The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1900-05-12
SECONDHAND UMBRELLAS.
The supply Ii Never Large, and Ia
Furnished I'm Part by the
PawnshOps.

bought second hand. One can get Sec
ond-hand anchors and secondhand
books; secondhand gas fixtures and
baby carriages; pianos andiron smoke
stands; water coolers and Office desks;
it would he difficult to think of any
thing that cannot be bought second
hand. One of the things that at first
might be thought to come within the
category of things not sold in this man.
ner is the umbrella. Inquiry, however,
revealed the fact that umbrellas are
sold secondhand; though for various
simple reasons not so commonly as
some other articles of personal wear or
use. says the New York Sun.
Common an article as the umbrella
is in use, and familiar to the eye. yet it
is far less commonly used than, say,
for instance, shoes. In this climate,
in winter at least, everybody, wears
shoes, and so would own at least one
pair. But by no means everybody owns
an umbrella. There are in fact plenty
of people who never owned one, just as,
singular as it may seem to some per-
sons. there are many people who never
owned a watch. Then, as ybody can
use an umbrella, it may be that fam
lily of half dozen persons would have
only one or two or three umbrellas.
There are plenty of big umbrella fac
tories, with an aggregate output of
millions Of umbrellas yearly, but the
number of factories and of the umbrel-
las produced would have to be multi
piled If every inhabitant were to be
supplied with an umbrella.
A great many umbrellas are de-
stroyed ootrigbt; blown inside out in
windstorms and made useless for any
purpose; it wouldn't pay to repair
them, and there is nothing left of them
worth using. People commonly have
umbrellas that can be mended, re-
paired; and people often carry an UNI
brella that is in need of repairs with
more thought of its usefulness than OF
it's appearance. The umbrella is COM
monty not thrown away until it is use
less to its owner: and when il is in that
condition, unless it were fine umbrel-
la, it would not pay secondhand
dealer to repair it. For example, it
would never do to put single panel
of cloth in an umbrella top; it wouldn't
match the rest, and it wouldn't pay to
put it in. anyway. Another reason why
there are not more umbrellas sold Sec
ond-hand is that new umbrellas are SO
cheap. New umbrellas of some kind,
can be bo;ight in these days marvellous
ly cheap; andpersons who might other
wise seek secondhand umbrellas, buy
new ones; they wouldn't expect to get
them secondhand at any lower prices.
But after all there are to be found
secondhand umbrellas, just as there
are to be found secondhand hats and
shoes, though in smaller numbers.
Some of them are bought by the old
clothes men.
Another place at which secondhand
umbrellas can he bought is the pawn
brokers'; in the pawnshops where per-
sonal property of all sorts is taken, UNI
brellas come in with the rest of the
things offered; they are not common
offerings, like some things, but not un-
usual. These, If not sold. go with other
unredeemed and unsold pledges to the
pawnbroScrs' auction sales; where
they are bought by secondhand deal
ers who sell that kind of goods; an adj
clifton to the comparatively limited
number bought in the usual manner.