Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-10-15
RAGS AND THE RAGMAN.
hanged Modern Conditions DecIlne
OF the Family Ragbag.

Inc ragman goes about in the cry
s'reets Just the same as ever. sara u
| man VINO has given some attention 10
the subject, but he doesn't DO the
| business that he once did; things nave
| 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 ragbag as there once
were to begin with, because OF the now
"eh-hieh common custom III cl'icS'
anyway. of buying already made-up
many things that formerly were made
| in the house Thousands of tons or
clippings that formerly were gathered
up in small lots by many ragmen are
now baled in factories ana soid 10
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. IL
scarcely pays the householder to Dother
| with the smaller quantity that now ac-
cumulates with the result that rags
! are now often thrown away with other
| rubbish. to be gathered by city col
lectOrS of refuse
Still not everybody. by any means,
throws away gives away ms rags
TThcre are still many people VINO contin-
ne to sell their RAGS for what they can
get to the ragmdn; and II would not sur
PRISE me to learn that there are more
taEmen now than ever. hat the fact re
malniS thar under the new modern cOndI-
tons the business of the man with the
jingiing bells is not what il once WAS
In old times in smaller cities an
towns the householder OF, more strictly
speaking, the housewife sold hcr raGs
to the tin pedlcr. The lin prdlCr was an
institution. He had Il route which he
Travelled year in and year out Many
tin pedIer came to be personally known
and respected by the people with whom
he traded. to whom he was not the ped
Ter ar the tin pcdlcr, but Mr.. So-and-Sp; ;
ana they used to walt for AIR. So-1ud-S,i
I" come around and dispose OF their rags
10 him.
These rags were carefully sorted uut
There WAS the rather small but valuable
lot Of white rags tied up in u white cloth.
and til" bigger huudi" uf oolorcd rag.
and one perhaps Of WOODEN rags. which
the pedlcr weighed s-vcrally on the st.";
yards that he brought in for that rur-
pose. How MANY times EaV. seen b. m
staid man of family. a. | now r"alilc
him. and porhap. in spvctaclcS ShiftEs
tn'' weight along on the beam until rag
ana weight balanced. ana d" made til"
announcement nt the weight. which was
almost Invariably disIuI"intHEiy small
III" would nay cash htt he prrf"rrc
that you should TAKE II out !u trade. and
commonly tbs hols. MI did 81. MAJ.
4 dishIinn. and many a dippcr ami SKIM
Iltr. ANA d,At know how mauv hanh
some Eritunn.I trIpptE atui what else
hay" come through thr tan p~dlcr out Of
The rlGbHE'
"Eut now III. tin p",ltrr that l- tha
Hcdl"r WHO drove a hnrS" to 4 typical
rcdl.rS waP"n-hIs r"co,lrd from the
smaller cities. as previously he had r.
coded from tn" larger ones. II, has NOV
~ on out into the country. over whose
nii!l. ~.tsty roads h. Siiii pgrsa"s ms wIt.
% the farmhouse door whrr, hr riickvrs
a. before. But even there rnHG.--up gA--
in"rtS - now to greater or irSs extent
and Tor ttt rags that do accum Iitjr til
modern low Prices govern Md So her.
tS everywhere, the family rJEhaE once
'L'ri where looked upon Wy Ii;rlr mis-.
OF wealth. has fallen from It's hlgh ,.-
tate.