Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-04
THE OLDEST STREET
PEDDLER or ENGLAND

Eyes, sir, claim to be the olas..
street hawker in Observation-Disclosures,
last birthday--and I've been al N,
business for nigh on fifty years"
The speaker was an elderly puryevo.
of penny novelties with beat IN n.
nelghborhood of tho Stock Exchange
mo, there's not much chance OF M,
retiring this side Of the grave. proa,.
are TOO small and earnings too unoe,'
tain to allow man to lay much No
There's no trade 80 uncertain as our,
The best time remember was Mat.
king day last year. Penny flags sold "a
fast could have cleared my stock
dozen times over, and the best OF /,
was that people didn't ask Tor INV
change.
"The particular kind Of goods n haws.
en- sells2 We'll, Il depends on his bea,
and on the events Of the day. Al prov
ent there's run on the flying sausage
and on a little gilt model OF Sir Thona,
Llpton's yacht, but since the war began
there's been more patriotic novelties
sold than anything else Button pho,
| tographs OF generals sold in thousands
and the rage for these was followed by
q run on penny medals bearing a Dor.
trait of her late majesty. When ,hers
was bad news from the 'front.' we al.
ways put our buttons and such MA
away for the time and filed their place
with a stock Of penny games, balloons
! studs or hatguards.
Penny novelties in books and illus.
trated sheets Of popular songs have 70.
Gently been going Well and during tba
excitement In Picking Boxers heads IN
the shape of ball sold well. Ddnl
see them? Why, you had to press Tho
ball, and then the Boxer put out hIs
tongue at you.
Most street hawkers are very con.
servatve about the articles they trade
| In. II successful in a certain line, wa
keep on stocking IL until the public
won't buy any more. 1t is funny.
though, how the sale Of line appar.
entity dead is always revived again.
About ten years ago millions Of fur
monkeys stuck on pins We're sold In the
streets, and a demand for these has re.
Gently reappeared
Then too, The mechanical tin birds
that sold at penny each twenty years
ago are once again IN favor with the
public, and the penny key ring OF 0uy
years back sells az readily as ever,
Sometimes when going In for some.
thing now half dozen OF US club to.
gether and share the risk, for our class
Of goods cannot be obtained on the sale
or return System Perhaps half gross
Of the novelty is bought and distributed
over good part OF the city, each man
taking his beat In different thorough.
| fare. Some streets we are forbidden al.
together, The police won't allow US IN
| Broad street, Beyis Marks and Hounds.
ditch and many others, and our diHell
ties are increased by the shopkecpers,
who object to hawkers standing In
! front of their shops, They say our
trays take the eyes Of the public away
from their windows, and besides W. sell
many penny articles that they charge
twopcnca or throepcnce for.
MANY Of the younger men you sec IN
the streets are only hawkers for the
time being until they get regular JONI
Most of the women hawkers are The
wives Of workingmen out Of work and
they sell safety matches to keep BODY
and soul together Some of EN- arc real
plucky uns.
"Year In year out seldom make
more than IL shillings 10 Is shilllng7
per week OF this 1 have to pay six.
pence or ninepence a night for my BED
and the rest goes in food and refresh
ment. In summer many men drink
their bed money and sleep In Traial.
gar square or on the embankmtnt
Few of us hawlsers over buy clothes I
haven't bought suit for over thirty
years These toys I'm wearing now
were given to me by a ton
Poorer hawkers often live In spltal.
fields or Whitechapel FIVE or six togeth.
er In ROOM They are men at the low
est ebb-nearly always single men who
cannot get situation Of any kind ow-
ing to the drink or loss Of character
Where do we buy our goods? Wen,
sometimes through showmen' as they
are caled-that Is, mddemen who
have a horse and trap--but most men
go direct to the 'hawkers friend
Fraenkel Brothers l.. Houndsditch."
Mr.. Fraenksl ,-->sequently Informed
the writer ,-7ut his firm supplied nine
tenths Of I.ondon's hawkers and show
men" with their stocks IN trade,