Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-02-27
A BEER AGENTS TERRIBLE WOES
Drinking, Smoking and Eating Makes
His Activity Short Lived.


Few people realize that represent
ing a brewing concern or wine house
is one of the most trying, enervating,
misunderstanding and altogether in
furious occupations of modern life. A
Post reporter made this discovery
several days ago when he met q man
who until quite recently had earned
his livelihood as a beer agent.
Il tried it for five years, but was
forced to retire. he said ION account
of my health. For the past two years
[ have been trying to get well. 1t is
the most killing business under the
sun, and as a rule, beer and wine
agents are very short lived. If it were
possible to go about and simply trans
act straight business it would be all
very well. but this, you see Is out OF
the question. No matter where the
beer agent goes he is obliged to do
more or less drinking, which, in time,
tells on his liver. kidneys and entiIe
inner mechanism with serious results.
when the beer agent enters any one
of the ordinary middle or low class Sa-
looms to sell some goods he is expected
by the proprietor to spend consider
able money before leaving. There is
always a gang OF lOafers hanging
about, who are never so happy as
when following a beer agent into a
saloon. The beer agent is going to
treat the house or set 'em UP to de
gang as they say and this of course,
he is obliged to do in order to retain
popularity for himself and his wares.
Most saloon keepers have an idea
that when a beer agent comes in and
treats every one to beer and fails to
brink any himself, the beer maze by
his firm is not good, and they never
fail to inquire: What's the matter?
Can't you drink your own beer? Can't
be very good when the agent sOurs on
it. 1t is worse still on picnics, eX-
cursions. openings, etc. On occasions
Of this sort the beer agent has to make
a perfect beer tub Of himself and be
agreeable to every one.
The better class of saloons do not,
of course, tolerate buns, never even
polite ones, who hang about III order
to drink off the agent. nor. do they ex-
pect the latter to guzzle schooner
after schooner in order to prove the
excellence of the product made by his
company; but. even under these cir
cumstanCes, there is no escape for the
beer agent. He is on duty and bound
be sociable. polite and genial, and
when he sits down 80 or 40 minutes
to transact business with the mouse,
something to drink must be ordered
and disposed of while he is talking.
He is introduced to those about and
before the business is finished he has
taken enough to last an ordinary man
for day.
THE health of the beer agent, | am
positive, breaks down IS much through
eating as drinking. He never be
comes intoxicated, nor even half way
tipsy. In his business it is drink,
drink, drink, all day long, schooner
here and a small glass there, just
enough to keep his stomach full OF beer
all day long, and until late into the
night His eating is of much the same
character. He is obliged to attend
all the openings of new saloons, and
every manner of festive occasion
where there is an abundance OF eat
ables and to be sociable he must be
nibbling and munching away ali during
his working hours.
Instead of waiting, like an ordinary
person, until he is hungry, and then
eating at regular hours, he begins eat
ing in the morning, and for Il hours
daily his digestive apparatus continues
working overtime to dispose OF the
quantities of food tina. le is Obliged to
stow away. Moreover, beer drinking
creates a sort of unnatural appetite
that causes a man to eat more than
is good for him.
"On numerous OCCASIONS have eaten
as many as four suppers in night, as
a result of attending openings, etc,
where the proprietor had set up a
spread Now the kind of food set
forth on all such occasions, and in all
IuS pldCtS NlSltcu DS OCSi dSChsS' " h4AO
on their rounds, is Of the richest and
most indigestible sort, and to stand
such a routine for any length of time
a man ought to have stomach made
of copper and galvanized iron. for one
thing is certain, no ordinary stomach
can resist such a diet for any length
of time.
"The kind of food that the beer
agent eats at all such places, and on
all occasions of the sort have just de-
scribed, is not suited for regular diet
under any circumstances: Cheese of
every sort, from Roquefort. Neuf-
chatel and Parmesan TO Limbnrger and
Schweitzer sausages, hot with spice.
rich salads, olives, boiled ham, roast
pork. turkey, blood pudding. head
cheese liverwurst, cucumbers. sar-