The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-26
RAGS AND THE RAGMAN.
Changed Modern COnditiOns-De-
cline Of the Family RaGbag,

The ragman goes about in the city's
streets Just the same as ever" said a
man who has given some attention to
the subject but he doesn't do the bust
ness that he once did; things have
changed.
There are in these days not so many
clippings and odds and ends of new cloth
OF one sort and another to go into the
FAMILY ragoag as there once were to be-
gin with, because of the now Well-nigh
common custom in cities, anyway, OF
buying already made-up things that for
merIy were made in the house Thou
sands of tons of clippings that formerly
were gathered up in small lots by many
ragmen are now baled in factories and
sold to mills or to dealers in paper stock
without any intermediate handling at
all.
Then, what with the lower price of
rags nowadays, due to the substitution of
other materials in paper making, it
scarcely pays the householder to bother
with the smaller quantity that now ac-
cumulates; with the result that rags are
now often thrown away with other rub
of refuse.
Still not everybody, by any means,
throws away or gives away his rags.
There are still many people VINO con-
ufue to sell their rags for what they
can get to the ragman; and it would
not surprise me to learn that there are
more ragmen now than ever; but the fact
remains that under the new modern con
JIngIlnS bells is not what it once was.
In old times in smaller cities and
towns the householder or more strictly
speaking, the housewife sold her RAGS TO
the TN peddler. The tin peddIer was an
institution. He had a route which he
Travelled year in and year out Many
TN pedcler came to be personally known
ana respected by the people with whom
he traded. to whom he was not the ped
0ler or tin peddler, but Mr. So-and-SO
and they used to wait for Mr. So-and-
RI cor o. = I HI
rags to him
These rags were carefully sorted out
There was the rather small but valua-
Die lot OF white rags tied up in a white
cloth, and the bigger bundle of colored
rags, which the peddier weighed several
~ on the steelyards that he brought in
Tor that purpose. How many times have
l seen him, Staid man of family as
now realize him, and perhaps in specta-
cies, shifting the weight along on the
beam until rags and weight balanced
and he made the announcement of the
ann0intinglv small!
He would pay cash, but he preferred
that You should take it out in trade and
commonly the housewife did so. Many
a dlShpan, and many a dipDer and skim
mer, and I don't know how many hand
some Britannia teapots and what else.
nave come through the peddler out of the
ragbag!
But now the tin peddIer, that is. the
TN peddler who drove a horse to a
typical peddlers wagon-has receded
from these smaller cities, as previously
he had receded from the. larger ones. He
has moved on out into the country, over
whose billy, dusty roads ne still pur-
Sues his way. to the farm house door
where he dickers. as before. But even
there made-up garments go now to great
CT or less extent; and for the rags that do
accumulate the modern low prices gov
ern. And so. here as evervwhere tha
tamily ragbaS, once everywhere looked
upon as little mine of wealth. has fallen
from its high estate. New York sun.