The morning call., 1891-09-06
GOLD TO CATCH GOLD.
Millions Of Money on The windows and Signs
Of a Big City.

"Do you know" a man asked, shat there
is 100000 worth of gold on the signs and
windows of Chicago?"
The other man did not know, but he made
inquiries of number of decorators and
letterers, and came to the conclusion that
the first man had uuderestimated it, There
is S1o00,000 worth Of gold pasted and
plastered in conspicuous places in Chicago
and there is more. The cigar merchant and
the church trustees, the man-miliner and
the gin-shop man try to attract gold by dis
playing gold. 1t is the old story of throw
ing a sprat to catch herring. The most
careless wayfarer is caught by the aureate
glitter of we'll displayed gold leaf 1t tells
every time.
There's a fellow" you say. "who must
be doing well"
And you always want to trade at the shop
of the fellow who is doing well. So you
take the gold leaf on his windows in lieu of
his bank account. 1radesmen have tracked
down this Illogical trait of their customers
and do not "spare the sprats."
There is no way of asceTtaining how many
square inches of beaten gold are scattered
up and down the streets of Chicago, nor of
telling how much gold is stacked away in
the teeth of ChcagoanS.
One man put it this way: Now Pm in
the business. There's window"
:" Brown and Jones, Decorators and
Writers'-if you count 'em you'll find that
there are SO letters In all. Well, there's SIS
worth of gold there-pretty nearly so cents
letter. To be sure, the writing is big"
Whenever this man talks Of writers" he
means the fellow who paStes up gold leaf,
ana "big writing is something after the
order of display head"
Take the lettering throughout Chicago
and l think it would be a fair average" he
went on, ''to put each letter down as worth
20 cents in gold. Go out and count the
letters and hgure it out for yourself"
The man he talked to didn't do it; he
lacks enterprise anyway. This constitu-
tional timidity of his is probably due to q
bad habit he has fallen into of lacking
money. There is only one recognized cure
for this-carrying constantly few hundred
dollars in the left waistcoat pocket. This
remedy is warranted to cure the worst case
of timidity in existence. The green "wad"
draws it; it's like The skin of goose'S neck
on a carbuncle.
But the timid man didn't go round and
count the letters and request the tradesmen
who owned the letters to figure up the cost.
Glittering generalities are good enough now
and again.
Over million dollars worth then-and
Just think what God-send that would be to
some struggling young man like Jay Gould;
or il it were million dollars worth of
brass instead of gold, think what God-send
it would be to Jerry Simpson. And speak
ing of jerry Simpson reminds me that all is
not gold that gltters. Equally true that all
gold letters are not gold. There has base
alloy crept into the trade, and it glitters
like gold-leaf and costs about as much as a
yellow dog. So economical folks have
taken to using it.
Gold leaf is going out of use," Wa
bash-avenue decorator remarked, "as the
substitute answers every purpose. and is
cheaper than ex-senator ingalls, feels. 1t
last rs long ana holds its body every
whit as we'll as the real. This is the age
of imitation, anyway You remember the
only joke Mark Twain has made in five
years2 In these progressive days. he re-
marked. wine is made out of everything
even grapes Well, it's the same way with
gold leaf.
''As matter of fact we had to come to
the imitation-it's too hard to get the real
article"
That's all right.
But it makes one tired to think of that
million pasted up on the plate-glass of Chi
cago. Think of all the good It might do
used as Di- chloride of gold. - Chicago
Tribune.