Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-01-02
HINTS ABOUT UMBRELLAS.

HINTS ABOUT UMBRELLAS.
A Dealers Suggestions That UmDrella
Owners May Profit By.-Aow to Treat
Borrowed Parsplines.
"Not one umbrella in hundred, no,
not one in o thousand" remarked
dealer, is ever worn out through legiti-
mate use for the purpose for which an
umbrella is designed-that is, in keep
ing off the rain. Rain doesn't hurt an
umbrella in the least; on the contrary,
it is my belief, after years of expert
ence, that rain does it good. But L
don't believe that ever saw an UNI
hrells that was used up in shielding its
owner Tor somebody e!se) from summer
showers or winter storms.
"Umbrellas are, as q rule, short
lived, and they suffer harm in various
ways. One is from being allowed to
stand folded up. OF course no one ex-
poets man to carry his umbrella in
the street unless it is folded. but now
,nauy people stop to think that there is
no use of letting it remain so during
the time that it is standing in the
house? The proper way is to unfold it
aud shake it out when you enter your
house or your Office aud expect not to
carry the umbrella for the next few
hours or a longer period. Otherwise
the silk is much more liable to crack at
the creases, which are always the weak
est point in an umbrella, unless it meets
with all accident that tears the silk or
breaks the stick. For the same reason
I never advise q man, or woman
either, to draw cover over an UNI
breiia after it is wrapped l sell COW
ers, Of course, and if purchaser says
nothing to Inc about it ] say nothing to
him. But if my advice is asked, / al
Ways say frankly that l consider the
cover bad thing, unless it is used i'm
moderately, as Josh Billings advised in
the matter of counting. What I mean
is that if man simply puts on the
cover when he is going to take his u,n-
breila out of doors, and takes it off
again as soon as he comes in aud sets
it aside, it will not do very much harm.
But the safer practice is to do without
the cover altogether.
Another way in which umbrellas get
worn out is being knocked about in
travelling. You go into street car, for
instance, and place your umbrella
alongside of you. The next passenger
who comes in may brush his muddy
boot against it, and you will lie lucky
if he does not make hole in it. UNI
brellas have hard luck, too, on railway
journeys.
If you place one carefully in the
rack the constant jarring and motion of
the train will inevitably wear it consid-
erahly even in going q hundred miles.
Under such circumstances there is
something to be said in favor of pro-
tecting it with cover, though it is
certain that in that case whatever is
gained will be accompanied by cor
responding, or at least by some, loss.
Then, again, umbrellas suffer be-
cause people don't know how to handle
them when the wind is boisterous. How
often do we see umbrellas turned inside
out simply through lack of care or of
knowledge! This is something that
never ought to happen; at least it
ought never to happen in such gales as
We have in the streets of New York
City. Few people know how to hold an
umbrella under such circumstances.
In, order to guard it properly and
protect it from damage it should be
firmly grasped by both hands. Let
one hand seize it near the handle end
of the stick, about in the place where it
would be held i'll the miidest June
shower. Then let the other take an
equally firm bold far up tho stick, close
to the point where the spring holds
the outstretched ribs.
THUS you can not only protect your
self from the ruin as much Us possible.
but you render collapse of your UNI
brella almost out of the question. If o
woman is out in blow and tries to
hold her skirts up with one hand and
to control her umbrella with the other,
it is not the least wonder in the world
that she meets with mishap.
There is more science in taking care
of an umbrella" the dealer said in CON
clusion, than one person in q hundred
understands J. have no doubt that 1
could make an umbrella last twice as
long as any one OF nne-teaths of my
customers. wonld do it merely by
acting upon the hints / have given and
others equally us simple which would
suggest themselves.
lit may not be good for business to
talk as ! have done, but have only ex-
pressed my honest thoughts. One
thing is certail--mighty few umbrellas
come TO natural end, if the natural
end OF Oh umbrella il to be used up in
keeping the rain off of peoples heads
and shoulders. IN. Y. Tribune.
Tribes In the Desert.