The record-union., 1891-02-09
A FAKIRS CONFESSION.
How the Gift of Cab Enables
the FakiF

To Sell Anything on the Street-A Lit
tie Advice by Street Merchant
Smart Practices-Drawfng Crowd.
The Boston Globe tells the following
story: To be successful street faker
man must be endowed with what is vul-
carly called the ''gift of gab."
In other words, he must be good
. talker, able to keep up one-sided con-
versation for any length of time that may
be required of him. He must also be
possessed of ready wit, which will often
enable him to turn what to other men
would be perpleXing and confusing ques-
tions into laughs against the questloner.
In crowd which will congregate about
q street fakir there are always some
would-be smart people who think they
know it all, and who believe it to be their
duty upon the slightest proyocation to in
iorm the unsuspecting public that they
all being cheated.
Now, as rule, the unsuspecting public
does not like being told that it is
being cheated, nor does the talslr
relish the information, and he must con-
Quer the accuser with his tongue. He
must preserve calm and unruffied de-
meanor, never letting his inner feelings
show at the surface, and, above all things
he should be man whom no amount OF
guying will rattle"
To a man possessing these character
iSticS all things are posi- ble-that Is, IN
the street taking line-and if he be not
drunkard or loafer he can make COM
Portable living by working five days IN
every week.
I know this, because / have had eX-
perience as a street fakir, and, although
have not all the qualities named above,
did fairly well.
l rugged myself up in sort of "Down
= Went McGinty'' suit, and occupied
various street corners for the greater part
of one consecutive evening, selling-what
do think? Well, it wasn't collar buttons
nor five-cent handllerchiets; it was
marvellous preparation for cleansing the
teeth.
Having several fakirs on my list of
acquaintances. / appealed to them for in
formation. Here is the advice given by
one old hand at the business, in his own
language. s,.
me on the back, 1T don't make any
difference what you sell them; if you are
good talker and offer them any induce
ment to buy you can sell them bottles
filled with pure water; not labeled water,
of course, but called by some high
sounding name, and said to be good for
any useful purpose. Why don't you sell
them some tooth soap?
'.How will you make it? Why, it's the
simplest thing in the world. just buy
bar of some kind of cheap soap, cut it
into small cakes, then perfume it with oil
of sassafras or peppermint, wrap 1t up in
pretty packages, and you have fine,
salable article"
''Well, but won't the buyers kick when
they find out what it is?
''No indeed. They won't use the stuff
until they get home, will they? And
then, as you will have to change the loca-
aion of your stand every few minutes,
they will never run across you again eX-
cept by chance. Then if they kick hard
you can either talk them out Of it or give
them their money back. should prefer
to do the former, of course.
If you are going in the business with
out getting license, beware of the cop
pers,' for there are some of them who
will pull you in on the least provocation."
This same falxir was questioned con-
cerning the means used for drawing q
crowd about one. He produced pack of
five trick playing cards, which, when
handled properly could be made to show
all red, all black, or all eight spots, or all
deuces.
Thinking that this simple trick would
L L
bought fifteen sets of these cards from
him for twenty-five cents. I then pro-
cured bar of soap, some tinfoil, a little
oil of sassafras and some fancy-colored
paper. All these, with a cheap tooth
brush, cost about fifty cents. 1 then cut
the five-cent bar of soap into thirty small
pieces, poured q few drops of the sassa-
fras on each piece, wrapped each carefully
in tinfoil, and put on the outside wrap
ping of fancy-colored paper.
AS it was late in the afternoon,
figured on catching the people on their
fakir's stand from my friend
and hired a small boy for dime to
be the victim of my illustrations of the
efficacy of my soap. In addition to the
above-named articles, had on the stand
cup filled with solution of acid and
piece of rag. What this acid was used for
you will see presently.
Setting up the stand at the corner of
Dix place and Washington street, got
the small boy to stand in front and watch
me, and taking the cards in one hand, I
proceeded in the choicest English at my
command to exhort the passers-by to
stop and see one Of the greatest tricks
ever performed with cards.
A fresh youth was the first to notice
me, and as proceeded to show him all
blacks and then all the cards red, he
turned up his nose, said "chestnuts,''
and went off up the street.
1t would be useless to print my speech
to the multitude which gathered after a
time, first slowly, and then, as the crowd
about me began to swell, more rapidly
Some would stop only for passing
glance, while others would stand rooted
to the spot with mouths open in wonder,
as made the changes with the cards over
and over again.
Its time to begin on the tooth soap
now,' thought l to myself, and suiting
the action to the thought, L picked up one
of the pieces of soap and tore off the out
side wrapper, at the same time talking in
cessantly of the virtues of said soap for
cleansing the teeth.
Now I viii just show you how good it
isl said |. Reckoning to the kid, l stood
him on the curb beside me, and getting
his head well under my arm opened his
mouth with the thumb and forefinger of
my right hand, and disclosed to view a
set of teeth almost black. Then dipping
the cloth in the acid, after first telling my
little audience that it was simply clear
water that was in the glass, and offering
to let any one in the crowd taste of it IAN
offer which was not acceptedl, L rub
the wet rag over the soap and then pro-
ceeded to clean one of the boys teeth.
taking good care not to touch any of the
others.
The acid took off the dirt, and, 1 am
afraid, a portion of the enamel. too; but
1t left the tooth clean, and of a pearly
whitenesS.
.'There." said 1, when 1 had finished.
that will show you, gentlemen, that nv
goods will do all that / claim. Now. I
sell this soap for ten cents a cake and as