The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-03-20
IT LACKED NOVELTY
COLLECTION OF HElRLOOMS THAT
WEARlED AN OBSERVER.

| oAS una supplying AnceStra1
Trappings at So Much Per Hour
Has It's Drawbacks.
Two guests We're being shown through
| Philadelphia mansion in which a
| houveau richie broker was entertaining
party of fashionable friends. The
splendid array Of family heirlooms, all
NAL origin, deeply impressed one of the
| party. He was a stranger but lately
| arrived from Baltimore. Oddly enough,
| his companion, a Philadelphia, seem
ed fiippantly Indifferent to these treas
ured relics of a family's honored his
| tory.
Remarkable collection of heirlooms
our host has," remarked the stranger
vs. he stopped before battle SCARED
sword of Revolutionary days.
| YES" drawled the Philadelphia
cynically, every interesting. But I'M
fortunately it lacks the charm Of nov
city for me. Already this season I've
seen the same batch of relics in three
other Philadelphia houses"
| How could that beY'
ooh, simple enough. 1t only means
that all four families, our host and the
three others refer to, hired their an
cestral trappings from the same man."
Hired them?"
eyes, hired them. We have in this
city an enterprising collector of colo
NAL junk who makes business Of
renting out family glory to all who
were unfortunate enough to be born
:: without it."
"Whew" was the only comment the
astonished Baltimorean could utter.
] And doubtless many Philadelphians
would be moved to say "Whew!' if
they could learn how many members
of the Quaker City social elect are con-
strained to seek the assistance of the
heirloom dealer when they wish to
give brilliant function.
1t is a deception that is forced upon
them, for unless you have distinguish
ed appearing forbears you stand little
chance Of penetrating the sacred pre-,
cincts of the local fashionable set.
Ancestry, not cash, is the open ses'
[ sort Of family tree his pretensions are
| questioned unless he can show some of
the furniture or portraits that bis
! American forefather brought with him
on the MayfEoWer or the Welcome.
Of course if the two vessels named
had been as large as the Great Eastern
and had been loaded with nothing but
heirlooms they couldn't have carried
| half the stock needed to launch the de-
scendants of Pilgrim fathers into So
ciety. Hence the need of an heirloom
dealer.
| He has his warerooms in Pine street,
in a part of the city which was once
the center Of fashion, but is now de-
serted by that element in consequence
! of the westward movement of the city g
7 elect.
Ostensibly he is a curio dealer, but
| mis- revenue is mainly derived from
| furnishing and hanging the walls of
| fashionable dwellings with century old
portraits.
This clever manipulation Of mems
vanities has ancient, straight backed
| furniture and copper kettles and snuff
ers for candles and bullseye watches
and similar relics of ancient grandeur,
all at your disposal for night, when
you, poor fellow, with money, but no
ancestors, want your friends to know
what an old family yours is! He also
has rare furnishings for libraries and
drawing rooms which you may rent If
you have the price.
1t matters not from what part of the
| country the applicant halls or what
particular descent he wishes to claim,
his needs are promptly filled.
For those who wish to pose as lineal
descendants Of the stanch old colonial
patriots who fought the stamp tax and
defied the power of King George at
Bunker Hill and drew up the Declara-
ton there is especially attractive stock.
For the naughty cavalier who "came
OVER With Lord Delaware there are
costumes and furniture and portraits
of more elaborate style, as BELTS the
past of emigrants who in England
basked in the favor of the king and
were participants in brilliant court GER
emonials.
The Quaker City allegiance to the
| honored memory Of William Penn is
| sentiment that the curio dealer has
| been careful to cherish. -
On his walls he has portraits of stu
dious looking Quakers. On his shelves
are modest Quaker clocks that did
service in the days when the founder
was exchanging thirty blankets for
Philadelphia.
There are Quaker walking sticks, tin
der boxes, documents on all subjects,
| household utensils legion.
| 1t is true that this system of supply
| ing ancestors has its disadvantages.
Contretemps such as the one revealed
at the beginning Of this article are
bound to occur. The hawklike eye of
connoisseur, trained to recognize In
stantly the value, authenticity and his
tory of antiques, often pierces the de-
ception and remembers seeing the
treasured family heirlooms" some
where else. But in the main people
are gullib,e, and the wealthy but pie
beian aspirant for social honors vaunts
/ Tho hluopocS of hiS hlood and DOintS