The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-08
SECONDHAND UMBRELLAS.
The Supply Small and Furnished in
Part i,y tie P11MnShOnS.

The Supply Small aud Furnished in
Part by the Pawnshops.
There are few things that cannot be
bought secondhand. One can get second
hand anchors and secondhand books;
secondhand gas fixtures and baby car
rages; pianos and iron understands; wa
ter coolers and Office desks; 1T would DO
difficult to think of anything that can.
not be bought secondhand. One OF the
things that at first might; be thought
to come within the category of things not
sold in this manner is the umbrella. In
curry, however, revealed the fact that
umbrellas are sold secondhand; though
for various simple reasons not so COM
monty as some other articles of personal
wear or use.
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 win
ter 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 persons, there are
many people who never owned a watch.
Then, as anybody can use an umbrella,
it may be that a family OF half dozen
persons would have only one or two or
three umbrellas. There are plenty of big
umbrella factories, with an aggregate
output of millions Of umbrellas yearly,
but the number of factories and of the
umbrellas produced would have to be
multiplied if every inhabitant were to
be supplied with an umbrella.
A great many umbrellas are destroyed
outright: blown inside out in windstorns,
and made useless for any purpose; 1t
wouldn't pay to repair them, and there
is nothing left of them worth using. Peo-
pie commonly have umbrellas that cali
be mended, repaired; and people often
carry an umbrella that is in. need of
repairs with more thought of its use
fulness than OF its appearance. The UNI
brella is commonly not thrown away until
] it is useless to its owner. and when it
IS in that condition, unless it were a fine
umbrella 1T would not pay a second
hand dealer to repairdt. For example 1t
would never do to put O single panel of
cloth in an umbrella top; It wouldn't
match the rest, and It wouldn't pay to s
put it dn anyway Another reason why
there are not more umbrellas sold sec
ond-hand Is that new lrnbr elias are SO
{ cheap. New unlbre elias. of some kino
can be bought in these days marvellously5
cheap; ana persons who might otherwise
seek second -hand umbrellas. buy new
ones; they wouldn't expect to get them
second -hand at any lower prices
But after all there are to be found sec
ond-han unhre elias, just as there are to
be found second 5hand hats and shoes.
though in smaller numbers. Some OF them
are bo1sght by the old clothes men.
Another place atawhich second -ha and UNI
brellas can be bought is the spawnbrok-
Sers. in the pawnshops where personal
property of all sorts Is taken umbrellas
come in with the rest OF the s. things
offered: they are not common offerings,
like some things, but not unusual. These
Il not sole. go with Their unredeemed and I
sunso!d pledges to the pawnbrokers. auc-
ltion sales & where they are bought by
second -hand dealers who fsell tina kind
toS goods an a q TO the comparative
ly limited number bought An The usual
usaonegrSaNeM. York Sun.