The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-21
THE BOOK AGENT FADING
Census Returns Show the Tribe to
Be Nearly Extinct.
A Calling Which Requires n Glib
Tongue, n Philosophical Nature.
and Ability to Withstand the Re-
bluffs of Mankind GencrnIIS-Few
Cnnvassers Achieve Great Success.
To the book agent life is refusal, a


To the book agent life is refusal. a
constant rebuff. continual struggle
against the tide Of human opinion. neg
alive quantity. Or rather a quantity of neg
atives.
No wonder the tribe is becoming grad
ually extinct, as shown by the returns oil
the Twelfth Census The prospect is that
the next ten years will see the passing
of the book agent consummated and his
professional exordium. long the terror OF
countless thousands. will have faded from
the memory of mankind, unless, indeed.
some enterprising collector Of graphic
phone records should induce one of the
Last of the Mohicans' to breathe into
the machine those once dreaded words,
and thus preserve the same to future gen.
erations as an anthropological curiosity.
OF course, in considering the book agent
we have always regarded him as without
feelings of his own, a sort Of human ma
chine. so to speak. which was wound up,
and which it was desirable to stop by any
means. Those new members of the pro-
fessicn who are really gifted with an in
coHNtHleiit dlHOuut OIL seHslllVenesS suSudl-
ly abandon the field in a short time, leav-
ing it to others whose nerve and philo-
sophical natures justify to a large ex-
tent. the popular opinion of them.
The book agent who succeeds. or. rath-
er. who has succeeded land there have
been some SUCH, was a remarkable per-
son. not wholly undeserving the attention
Of the poet and historian. Yet alas! so
little is human genius appreciated in GER
tain walks of life that the possessor of
volume which he has bought of book
vending genius for an amount far ex-
ceeding its real value seems rather in
clined to ire than admiration when he
thinks of the insinuating address and
Irresistible cloquence of the agent.
There is well-known book agent in
this city whose success in the past has
enabled him to amass quite a comfort
able little fortune. But that, as he says.
was before the doors Of the Government
departments were closed to u.s. To de-
scribe the career and analyze the genius
Of this individual would require the abi1
ity of Plutarch or Tacitus.
With the ini~miiabIe perseverance OF
q Grant or Wellington, and an eloquence
thas would persuade an Atheist TO buy
Bible. or an evangelist to invest in
Paine's Age Of Reason" he was undoubt-
edly the Caesar of Washington book
agents. AS the qualities of this gifted
man were least appreciated by those who
had the best opportunities of rendering
them homage, so his memory will not de-
scend to posterity garlanded with the
laurels of fame nor encircled by the tide
of public appreciation. The best monu-
ments to his ability. however, are found
today in numerous households in those
costly and ponderous tones which are
reverently left to slumber beneath the
dust of time.
This gentleman is an instance of the
successful book agent of &. former period.
But thefe are others. The tribe has fall
en- upon hard lines" in these latter days,
and the fourishing book canvasser is to-
day something of rara avis. He meets
with little encouragement upon his weary
way, and his appearance seems to be
signal for the closing of the human heart
and purse, figuratively speaking, with
bang-to say nothing of the door.
The attitude of society generally toward
the average book agent produces different
effects upon various individuals. Some.
whose supply of the milk of human kind
ness was always perhaps somewhat in
different in quantity and quality, after the
first days experience in canvassing. be-
come completely curdled as 20 that COM
modify. and manifest ever thereafter an
insolence of manner which is
not calculated to procure for them large
measure of success in any walk of life.
Others of somewhat sensitive natures,
being soon rebuffed, end their book can
vassing career in utter failure. Those
persons, however, who are gifted with
what Pope Gregory the Great called the
terrible gift Of familiarity and which is
described in more modern, If less classic.
parlance as the gift of gab." contrive to
make book canvassing pay. even under
Inc present adverse conditions. But even
these few are beginning to recognize the
act that they may employ their abilities
more advantageously in other fields. and
so they are gradually drifting into more
ambitious pursuits.
As regards the unsuccessful book
agents. the wonder in many instances S
10 what induced them to follow the v3ca-
ticn is only exceeded by the marvel as
to what will be their fate when this ap-
parently last hope fails them. as fail it
is reasonably sure to do. The wstrul |
look that meets a refusal in seine cases
carries with 1t a certain pathcs which is
less easily denied. This. of course, is a |
more onc-sided view of the "s7ft" book |
agent There are many persons whose |
enable them to borrow from the crei- |
ilous book canvassers in order to tx |
anime" the work, and who either polite |
" return the same after an extended |
interval or show 9 deep appreciation OF |
is merits by refining IL. withcat. how |
,ver going through the formality Of offer |
ng any remuneration. These are doubt |
ess the same individuals who accumu
ate libraries by the simple process of [
and never returning
The passing Of the book agent in this
,ity is principally attributable to the
closing of the public departments and
many private Office buildings to canvas
sing of every description. Besides this.
here is to be taken into consideration
he fact that the advertising of the lat
st volumes through the medium CT thu
ress has very materially incr5as d.
AS the general public has guarded it
elf, individually and collectively, more
md more against the wiles of the most
ersuasiye book agent. so also he IN lst
brightly and Cheeky CT that genus
ONO nave become gradually disheart-
ned. and are about giving 1t up as a