The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-01-03
THE OLDEST STREET
PEDDLER OF ENGLAND, |,

"Yes. sir, claim 90 be the oldcsf
street hawker IN England--sixtyeiah
last blrthday--and rye been ~ VIZ
business for nigh on fifty years"
The speaker was an elderly puivoHor
OF penny novelties with beat IN the
neighborhood of the Stock Exchange.
mo. there's not much chance OF ny
retiring this side OF the grave. Pron'S
are too small and earnings too uncci
tain 70 allow a man 20 lay much h.
There's no trade so uncertain as ouit
The best time / remember was Mar,
king day last year. Penny fags soit -
fast I could have cleared my stock
dozen times over, and the best OF it
was that people didn't ask for any
change.
The particular kind OF goods hawk
er sells? Wen. II depends on his beat
and on the events OF the day. Al pres
ent there's a run on the flying sausaeo'
and on a little gilt model of Sir Thomas
| Lipton's yacht, but since the war begin
| there's been more patriotic noveitlfa
sold than anything else. Button pho
tographs OF generals sold in thousand
and she rage for these was followed ~
a run on penny medals bearing po'-
was bad news from the front. We
ways put our buttons and such In
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 rc.
Gently been going well. and during IL
excitement in Peking Boxers heads IN
the shape OF ball sold well. Didn't
see them? Why. you had TO press tilc
ball. and then the Boxer put out his
tongue at you.
Most street hawkers are very con-
servative about the articles they trade
in. II successful in a certain line. We
keep on stocking 1t until the public
won't buy any more. 1t Is funny.
though. how the sale of line appar-
emily dead is always revived again.
About ten years ago millions of fur
monkeys stuck on pins were sold in the
streets. and demand for these has re-
Gently reappearcd.
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 ftty
lyears back sells as readily as ever.
Sometimes when going I'm for some
thing new haf 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 q gross
of the novelty is bought and distributed
over a good part OF tho city, each man
l taking his beat in a different thorough
/. fare. Some streets we are forbidden al
together The police won't allow us In
Broad street, Bevis Marks and Hounds
ditch and many others, and our difficult
a ties are increased by the shopkeepers
z who object to hawkers standing In
h front OF their shops. They say our
|, trays take the eyes OF the public away
+ from their windows. and besides we sci
q many penny articles that they charg'
IS twopence or threepence for.
n Many of the younger mon you see II
\. the streets are only hawkers for th'
I. time being until they get regular jobs
l. Most of the women hawkers are tn
l. wives of workingmen out OF work. am
/: they sell safety matches to keep bod.
1t and soul together. Some of 'em are rea
W plucky uns.
At Year i'm year out I seldom max
Is more than 12 shillings to Is shilling
per week. or this I have 10 pay six
IN pence or ninepence n night for my bee
e. and the rest goes In food and refresh
Ia ment. In summer many men arm
l. their bed money and sleep In Trafal
r. gar square or on the embankmen
IN Few Of us hawkers ever buy clothes.
RI haven't bought suit for over thirt
s. years. These togs I'm wearing no'
As were given TO me by toff.
I'd Poorer hawkers often live in Spita'
r. fields or Whitechapel. flve or six togeth
is er In a room. They are men at the 10"
ne est ebb-nearly always single men "h
cannot get a situation OF any KIND o"
ing TO the drink or loss OF character.
Where do we buy our goods? Wei
"A sometimes through 'showmen.' as the
u are called-thst is. middlemer WI
=, have horse and trap-but most rue
% go direct to the hswkers' friend
IT. Fraenkel Brothers, in Houndsditch."
lie Mr.. Fraenkel subsequently, informe
no the writer that his firm supplied nin'
no tenfhs of London's hawkcrs and "shov
ne men" with their stocks in trade.