The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-06
4 LADY DRU MN E R.
r,s FER EXPERIENCE IN THE
SERVICE OF A DRUG FIRM.

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. SPASO0SS oh
the Road.
From the Neto York Sun.
Woman has torn down as many OF the
IA tight board fences of prejudice and
Ind 80 many new paths Of usefulness that
So presence In the domain of business is no
Ionger a novelty. But comparatively few
,sr,ons have ever met the woman drum
arn Her numbers are not sufficiently
.--oas To have induced the word-coiner to
rive her q name, and 80 she must be intro
Suced as the travelling saleswoman, or, in
che language OF "the road" the woman
drummer.
II was by no means easy TO find here In
Eaw York one OF the followers of this new
Sanarture A search for her among the
vvboIesale houses was like trying to run
down the elusive sea serpent. Everybody
mad heard Of her, aud few had even met
her in the course of their travels, but when
b came to actually locating her, memory
stber proved total blank or registered the
cbimerical woman drummer from some
onIte remote quarter. AT last, however,
the reporter was 80 fortunate as to find a
real, live aud very interesting specimen Of
the new profession.
Mrs. Adele NJ. Graef Is a travelling sales
woman. She has besn In the business a
year aud half, aud she 10. In the words Of
The firm managers, "a great success"
Mrs. Graef is q prepossessing woman.
1omewhat above the medium hight, with
pheasant brown eyes and an attractive man
ner which must be an important element In
her success. When the reporter found her
at her hotel the other day she was dressed
IN handsome dark blue blazer suit with
the most immaculate Of white shirt waists
and dark blue tie. A blue trimmed sailor
hat Of quiet proportions completed an ideal
business womans costume. This attractive,
digni1ed, womanly woman seemed by NO
means "out out" for the hard life which we
commonly imagine that OF travelling sales
inca to be, so the first question asked her
was quite involuntary.
How in the world did you happen to go
into this businessW
Mrs Graef smiled.
''Well, it was for purely personal reas-
ons =" she said. "A great deal of trouble
had come to me and needed an occupation,
one which would have variety in it. Ny
father and my husband had both been
physicians, and you might say that the
study Of medicine had been both born and
bred in me. For that reason selected the
drug business as the one most suited to my
capabilities. | went to the firm for which ]
am now travelling. They had already had
to be brilliant success. She had been In
their employ for three weeks and during
that time had been 80 ill for two weeks that
the firm had found it an expensive trial.
80, you see, when they sent me out II
Gyas mere venture. They gave me the
poorest territory they had, too. They sent
me up to Connecticut, aud they said within
themselves, but not to me. that if 1 sue
ceeded there would succeed any place.
uThaf WAS a war; and half aOO ~
Mrs. Graef paused with reflective smile.
81 think !" she continued, with a satisfied
lutte laugh, 81 may safely say l did sue
ceed"
"But how does your success compare with
that of the men who travel for the firm T
II rank with the best salesman the house
has. His work is quite different from mine
80 that it is difficult to say which is ahead,
but have the harder work to do and yet
am even with him.
"How do travelling statesmen regard the
Innovations Are they jealous Of the women
who are entering their fieldln
Eyes. they really are And their jealousy
often makes them unkind. They drop little
remarks about woman keeping In her
place, and are often 80 interruptions as &c
try to injure her, il only by a shrug of the
shoulder or an indefinite remark.
"As to my customers. they, In almost
every case, receive me with the greatest
possible courtesy. must confess thai
sometimes do meet "a crank, aud, as per
haps you know. medical men are very set
in their own ways. But it is a pleasure tc
me when l finally convert my cranky Gus
toner and make him see me and my good,
Ia the light l want him to. But these case:
of crankiness are very rare. Generally
am received with the utmost kindness, anC
great many favors are shown me which
travelling salesman rarely receives.
Zone thing, however, 1 find that, at first
the druggists do not give me the same con-
fdence which they would give a man. They
doubt my knowledge of the business and it,
details. have to win them over, which
always do, simply because l do thorough Y
understand what am trying to sell them
A woman cannot be successful unless she |:
thoroughly equipped with u knowledge Of
business methods in general, and her OWL
business in particular. She is utterly fool
ish to depend on her personality, although
OF course, that is a strong aid to success"
Then what do you consider the mos
necessary qualifications for a successful
travelling saleswomanr the reporter asked
She must have a strong constitution
must be capable of quick thought, must be
practical, economical and attractive In per
Son and manner. Commercial travelling re
quires real muscular labor as we'll as menta
ability. For instance, have charge very
often OF the exhibit which our firm make
at MEDICAL conventions. l have Just re
turned from one at Detroit Now, JUS
think There were perhaps forty exhibit
In a sort of competition. OF course eacE
person In charge had as l had, two or thre
others to assist in arranging things. But
had the responsibility as well as the labor
Then there is always the going around In
strange city renting needed articles, hirinI
assistants, and, after the thing is ali ready
one has to be on ones feet all day long
meet hundreds OF people, and be alway
bright, good tempered and ready to adap
ones self to the mood of every one.
why, 1 have to be quick as lightning t.
zee possible advantage and make the mos
OFT Then after it is all over there is tn,
long journey, day or twoin which to maxi
uD reports and receive orders, and 1t is time
70 start again. For territory have prac
tlcally the whole country, and am sent Ii
all directions, am emancipated from Con
nect1cut now, and 60 only TO the large cities
Baltimore is one Of my best places, and, de-
you know, before went there we did hardly
any business there at all. This fall an
going to Europe to take charge Of som,
work abroad for the firm. 1t is a grea
ohance to see every phase of lite. On tn
ears, In hotels, in cities and the little country
towns which used to visit, and in the asy
!ums and hospitals which come In my prov
lnce. am brought Into contact with every
phase OF life and all sorts Of characters. TIL
work Is full Of interest, and l sometime
nave very funny experiences