St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-02-09
TRADE EMBLEMS.
Not So Common in the Streets Of Larg.
Cities as Formerly.

sIike other things here below, trade
emblems undergo a change in the
course of time,o 2 said a cigar dealer tc
a Washington Star reporter.
Twenty years ago in front Of every
cigar store in the large cities stood
the silent emblem Of the tobaceonist's s
calling, the wooden Indian, holding
inyitingly in his right hand bundle
of cigars or bunch of tobacco leaf.
If man wanted to find a cigar store
his eye wandered up and down the
street in search of the wooden warrior.
The wooden image gave way to the
more elaborate figure of the untu-
tored red man Of cast iron, and now,
sad, though true be the fact, the fer
ruginous cast is being relegated to the
junk shop.
There are only few Of these i'm
ages left in Washington, and in my
trips to other cities [ have noted their
disappearance to a considerable ex-
tent. Why it is so ! cannot say, I'M
less it is that the tobaeconist Of to
day is too tired to roll his warrior out
in the morning and pull him back at
night, if he takes such good care Of
him.
'sThe Indian is an appropriate en-
blem for the tobaeeonist, but it can
not be said that a red and white
striped pole surmounted by blue
ground with stars is appropriate to
the barber's trade, as the national col
ors have nothing to do with that busi-
ness Tt is purely an arbitrary as
sumption of an emblem, the origin Of
which I never saw satisfactorily ex-
planned.
"The druggist of to-day does not
display his emblem of mortar and
postal with such frequency as of old.
Now that they have gone so exten-
siyely into the notion and toilet ar
tiele trade perhaps the association Of
the pill mixer is repugna1ft to the
compounders Of prescriptions.
e'When Maiden lane, in New York,
marked the limits Of the retail trade
district Of the metropolis on some
tailors' signs would be seen. the en-
blem of a lamb suspended in sling
Of cloth tied at the ends. This ap-
propriate emblem Of wooden goods was
brought from England, where it is to
be seen now frequently upon the signs
of the diapers and tailors' shops. The
present generation in this country
never saw this emblem here.
IF you see painting Of a high
glass, with or without a side handle,
but always with the representation Of
a lot of soapsuds flowing over the top,
you may bet your last cent that inside
OF that window You can buy glass Of
beer for a nickel.
There are no gold beatersin Wash
ington, but in the vicinity Of South
Fifth avenue and Prince streets, New
York, pretty much all Of the gold leaf
used N this country is pounded into
the neat little thin golden sheets used
in the trade. In front of all Of these
places is either sign or gilded wood
en- arm of muscular proportions barred
to the elbow, with the hand clutehing
tightly the gold beater's mallet. A
painter knows this sign as quickly as
a thirsty man recognizes the schooner
of beer.
The paWnbroker will never take
IN the Well-known three balls. Years
ago one would see on liverynan,s
slgn the picture Of a horse ID motion,
but now they are to be observed only
In the smaller cities and towns. The
still keeps the horseshoe
IN front Of his shop, while occasionally
is to be observed the saw, plane and
square OF the carpenter. A good EN-
blem for the plumber would be his
proFerbial bill. Old residents will re-
call the big boots which used to be
placed In front of shoe stores on the
pavement or suspended above the
door, but now the emblem is relegated
to the cobbler. The artist and paint
er have the palette with brushes
through the thumbhole, the jeweler
bis street clock, and the optician the
big spectacles- In short, all trade en-
Dlems are appropriate to their bust
ness except the BARRIERS"
Decrease in Pauperism.