Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-10-18

Rev. Henry Abbott ana wire OF STOW,
VI have been stopping ut +. +. Tuelfs
Mr. Abbott preached at the Baptist
church Sunday, during his visit.
The Ladies' Aid Of the NJ. K. society
held an entertainment and sociable at
Centennial Hall last Tuesday evening.
Work labelling In the corn shop Is
finished.
HOW THE PUBLIC ARE DECEIVED
PORTRAIT ARTISTS.
How long will the common people"
be imposed upong When will the aver
age man and woman learn that business
houses do not employ agents TO 60 about
the country making them presents! IL Is
time the public used little common
sense eyesalve.
We call attention to a game that has
been worked successfully Ito the sellers)
throughout New England. IL msy be
called the Portrait Gift Enterprise. The
game Is played something after this
fashion: A smart appearing fellow
comes into your house without regard TO
good manners, neither knocking nor
ringing the bell, and displays on the table
large case containing one or more
crayon, lndis-ink or water-color por-
traits of persons you have never seen.
Tie may or may not remove his hat. but
he sets his automatic tongue a-running
aud tells you, inter ala, that just TO sd-
vertise his wares, he will make you q
present OF q fine portrait OF yourself or
friend. All that he asks you TO do il to
hand him photograph Of deceased
|
will send you beautiful portrait finish
ed with crayons, Iudia-ink or water
colors.
Just think OF 1t. A present OF q por.
trait that would cost &C least $40. And
IL will not cost penny, no, not fsrth-
ing. And while you are silent listener
with happy expression OF smszement
on your face, being overwhelmed by
such generosity, the agent rsttles away,
looking you meanwhile square In the
eyes 10 see how his ointment strikes In.
Aud you look, wonder, and think this
an opportunity Of a lifetime. Yea, you
silently congratulate yourself for your
good luck and-fill head over heels into
the nicely baited trap. You hold your
hand to your eyes for moment TO steady
your spoonful Of brains, hand over the
photograph, and the agent who came In
with so much nonchalance thanks you
cordially for your condescension, takes
your name and address and bows himself
out backward and disappears, whisper
ing 10 himself, Another one duped.'
A few fleetlng months pass and a
brusque, hard-faced, bustllng fellow calls
at your door with parcel. IL this Mrs.
Desire Doubledsyg You answer that you
are the person mentioned and are told
that your portrait ordered on such day
Is II aished and delivered. You ask the
stranger In and he proceeds 10 unite his
parcel. When the wraps are laid of he
exhibits To you In great, broad, clumsy,
cheap frame what he calls portrait OF
your beloved mother who has been some
time Ia heaven.
But as you take position for favora-
bic light and look upon the picture you
say, "Xhy, that Ia not likeness OF my
mother. The face Is too broad, the eyes
are not right. the expression OF the
mouth Ia not correct" But your caller
has anticipated criticism and has an
answer ready-made. He intimates that
! you are not an artist and. consequently,
not qualified To Judge. He informs you
that those who make these beautiful
portraits are professional artists OF the
first rank, that they have q long ex-
perience and are therefore. almost infal-
libie. But you continue To view the
picture and the longer you look the more
unlike the original IL appears. But he
tells you IL Is new; that as You become
! cd 10 90 NIL
out ''more and more" II you still fad
fault. ne will point to the original pho
togrsph and declare with singing en-
phasis that their artists don't claim to
improve upon the originals.
And when you are weary of his eva
sions and wish he would 90, behold he
hands you bill of say. sl5, to pay.
Hold up your hands In dumb am izement
IL you will; ii will do no good. What
Is this for? The agent said the portrait
WAS II present. Well, that IL very true,
but we charge els for the frame and
trouble OF delivery. But you say you
did not order any frame. The agent
tells you this Is condition upon which
the "house" he represents gives away
portraits. The portraits are free gilt
but this and the frame are insepsrable,
united they stand, divided they fall.
There Is no escape, you see you have
been ught and pay the price, price
that gives the frame manufacturers, the
portrait artists % and the two agents a
handsome profit, and you have to show
for your money cheap, coarse, inartis-
tic thing, unworthy OF the space upon
the wall of your home, frame and pict-
ure all out OF proportion TO the room
where you hang it-lsrge enough for the
lofty ceilings of some public building
And while you watch the collector out
Of sight you may remember the suggest
i've words, committed TO memory when
young, "'Will you walk into my parlor?
said the spider 10 the ny."
IL would seem that any person with
thimbleful of reason must see that no
firm could employ agents to travel, pay
ing car-fare and hotel expenses, to dis
tribute any kind OF goods free. They
ought to know that they cannot procure
something of value-unless stolen-for
nothing, and yet there are plenty who
are ready TO be drawn into the most
flimsy spiders web.
We have seen hundreds OF these great,
numbering concerns hanging 10 the
homes of our villages aud In farm hOus'
every one of which should be labeled,
for they are only crude carrie ltures OF
those whom they are intended to repre-
sent.
The canvassing business, when pushed
by such agents, becomes q nuisance. and
the time has come when our homes must
be protected against them. Many of
them are rude, impudent fellows. want
ing Ia all good manners, discourteous,
insulting. They walk into your house
without warning or permission, impose
themselves upon your time and attention,
and use abusive language II you do not
accede to all their wishes. They would
make you to appear wanting In the In
telligence that was capable OF managing
your household or personal affairs by
telling you what they think you need,
and are ready to contradict you when
you have the bOldness to assume that
you know your own business.
Such scouudrels should be dealt with
In determined and arbitrary manner,
and be ordered out, or kicked out, when
they enter our homes without permis-
sion. Indeed, breed Of dogs, savage
and sharp bitten, that could be trained
to take mouthful from one of these
omnipresent pests would be blessing to
New England.
G. T. RIDLoS, SR
FREE PILLS.
Send your address TO II. K. Bucklen