Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-11-10

Walter Leon Sawyer in Boston
Transcript-My friend the fakir made
his pitch" on Saturday night on
Blackstone street. In one view of
the case it was fitting that so pictur-
esuue a performer should figure In the
most interesting street scene in Bos.
ton-for that is what Blackstone
street Of a Saturday night is. In an,
other view II derogated from his
dignity. When | last encountered
the fakir, which was in Buffalo last
October. he had medical spiel"
and was selling electric belts-cost,
$12 a gross price fifty cents each with
an electric insoe, for rheumatism,
thrown in. And here he was. in his
native town at that, peddling cam
pagn buttons at ten cents apiece,
the profit being only six cents,
Not that there was objection to the
button in and of itself. for it was a
work of art 1t represented a hand
holding all the aces. with picture Of
the President 70" joker; the aces
labeled respectively, Sound Money
Expansion" protection" and Pros
perity,' and the whole design reen-
forced with the legend. stand Pat!
The button was about the size of
fifty-cent piece, was autographed in
four colors, and proclaimed its wear
ev's convictions full forty rods. |
bought one to encourage the others,
but put it in my pocket, There are
localities in Ward Six where on a
Saturday night every prudent man is
willing to be considered a Democrat,
or at the least Mugwump.
did not linger to admire my
friends pyrotechnic eloquenCe. AS
matter of fact it was not on exhibition.
He kept up a flow of 'patter" that
seemed to serve his purpose; but for
flights of fancy one must find him in A
country town, between his gasolene
torches, dispensing soap, jewelry,
perfumery, and CUFF, and making as
much money in an evening as you or
| can earn in half a week. | thought
the present situation unworthy of him,
in that he was selling a low priced
article and working under restraint,
like any of the aliens who hawked
suspenders; and put it to him strong
ly, when | returned to his stand an
hour later. and he, sweeping the
last few buttons into his bag, had
started to walk with me towards his
hotel.
We'll, say" my friend made answer,
IF YOU think it's so easy to do bust
ness in this Yiddish carnival, you've
got another think coming. When !
want to gain wealth without eXerting
myself, it's me to Merchants Row or
Change Alley. where everything goes.
I never come down here to Blackstone
street unless l have a new proposition
and line of talk to back it up and
even then, when | work off ten cents
worth of ornament something that
YOU can't eat or wear-well. say it's a
proof of genius, that's what it is
You want to remember that these peo-
pie are born financiers; they'd take
tray of collar-buttons and seventy-fya
cents cash and undertake to buy your
house. and they'd get the warranty
deed. every time; and when a little
blue-eyed Yankee like me can sell EN-
something they can't use and don't
want. it signifies that I'm in pretty
good shape to tackle the county fair.
See? Blackstone street is the grind
stone | sharpen my wits on.
There's another error you're max
ing, that streetman ought to stick
To his specially in this
case electric belts, the graft | was
working when you saw me in Buffalo
Well. If you try to do that you get
sort of-sort of hde-bound. Being
in a rut. you lose your snap and your
adaptability; and that's deadly Every
crowd a man faces Is different from
every other crowd, and he's got to be
wide awake all over all the time, and
plan his campaign to suit the situation.
Understand? And another reason
why YOU cant stick to a speciality is
that the specially won't stick to you.
Why say. | hadn't been in Buffalo
week before another fellow jumped in
with the same line of electric belts
and the same flow of language to A
word. I learned my talk from book
Of medical spells that paid five dol
lars for-and it was worth the money
but Johnny -onthe-next.block had
bought the same book and he was
handing out the same grafton. Well
that was all right, The world is
wide. and what do we have feet for?
Johnny and got together and dipped
cent. II turned up tails for me
and started out across New York
and Pennsylvania and Ohio, working
toward The South.
Now. you being anxious about my
professional dignity. you might have
seen me do things in the six months
following that would a broken your
heart; but. me being after coin,
made oUt pretty well thank you. The