The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-02-28
FREE DELIVERY
And THE STORE

In converfation with "a thoughtful store
keeper In a small village situated hve
miles from any railroad / ELECTED from
him several observations which. indicate
that slow revolutionary change is be-
ing worked i'm the villages throughout the
country by the free delivery OF mails,
SAYS a writer I'm the New York Times.
Come right up" he said one afternoon
when l found him reading a newspaper
on the platform In front OF his general
merchandise store. 1--WE Just got BACK
from trip on the road. My trade has
been 'out In half since the government
began TO leave the mails at farmhouse
doors"
:. When | remarked that failed to see
the connection. he explained:
~ am not surprised: few people realize
what change is going on. Take my
own case. Three or four years ago car
pref pretty large WSrn Sor sG Ssaq That "a o
But YOU must remember that farmers
,raded with me from miles around. and
subsists upon the proceeds FROM agricul-
ture,
You came In yesterday to buy a cigar.
hadn't any. Why? Because 1 am COM
pelled to go out on the road for large
city house in order TO support my family.
Ihe result Is l haven't time 20 give TO
my own business, and / have. allowed my
stock 10 run low.
Instead OF buying. as used TO-, in
snucipation OF good demand, ! often
then send for another small lot.
NOW, you want 10 know what free
dsiivery has to do with this; Well, Just
class postoffice across the street, ! was
postmaster there under the Cleveland ad-
ministration. Within radius OF four
miles IN, re was no other place where
letter could be sent or received
=. Every day. or perhaps only two or
three three times ne "a week week the fsrmers would
often creates want for II. At any
rate, farmer nearly always had 10 have
a cigar (nsually half a dozen. six for a
children. piece OF finery for his wife: IL
his wife were with him. as on Saturday,
OF calico or bit OF crockery. or some-
thing else, and before they set out for
the farm she would have possibly bought
i've times as much as she had any
After all. YOU know. and ! know"
commented this keen rustic philosopher.
buying what they don't need as upon
their buying what they do need.
Those were golden days when the
farmers spent their money here. wS
able TO send my boy TO Yale and give him
a hrst-class education.
Now all that is changed. The farmer
carrier collects whatever mail the farmer
has TO send. He no longer bumps, In
every day on his wagon, but only when
ally once a week. You can understand
as. business man how such change
affects every country store keeper. But
this I'm itself could not give country trade
what might almost be called its death
blow--it Is free delivery acting as a sort
OF distributing agency OF your big de-
partment stores. How can compete
with the huge operations OF such stores?
What does your department store dor
IL sends TO the local postmaster or TO a
carrier on a free delivery route and asks
within the postal district. To each and
every one OF these persons. who have
been and would still remain my custom
ers. mind YOU. Is sent a catalogue. with
en- so that none not a fool but may know
the cost. A bewildering array OF aru-
cles Is set before the farmer In these
catalogues. Farmers wives pore over
them more than they do over the Bible.
derful fairy story. All available cash is
dispatched to paw for things the farmer
never heard Of before and got along we'll
enough without.
when was postma ster here handled
about $500 a year I'm money orders: my
successor today handles nearly $4,000
When I left the postoffice took the ex-
press agency for this place. l do
money order business OF $4,000 for the
company.
know nearly all OF 1t goes into the big
department stores OF cities And ali this
money-S10000 a year-is diverted right
here from one other store and my own.
DO you wondsr then, he said In con-
is not sharing To the fullest In tns pros
perity of the country? Such Is the his
tory OF every Improvement. however" he
added. with a sigh.