Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-02-22
Saturday. February -. 1890.
TWO KINDS or PAWNBRokERS.

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the Ways of the Pledging Public.
''There are two distinct classes of
pawnbrokers in New York" said an
East Broadway member of the frater-
nifty who clearly did not belong to the
better class. as he sat behind his closed
doors a few nights ago and fumigated
the old clothes he had taken in as col
lateral with the smoke of a bad five
cent cigar.
They supply the needs of two dia-
m~etrically different classes of custo-
mers. One class may be called the
odd skirt and petticoat army and the
other the watch and ulster brigade
One deals with persons who, for the
most part, h~ypothecate their goods to
obtain money TO have fun with, and the
other with the masses who pawn
clothes TO buy food. OF course each
class enters occasionally upon the do
main of the other, but these are the
broad distinctions.
".All pawnbrokors, whatever their
status, find their busiest time ON the
day before a holiday, but while we in
the O squaliu portions Of the city
are taking in every conceivable kind of
rubbish until oar shelves are loaded
our brethren in other localities are
dragging valuable securities into the
light of day ard exchanging them for
cash. The reason for this may be
summed us in a few words: on festival
occasions persons OF aristocratic ten
denotes want TO look well, while plain,
struggling people are content to feed
well. If the necessity arises, the gen
tleman about town will draw upon his
dinner for his ring or sealskin coat,
and the toiler will hypothecate his own
Sunday suit of clothes or his wife's
best gown for the holiday meal Two
days later, when the merrymaking is
over, the valuables are likely TO go
back into retirement, but the rubbish,
unfortunately, is pretty sure to remain
on our hands for some time.
Il do not include Sunday in this
category Of holidays. We do quite a
different kind OF trade on Saturday
night, when we keep the Office open
until ii o'clock. Sunday garments
are interchangeable property between
US and our customers. and we do not
value them in the usual way, but
largely in proportion TO the punctu-
ality with which their owners take
them out at the end of each week.
Thus if we have once lent a woman $2
on a cloak we do not want TO decrease
the amountof any subsequent loan for
a long time. though the garment may
greatly fall off in value. If she is regu-
lar ia redeeming it on Saturday night
md putting it up again on Monday
morning. Poor people are gen
orally good church goers, and if
the head of a family is earning any
thing at all. the ghost is apt 10 walk
on Sunday, and 70 our shelves are
usually cleaned Of Sunday goods be-
fore II o'clock.
There are a good many people who
deal with the more exclusive class of
pawnbrokers, who adopt the reverse
of this rule. They put up their goods
on Saturday night. and take them out,
If they can beg or borrow sufficient
money, on Monday, spending Sunday
at home hilariously with some guest
These are not God fearing persons,
and lam glad TO have nothing to do
with them.
'Oh, yes; | have to charge my poor
customers a little more than ! would
il | were lending larger amounts on
better security. The law allows such
small interest that ! increase my in
come by putting tifty-six cents on a
ticket for a shawl when | have only
lent the owner half a dollar. II she
does not like it she can leave il, you
know. There are very sad scenes, Of
course. in the Office sometimes, but
the tears must all be shed before the
counter; we have notime for them be-
hind New York Sun.