his pilgrimage
TO encounter the hardships and exposures,
incident to his life with increased zeal and
hope. In every heart, however hardened
by contact with the rough usages of the
world there is an inner life which loves the
beautiful and the good, which expands and
warns to the voice of kindness and love-"
'Our LADIES' was the next toast. 1t
was responded to by Herbert V. Root. of
Fort Wayne. In beginning his speech Mr..
Root said he was known in the trade as a
curiosity" because he was a Republican
from Allen county: What could he say of
the ladies that would do them justices
upon the scene, and from that time she had
governed the destinies of man. The world
owed much of its brightest history to
woman. From Eve until the present day
ing up and tearing down of every
empire. Napoleon, when asked what, the
world most needed, answered, mothers.
1t was still true that women had made mis-
takes, from Eve to Belya Lockwood, but the
mistakes had nearly always come from the
head, and not the heart. 1t was In adj
versity than the kindness of woman was
most felt. To them was due nearly all the
things that went to make life worth living.
The women! How often did they stand be-
tween men and the downward road. The
brave, pure women of the world all know.
Mr.. Root then raised glass of water to his
mouth, and, slipping it, in conclusion said:
Not in wine, but in this pure sparkling
water, typical of all that is good and pure,
let us drink to the health OF the ladies'"
At the conclusion of Mr.. Roots address
a quartet, composed of Mrs. w. Z. Lynn,
Mrs. s. l.. Morrison, o. L. Williams and 3.
l.. Morrison, rendered the Parting Kiss"
Ill such manner as to be encOred.
u. Z. Webster, of this city. was the next
speaker. He responded to the toast, Our
Employers" He said there was a time
when he could not see any good in his EN-
plOyer. He looked upon him as a hard
credit side of his ledger-but time had
changed his opinion of his master. Years
ago he recalled that it was his master who
paid his bills when he was on the road, not
selling enough goods to pay his board;
it was his employers goods he was selling,
and he believed the employer should have
something to say about his business. The
speaker said he was an American. He be-
lieved in his cOuntry's institutions and was
proud of her. He believed the day was not
lar distant when the matter of the mutual
dependence and true rights of employer
and employee would be thoroughly under
stood, and strikes and lOckOuts be a thing
of the past. TsE
The toast, Call No. IA at 4 A. NJ" was re-
sponded to by Charles ID. Griffith, of Terre
Haute. In the beginning he told some
amusing stories of when and how the
drummer began to occupy Room ID,
~
NJ. The room in winter was always
situated in the northwest corner of the no.
tel, with four windows for plenty of ven
tilation, and in summer it was over the
kitchen, where OdOrs were plentiful. Speak
ing seriously, he said the commercial tray
eler was always ready to respond to the
business call, no matter at what hour it
came. 1t was never too cold or too wet,
and the drummer was never too tired TO
go when duty called. During the last year
1<,f ho1 xvaH fhair
last call OH earth. They had been called to
join the angels above, and they were ready
to 90. May all the members of the assOcia-
tiOn be ever as ready to respond to the call,
whether 1T come at A NJ. or any other
hour, and he be in room IA or anywhere
else.
Moses n. Ross of Evansville, was to have
been the next speaker, but he was not pres
ent. In his absence Rev. X. V. Hunter, of
this city, was called upon to respond to the
toast, which was:
Whose heart hath not within him burned,
AS home his footsteps he hath turned
AT the weeks end sa8<
Mr.. Hunter was once commercial trav-
eler himself, and he was accorded a warm
reception as he arose to speak. He said he
that he had almost forgotten how to con-
duct himself among the ''drummers." He
related some laughable experiences he had
had while on the road, and then turning
LIS dttCutlOH W tuc SuDJcCb VI Ills
toast, he said home, was q good
place to go, if one had good home;
when Saturday night comes, and the
wife was there with a smile, waiting
for him. He was not much afraid of a man
SO situated. That man was pure man. If
we loved home, If we honor home, if we did
all we could to make home chaste and pure,
there would be happiness here below, and
happiness above. We We're all travellers,
the speaker said. We were travelling on a
xvh 10 o,,
end. We were working for "a firm which
kept strict account, and if our record was
kept clean we would some day enter that
home where rest would be eternal.
The speech-making concluded with that of
Mr.. Hunter. Some announcements were
and the same quartet which sang the made
Parting Kiss rendered the Parting and
Meeting" a song admirably appropriate to
the occasion. Thus ended the most not
able banquet the Indiana commercial
cheer, and the orchestra playing a final
Entertaining the Travellers.
The attention paid to the visiting drummer
did not cease with the banquet They were en-
tertaned i'm various ways. There were quite a
number of theater parties and the United Com
mercial Travellers Association held an openmeet
ing in George II. Thomas Post hall, where many
ladies and gentlemen were entertained. There
was hard cider and various other accessories to
stone, president and secretary, respectively, OF
national aSSOciatiOu received their friends af