Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-04-16

They Are the Best Friends Of the Auctioneers
and Make the Business What II Is.


who are the best patrons OF auc'
ton rooms?" repeated the auctioneer al
} he laid aside his gavel and sat dowr
to rest, why the women, of course.
II It wasn't for the female sex the
business in this line would be small
indeed. OF the fifty bidders this after.
noon, not over five of them have beer
men. don't know who originated the
idea of selling goods at auction, mol
where the first sale took place, but you
can be sure that there were women in
attendance.
For the last decade" continued the
man Of the gayel as he settled down
for talk, cit has been struggle be-
tween the theatre and the auction
room. Perhaps you didn't know that
In other days, when the theatres gave
matinees only on Wednesday and Sat-
urday afternoons, no auctioneer held
sales on those afternoons. That is,
none who sold such things as women
bid on. We divided up the time with
the theatres. However, when the daily
ma inee became fixture we had to
go in and make fight for it, and !
am proud and pleased to say that an
auction sale can hold its own against
almost any play any theatrical COM
pany can put on the boards for an
afternoon performance. If l were to
mention any particular play we are
afraid of it is East Lynne If that is
strongly billed for Wednesday matt
nee / always look for a small crowd
and slo wsales. That play makes the
average woman weep, you know, or
at least feel real bad for couple of
hours. When a woman sees a chance
to shed tears she forgets the bargains
av.aiting her in the auction room. l
believe that in all cities of 100000 peo-
PIE the managers of play houses would
put up 5000 week to keep out the auc-
tioneer, but it is a thing that can't
be done.
II have read after Dickens, George
Sands, Ouida and many others, and
wondered that they missed that side
of woman's nature to be seen in the
auction room. l don't refer to servant
girls and mechanics wives in particu-
lar, but to the sex as a sex. Now and
then you find bargain-hunter among
men, but every woman, from highest
tolOwest, from richest to poorest, is a
bargain hunter. That's why the auc-
ton business continues to flourish,
and why it keeps down the receipts of
the box Office. When woman starts
out on a shopping tour she may buy
fifteen cents or fifty dollars worth of
goods. She calculates to see everything
paw over everything and use up the
afternoon. It's altogether different
when they start out to attend an auc-
ton. It's coming right down to bus
mess, and in spite of all you may have
read about her a woman can do bust
ness after a business fashion when she
is driven to it. Any auctioneer will
tell you that on most goods he had
rather have ten women than thirty
men at the sale. Few men ever see a
bargain in anything offered at auction.
Almost everything put up is bargain
to woman. At least, she is ready to
make to or three bids on it. There
were a lot of men in here the other
day when | put up Turkish rug worth
$50, and could only get a bid of $12.
Later on / put up lot of dishes worth
So and got 81 for them. The bidders
were women. When man makes a
mines its value to himself. If he can
get it at the figure he sets he will
take it. If some other man goes a
quarter better there is no strife. That
isn't the way with a woman, though.
If she makes bid on anything and
meets with opposition, she is put on
her mettle at once. Its value is lost
sight of in the desire to beat the other
woman, and then we reap a harvest.
Right here in this room l have known
an old silver coffee pot worth about
So to be run up to $50, and the woman
who bid last got hundred dollars
worth of satisfaction in the possession
"You might ask yourself, what on
earth woman whose husband is worth
half million dollars could want of a