The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-09
MONEY IN UMBRELLAS.
WHAT 1T COSTS NEW WORKERS
EVERY YEAR TO KEEP DRY.

A Dealer Estimates That Si,200,O0o Is
Spent Yearly for Umbrellas by the Peo-
pie of the Metropolis-A Strange Fact
About Umbrella Stealing.
"They cost New York a good deal of
money every year." said the fat umbrella
man as he deity rolled a silk umbrella
aud placed it back in the case. 1.-THE
amount must run so far up in the thou
sands it would seem an eXaggeration to
one who didn't know anything about it.
II the amount was expended in charity no
one in this town need go hungry.
THE ratio of people who carry umbrellas
is larger in this town than in any other in
America. | suppose it is because we have
so many rainy days. Probably 50 per cent.
of the adult population of New York carry
umbrellas, and 10 per cent. of the children
over twelve years of age, have been in
the umbrella business for twenty years,
and have watched it pretty closely.
"The average life of a good umbrella is
about year Sometimes an umbrella
will wear four or five years. You can tell
nothing about them. There is nothing
more uncertain. The man who will guar
antee an umbrella is foolish. The severest
tests will not reveal anything, because
every good umbrella is carefully examined
before it is put on sale. Every part of it
passes through the hands of an expert.
The silk is passed upon, the framework
and the stick. If anything is found not
up to the standard it is sent back, and yet
it is a very common thing for an umbrella
to go all to pieces inside of three weeks.
The best umbrella expert in this town can
tell nothing about them
PRICES OF UMBRELLAS.
"As said before, the average life of an
umbrella is about year, if the owner can
keep it as long as that which is seldom the
case. There seems to be many men who
make it business to lose umbrellas as
fast as they buy them, while others never
lose an umbrella. The average life of an
umbrella and the average service of an
umbrella are two very different things.
suppose that the latter is about six
months. As nearly as can arrive at it
from close observation about 100000 people
in New York carry umbrellas.
THAT is good many, but l think thees-
innate is under rather than over the exact
truth. For, mind you, there are many
who have two or three umbrellas at once
You can buy an umbrella for almost any
price. The average of the good cheap UNI
brellas is about two dollars. The average
of the good silk umbrellas is five dollars
The general average is about three dollars
"Now you can readily arrive at an esti-
mate Of the amount of money which New
Workers spend for umbrellas every year
You will remember that said that the av-
erage service of an umbrella is about six
months, so that every one Of these 100, 600
people have to spend six dollars every year
to supply themselves with umbrellas. Just
multiply that and you will find that this
big town spends $4,2OO000 year. Mind,
that is not eXaggerating in the least. And
the umbrella habit is growing. There is
one firm in Philadelphia alone which turns
out 10000 umbrellas day.
"There is something strange about UNI
brellas. To begin with, is their general con-
trariness about wearing. Then they have
a curious effect upon human nature. |
wouldn't trust my brother with an umbrel-
Ia, and he is as honest man as ever lived.
He could have all the money have, but
not my umbrella. A man cannot be honest
about them. don't know what there is in
the things, but do know that is the effect
they have upon people. There is not day
passes but a man comes in here and wants
the stick and handle in an umbrella
changed when both are perfectly good. We
know well that the umbrella belonged to
somebody else, but, of course, we never say
anything.
MEN AND UMBRELLAS.
81 remember once that a man bought an
umbrella from us, and remembered it be-
cause Of peculiar mark.
mot long after another man brought it
in and had another handle put in it. We
put in two other handles for different men,
and then the original owner brought in
the umbrella. We put in the handle that
was first in it, and he never discovered it.
never saw man who would not appro-
pirate an umbrella if there was any posi-
BILE excuse for so doing A man who will
withstand all other temptations is utterly
helpless at the sight Of an umbrella.
don't pretend to offer any explanation for
it; simply know that it is a fact, and that
the man who takes the umbrella is no
more to blame than the lleptomaniac who
steals from dry goods stores.
st is hard work to sell umbrellas. Peo-
pie always rebel against having to buy
them. They seem to think that they are
being imposed upon, and resent it accord.
ingly. You have to answer more questions
than a man at an information bureau, and
guarantee the weather for the next ten
years And we do meet the crankiest lot
of cranks. The other day man came in
here and spent an hour and half looking
over the stock After he had inspected
everything he looked at his watch and
said he was much obliged He bad about
that much time to put in before his train
left, and he had spent it very proftably.
''If you ever buy umbrellas yourself let
me tell you something as a guide. You
can buy the best umbrella that is made for
$3.50 When you pay more than that you
are paying for the handle or name. II
you want to spend lot of money you can
go up town to one of the big jewelry
houses and spend anywhere from $25 tC
500 for an umbrella, and the umbrella it.
self is the same old $3.50 umbrella. AND
if you don't want an umbrella of that kind
you can get one for SO which will outweal
any silk umbrella that was ever made. -
New York Recorder.
The Turk and His Beard.
The Turks esteem the beard as the most
noble ornament of the male sex and con