davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Successful Boss Barber the
One with an ttractiveS Shop.
By William III. TAYLOR.

to patronize another. But regular customers
like these will in time die. move away. or
get old enough to let their boards grow.
Meantime, however. there is a fresh crop of
downy bearded youths coming on. This crop
will always be harvested by the barber with
the most attractive shop. which will also
draw the greater part Of the transient Gus
tom.
In brief. the boss barber who does not know
the value of a " 'front.'" has failed to learn
one of the most important points in his busi-
ness.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11

II the purchases for the year run into hum
dreds Of thousands tho Q per centis a big item
and means thousands Of dollars annually to
the firm which properly looks after 1t.
Heavy Loss on Scraps Possihle.
Many manufacturing firms unconsciously
throw away many dollars worth of material
In the course Of a season in the form of waste
or SCRAP" OF course, in many lines OF
manufacture tho scrap material may be OF
little value. and. possibly. not worth the
time required to preserve 1t. It Is in over
looking the value OF these waste materials
that the smaller firms are also the most care
less.
But II the scrap, no matter whether 1t be
metal rubber. or Of some other co,mnos,.
ton, Is valuable to the large concern. q ia
proportlonately so to the smaller. Scran
rubber will sell readily at 10 to 10 cents a
pound, and scrap metals from tone-quarter
to soven-eighths new value. Take as
an example. When the market value Is 15
to ID cents It is no trouble at all to sell the
scrap at y to IA cents, Scrap iron. on the
other hand. when the market value of tho
new metal is from 4 to s cents, seldom ID
worth more than u OF 1 cent. But the illus
tration goes to prove that the profits of q
plant may be greatly added to IL the waste
materials are properly cared for. Indeed, I
know OF one firm whichplacedso much value
on Its scrap metal that 1t caused an
ploye to serve a term in a houseof correction
for stealing a few pounds Of scrap copper
wire.
Pays to Watch Small Things.
NO matter what the general magnitude OF
a business may be-, 1t la we'll worth the while
to look out for Its minor affairs, This may
be an age OF large things H. general, but 1t
lis, after all. from the handling OF smaller
deals that the greatest profits are derived.
Small leakages are sureto slip by unnoticed
unless the business is so organized that every
detail, no matter OF how little apparent sig
nitcance. can be properly checked.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Is Cowed by Misfortune.

The boy runs from his ship on a bar
barian coast. The play Of fortune upon him
was then so sharp with peril that II stood
TO make a man OF him. 1t only cowed him
and spewed him out. trembling and weak
encd. His return occurred. 1t was not the
repcntant approach of the prodisal. rather
the edgewise sneaking OF the whipped.
Pity for his uncut hair n the hard spots
on his hands stirred a mothers heart to well
come. Beneath his fathers cold inspection
there lay an understanding OF tho boys
waste of time and a return from a wide ram
bic without any gatherings. Still there was
n tacit enfolding by his family. A little
on and he accompllshes marriage, pure
Iy for money. 1t doomed large In a side
branch of the family stock. 1t looked like
luck at last.
A berth was handed down to him by rich
papa-in-law In a concern already loaded 70
the water line with family hangerson. The
cid man. who was a spender, was cheerfully
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Raised His Pay TO Fire Him;
Firm Originates Unique Plot.
By Alfred Il. Thomas.
Thomas,

cumstances." said the boss. You didn't get
many orders. to be sure. but we appreciate
the energy you have shown. We've talked
the matter over and decided to give Won n
substantial proof OF our appreciation. We
have raised your salary $500 q year. Here
after you will be paid weekly at that rate
Have your samples ready to start west Mon
day"
That almost took m breath away. 1 was
too dazed to think. It's a wonder I didn't
faint. Had I been half as foxy as the boss
I would have known something was going
to happen.
At the end Of the next week I got a draft
for my salary, computed at the increased
rate, and wrote the firm acknowledging its
receipt. Then-and not till then--I really
believed that I hadn't been dreaming.
Three days later. I got another letter from
the house. It was brief and to the point.
and the burden OF It was that my ~servtces
were no longer required.
Accepting Increase Abrogates Contract.
I was thunderstruck. I was also mad
and mad a-plenty. I FASTENED back to the
city, and. fiourishing my contract under the
noses of Harris and his partner, demanded
an explanation.
= They gave mo the laugh.
THAT contract Isn't worth the paper it's
written on" sneered old Kaufman. you
broke 1t when you accepted an increase OF
salary
That's why I'm temporarily d!sengaged,'t
continued the drummer. What I want to
know at present writing is whether that is
good law1or not, Now, Is at?
Mono OF my fellow laborers can tell me.
AS soon as i recover from tho shock I am
going to ask n lawyer about 1t. And In the
future ! will look with eyes OF suspicion
upon any raise of salary that comes unso-
licited.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Drifts to the Irreelaimable.

Below all this what remains now for sof.
hands, unused muscles, unframed brains, and
the slive.lng OF hair? The emblazonry OF the
future does not hang In high coiors. The
preachment lies in the wasting of abilities.
Almost any one can AFFORD to stop and think
1t over
To come back to our man for a moment.
He owned imagination and 1t had been suf-
~ficiently fed by his changing experiences. In
one halt OF his slide down It seemed as II It
might furnish him with a tool with which
he could hew steps upward. He threw
some stories and sketches into the stated
mouth Of a magazine editor. They were
digested and paid for. a bitter regret for
the wastlrgs OF the foolish past and an i'm
p%regnable Craving for the now unattainable
smothered every fancy and so his useful
pen idled. He said he had too much trouble
himself to create fctlonal difficulties for
lovers and so from such work he drifts into
the irreclaimable.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11

Everything else being equal-particularly
the quality Of workmnnship-the boss barber
whose shop presents the most attractive ap-
pearance is the one that eventually gets the
coin" Most of the few exceptions emphasize
even more strongly han the rule the value
Of a neat and attractively furnished place OF
business, innsmuch as between 1t and Its
cheaply and inartistically furnished rival
across the street. even though its workmen
are inferior to those of the latter, the former
will secure the greater patronage.
The writer has seen this statement borne
out in many instances. He remembers one
tina came under his notice in recent years.
He was living in u country town of about 1000
population. containing three barbering estab-
lishments. OF these the Ne Plus Ultra Ton
serial Parlor was in the basement of the
Farmers and Drovers bank building. Dan
and Joe were in a dark and dingy room In
the rear of the office Of the I" best " hotel. and
the Palace Shaving and Hair Dressing Salon
was in q rlckety frame building In q side
street.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11

~ 7 ES. It is true that I'm out Of a job.
It IS funny that a salesman who can
sell goods as I can should get
teamed" but that isn't halt as
funny as the way I gotit.
When / was with Snlithson, Lyle & Co. I
was considered their star man and got the
biggest salary they paid. Twas worthit too,
for ] got results. For a year or more Harris
G. Kaufman tried to get me, and they
finally made me an offer that I simply
Couldn't rundown 1t was away and beyond
what | was getting, and ! took the bait. I
was foxy enough 10 insist upon a contract
for five years, but | wasn't foxy enough. To-,
we all know that old Kaufman has a repu-
tation as q cold proposition.
VI u
Had Bad Luck from the First.
was up against ough luck from the start.
Everything seemed to so against me mr.
first trip. ! never before had made such a
miserable showing. 1 was almost afraid to
show up at the house. You may imagine my
surprise and qualification when / got a greet
Ing that was rapturously effusive. l ex-
pressed my chagrin at my poor success. but
old Kaufman didn't seem to be worried
q bit about II.
80. 1 know how that IS" he said. Things
will go that way sometimes in spite OF every
thing. We're perfectly satisfied with your
efforts, so don't be worried"
Then they sent me on a long trip into new
territory. 1t hardly seemed possible, but
that trip was worse than the first one. I
didn't make expenses, to say nothing of sal
AIRY. When ! got back l expected a good call
ms down, ! felt that only that contract
stood between me and getting fired. and / was
truly ashamed to face the "Old Man When
1 went into the Office l was more surprised
than ever to be told that the firm had no
kick coming,
you're doing well enough under the cir
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
BY A. G.Hunter.

justment has been made. It is not alone the
amount involved which the company cares
about. but the business principle.
If customers know that a firm Is lax in
locking into tho details Of Its outside dealings
some Of them, presumably those whose flnan-
clal standing is not OF the highest order, are
sure. sooner or later. to try to take advan-
tage. I have known customers having bills
to pay to a large firm to take of some Pc
culiar discount. giving no explanation what
ever for so doing. OF course, in such cases,
the matter is always referred to the proper
department for adjustment and usually is
comparatively easy to settle. But the Incl
dent goes to show how ready some people
always are to do q little crooked work and
how important 1t is to keep an eye open to
the little deals.
Watch Discounted Bills Closely.
Another thing which many firms do not
follow closely enough is the ~dlscounting of
bills. This is particularly true ofthe smaller
concerns. The larger Arms usually have
their offices SO arranged thai one department
Is held responsible for this one line Of work.
In the smaller companies, however, many
times It is not thought worth the while to do
SO, There 1t is usually left US a sort Of side
issue for the bookseeper, II he has time to
get the bill vouchered inside the discount
limit. all is we'll andrgoof; If he fails nothing
is thought of it, and the account is, allowed
to run the thirty or sixty day limit. as the
case may be, But just think what such care
lessness means to the firm at the end of tho
year!
Most bills are received nowadays subjectt to
. per cent discount II paid in ten days. Sup,
pose the FIRMS purchases on bills of that
nature do not amount to- more that $685. 900 ar
$4,000 for the year, yet IL the bills are not
discounted a practical loss of $500 or 5000
must be sustained-enough to maintain a
clerk to look nfterlthe maturity Of accounts.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Loss by Deterioration Revealed.

But IL even carelessness and crookedness
have been eliminated in the matter the In
ventory may show q wide divergence be-
cause of the deterioration of certain goods
in stock, due not only to a slump in cost
prices, but to a lack OF demand for them and
10 physical imperfectlons in the stock itself.
These will have been wholly outside the
knowledge or responsibility OF the s~tockkeep-
err and 1t is because of this fact that an in
ventory, piece by piece, becomes most neces-
sary in q well conducted business. In al
most any line OF stock an inventory may
show an increas ed value in some things, just
as 1t is more likely to show a decrease in 9TH
ers. 1t is to get at this actual value of the
actual goods in stock that the careful inven-
tory always must supplement the best kept
books Of stock that can be devised.
How the ~stockkeeper balances his books
is interesting. The stock which he holds in
the stockroom and the stock which has gone
out for the retail counters is listed in gem
eral columns in bulk. The sales tickets re-
turned are taken up In detail and entered
under separate headings. the stock price
being used rather than the selling price.
When these columns OF sales are footed.
showing that the sums total balance with
the general figures for the stock issued, tho
stockkeeper knows that his work is correct.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Lived Lavishly in London.

Our pair took the 5000 falling to their
share and spent It In a year. mostly abroad.
They ran so close to the hounds In London
that money had to be cabled to get the fools
homo.
Now down hill begins in earnest and the
sharp nose Of the moral OF the story peeps
out. Money was still in sight and within
reach on madnme's side OF the family. I'm
Giles and aunts, brothers and brothers-in-la
were ransacked. pumped, MIXED. In all a
steady siege and our man led the way into
ono venture after another. A farm In vir-
glnia, peach orcharding in Georgia, a chicken
ranch in Jersey, a hotel in Denver, q book
shop In st. Louis, a matrimonial agency In
Indianapolls-a steady slide. It was from
decency to meanness. from above board, day
light sorties down to rat hole sw.ndles. Back
OF all. indecision. incapacity. Ill training. and
a thick streak Of ~laziness. Moral comes
palmer in view now. It Is that the world
does owe l!vings to her children, but that
she pays more certainly and chcerfully to
those who rave clean hands and hearts.
bright ambitions. courage. willingness. and
patience.
Chicago shows the finish. mean lodgings.
wife-no longer young-attendant in the wait
ing room Of a State street store. servant OF
the passing want OF a thousand cold eyed
women daily. The nan-ro longer young
sup,ng at the theaters for 30 cents a night,
sometime in the torture chambers OF the
addressing bureaus. where 60 cents a day
looked a large background for two meals and
a ravnge of a lunch counter under the sign
OF "the largest In the city"
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11

NnCChS xne1I anu O0TeleSSneSSs
Blu where the stock books fall to serve the
full purpose OF the inventory is appreclable
for q good many causes.
In the first place there may be dishonesty
ard carelessness In the sales departments OF
the house or In some of the Intervening per-
sorages handling goods between stocSrooms
and counters. The s%tockkeeper himself can
not make even q guess at this possibility.
He delivers the goods and checks the sales
and shows the stock balances-and quits.
1t is not until the inventory has been made
and its showing compared with the totals OF
the head stocklkeeper's office that careless
ness and petty thefts are suggested.
In a department store doing a business
of 81, OOO, 600 q month indispensable differ
ence between stockkeepers' totals and In
ventory figures could not exceed the half
Of / per cent OF the stock values without
exciting m Such Il difference as /
per cent, month after month. would be suffl-
Client to put those departments showing 1t
under suspicion and espionage. In this con-
dition of affairs the accurate stockkeeper Is
able to free himself of suspicion. for the rea-
son that he has his orders for all disposition
of stock and he has his sales tickets as rem
dered by the sales departments. Each day
his book of stocks will have balanced to a
cent,
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Where ACCURACY Is Vital.

NOth1nE ILLUSTRATES THIS necessity Tor StoCk-
keeping better than some mandatory turn
Ing out varieties OF steel products. Taking an
institution of the kind and considering that
steel for manufactures is at times one Of the
most exasperatlngly slow materials to get.
the accuracy OF the stock department OF
such a works Is an emphasized necessity.
Such a factory. equipped with the most
elaborate machinery of the best type, might
receive a hurry order for a certain line Of
goods. Haste in turning 1t out is essential.
The manager who receives the order may
know that he has the machinery and the
machinists for the work. but If there Is the
thought in his mind that tho special stock
required for the work has been allowed to
shrink below the necessities Of the Job there
Is trouble for somebody and a loss OF money
to the concern.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Youthful Patrons THOSE 10 win.

Strange to say, the spry young stranger,
contrary to what might naturally be sup
posed, did not draw many customers from
those of the other shops. Here is the point:
He got nearly all OF the NEW trade. The
man who has for years been ave by a bar
her who knows every wrinkle OF his face and
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Unsuised for Business Life.


He Is learning, too, that he does not get
what he wants, but is not spurred, urged.
lifted TO any clear view OF what he might
accomplish, to no effort that might fruit In
victory later on.
Then the boy, with a sense OF going TO the
Immurement OF useless %drudgery. Is placed"
by a father incapable In most things but
determined In forcing a restless. passionate.
and sensitive boy into the narrow and UNI
promising path OF underpaid business em.
ployment at just what he was not suited for.
Result. revolt. Further results. silly prof.
legacy and foolish pleasures, foolish because
they always fell short OF cost and nnticipa-
ton.
Then the boy tooths the bit and runs away
to sea. Then and there. in fact, a real chance
opens for him.. but he lacks the schooling
OF high spirit that might have been given
him or born In him. but was not, neither ono
nor the other. He has. however. a year Of
hard. healthy work. frightened a little here
and there by the interest that comes from
seeing now peoples and things that must
fall to the dullest and most homeslck OF all
that go over the hill OF the sea and across
the dale OF latitudes and iongitudes with the
horizon trimming unbroken.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11

T is the little items OF expense. seemingly
too small to consider, that eat up the
profits of any business. The most sue
Z l I~cessful business men are those who have
lived on the basis of look out for the
pennies and the dollars Will take care of them-
selves" In stopping up the little leaks they
have made themselves financially solid. and
have earned for themselves tho title. Cap
tains of Industry"
The United States government will spend
a whole million II necessary to Investigate
the causes and correct an error In any OF It's
financial departments. even II no more than
q cent is Involved. And 1t could not safely
do otherwise. 1t must dispel every SUCCESS
ton of ~laxness In discipline, and to admit an
error would be simply an invitation and u
hint for open mouthed crooks to make money
through fraud.
Uncle Sam requires only Is or 20 cents as
quarterly rental for the boxes In his many
thousand postoftlces. Only 90 or so cents a
year, yet think OF the many. many dollars
which roll into his treasury annually through
that medium! His mail service will carry 4
letter from the\extreme end Of Florida to the
most distant point in Alaska, yet he asks only
u modest Q cents. But that much he insists
upon.
1reat Eiiort w Ersoc.
Our modern commercial houses spend a
great deal Of time and energy In looking UP
claims and errors in dealing with customers.
They will spend days and even weeks in adj
justing accounts to correct an error of only
a few cents. and consider it good business
Judgment. In almost every firm Of any mag
nitude at all there Is maintained a depart.
ment OF greater or less size, depending, OF
course. upon the volume OF business done,
which looks after nothing but the claims Of
customers, Many of the claims which are
investigated entail q cost a hundred times
more than the amount inyolveds yet they
are gone into with careful scrutiny. and are
not allowed to rest until a satisfactory I'D
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
05S3
O5S3
1896
1896
1o.75212G

AS will be readily seen. this sum consists in
multiplying the top line by seven, repeating
one place to the right, doubling the above.
and repeating as befores. 1t may be proved
thus:
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
ToFindA Area of Circle

y. yHEN finding the area OF a circle in
\A/ the usual way by squaring the
wv diameter and multiplying by 1854,
four multiplications are required,
one for each diget. The following
method requires only one. Example: To
find the area of a circle of 81 inches diameter,
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Shook Up the Dry Bones.

Dan and Joe had the creme de la creme OF
the trade. They were a pair OF capable and
painstaking young BARRIERS who had been In
business cat the old stand " for a number
Of years. They had a regular clientele conf
posed of people who thought nobody else
could cut hair like Dan or shave like Joe.
One day a spry looking young stranger
dropped into the village and rented a room
Just across the street from the :" best " hotel.
The room was small, but nevertheless larger
than either of those occupied by Dan and
Joe, the Ne Plus Ultra. or the Palace. Tho
spry looking stranger at once contracted
with the best local paper hanger to decorate
the room in his best style, and q week later
the place was fitted up In q way which. for
that town. was considered needlessly lux
urious. The /" operating = chairs were Of the
most modern pattern and the other furniture
was correspondlngly elegant. Instead Of the
usual full page portraits Of champion pugil-
lists and moro or less shapely burlcsque
queens culled from the Police Gazette. the
walls were decorated with tasty etchings
and engrayings, not to mention u real water
color that was well worth moro than q pass
Ing glance. Hastily chosen statuettes occupied
inches above the sideboard and instead of
the tawdry and nan colored paper covers
commonly seen upon that article OF furniture
1t was bare. inasmuch as 1t was of marble
and suoh frippery was not needed. Outside
the door was erected a symphony In red,
white, Il gilt that looked to the other bar
bers in town as they imagined the Vendome
column would nave looked after a few weeks
In the hands of an enterprising and arnbi-
tIous painting contractor.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Good "Front" Attracts Custom.

The new establishment opened for business
with two chairs but only one barber-the boss
himself. And the truth is that he was a
long way from being the finest barber in
tho world. In fact, for q shave both clean
and easy-Buch q man with a tender face so
we'll knows how to apprec!ate-half a dozen
other BARRIERS In town could, as one of them
expressed 1t, give him cards and spades and
big casino and still get away with the
goods,"
Notwithstanding all this. the new barbe.
had an assistant on the second chair In
less than TWO months. and q few weeks later
u negro boy in livery was installed as por-
ter. He was paid a salary-meager enough,
no doubt-and didn't have to depend on tips,
which was fortunate. 1t was an innovation
In the village, but It made a hit and added
to tho prestige of the new shop.
That was less than five years ago, Tho
new boss barber now has four chairs going
all tho time. He did not drive the others
out Of the business. but the Ne Plus Ultra
and the Palace were compelled to consolidate
IN self-defense. and Oar and Joe had to
seek better quarters.