The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-06-03
MISCELLANY.
PaWnshOp Signs.

There Is curious family likeness in
pawnbrokers windows, and though they |
vary with varying times, they for the most
part vary together. They are just now re-
covering their cheerfulnoss after dopres
sion sympathetic with the late hard times
When times are at their hardest, the pawn
brokers' window is garnished with the
necessares of life as we'll as the luxuries
or, perhaps, more accurately, with what
men think at ordinary times the necessi-
ties, but come to regard as luxuries ut a
pinch. The most pathetic evidences of
hard times as exhibited in the pawnbro-
kers' windows are workmen's tools still
showing marks of use. There are always
some such tools on show-masons' ham
mers in midwinter, pawned by improvi-
dent men who cannot carry their few pos
sessions over time of idleness and must
trust to luck to obtain tools when work is
resumed. With the improvement of the
times boxing gloves musical instruments,
walking sticks, fishing rods and like lux
uries are again conspicuous in the windows
Of the pawnbrokers. Between any two pc
RODS of general depression There are indi-
vidual ups and downs by the thousand
that make possible the ceaseless flow of
luxuries into the shop of the pawnbrolzer.
1t is mistake to suppose that the pawn
broker is unpopular in the region that fur
nishes him the bulk of his trade On the
contrary, he is often regarded as friend
by that considerable percentage of the pop
ulation that lives upon the edge of want
Again it is mistake to suppose that the
pawnbroker rubs his hands with gleo when
g I&Wn is forfeited by the owner. The
laWnbroker's profits are really the usuri-
Gus interest upon loans and not the pro-
goods of sales. There is, indeed, consid-
Crable loss often upon many classes of
goods. The pawnbroker welcomes with
cheer the workman who comes to pawn
his TOOLS knowing that in all probability
they will be redeemed. 1t is the steady Gus
TONER who comes frequently, but has the
faculty of recuperation
Frances Power Cobbe in her delightful
book of "reminiscences tells of the desper-
ately poor English women who managed
to start a little peddling business by Dor
rowing and pawning day after day from a
good natured neighbor a pair of linen
sheets. The sheets were redeemed with
the profits of each days sale and pawned
again whenever piece of bad luck or an
unexpected demand reduced the capital of
the peddlers. The sheets were probably
worth much more than was loaned upon
them, though the pawnbrokers of New
OTh Olltll lOSb uDOl lIltlF sttltS VI ClOlil-
ing and household linen. The pawnbroker
occasionally loans more than the value Of
an article when he is perfectly sure of its
prompt redemption by the owner. 1t is
notorious fact that the pawnbroker is q
better man to deal with than the old clo
man, though many bachelor in straits
will invite in the casual old clo' man from
the street and submit to his extortions
rather than defy convention by carrying q
bundle to the pawnbroker's. One thing
the pawnbroker insists upon when house
hold linen is brought to his counter, and
that is absolute cleanness.
The German pfandhaus of the east side
and of the far west side is open late on
Saturday night for customers coming in
to pawn articles to furnish funds for the
coming holiday and to give others time to
redeem their Sunday clothes in pawn since
the previous Monday morning. Some arti-
Giles neither these nor any other pawnbro-
ker will take, unless indeed the OCCASION
al pawnbroker who is a fence. 1t is ex-
tremely difficult to pledge bicycles, because
they are frequently stolen and the wheel
mems unions of various names have en-
ployed detectives to look after stolen
wheels. Iypewriters of the best known
manufactures can hardly be pawncd be-
cause all of them are registered and many
are in the hands of Others than the own
ers, employers, for example, or concerns
that rent the machines Manifestly poor
people find it hard to pawn new garments,
the pawnbrokers having learned to fear
the workman or Workwoman that pawns
such things sent out from the factory to
be finished at the homes of the workers
New York is really one of the best cities
in the country for the gentleman in tenn
porary difficulties, since the business of
the pawnbroker is strictly regulated by
law, and his rapacity thus in a measure
kept in check The Bostonian hard up IN
New York is astonshed at the benevulcnce
of the local pawnbroker, for the heart Of
the Boston pawnbrokcr is as the neither
milestone, and nothing interyones bctween
him and his victim.
New York pawubrokers fear the casual
customer and treat him less kindly than
the regulars, for not only is he more lik -
ly than they to prove a thict, but he Is
much less likoly to redecm his pawn. The
richest paWn5rokers have dealings with
persons whom their ncighbors would nov
er suspect of such resorts. Actresses dia-
nonds are certainly more often pawned
than stolen, though the pawubroker is not
esteemed in the profession so good an adj
yertising medium as the thief. The pawn
broker in the case of his most distinguish
cd customers, is merely IA somewhat usuri-
Gus money lender, who is little insistent
about collateral, as Falstaff's tailor was
about security.-New York Sun.
Trioks of Thiavac