Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-15
PEDDLERS OF NOTIONS
Their Appearance in Waterbury
 . Reminder of Old Times.

Peddling notions in Waterbury Ia returning to It's old-time popularity and many say that in short time
 there will be as many vendors of
 notions about town as there used to
 be when they were so plenty that 1t
 was nothing at all unusual to see
 half dozen of them in one street at
 the same time, selling cotton balls,
 skeins of thread, packages of needles
 and a little of almost everything else
 you could mention. Besides these
 there were several other regular call-
 CTS who had remedies for all kinds Iof ills to which t4e human system
 is heir and they did good business,
 too, but for some reason or other
 nearly all of them disappeared and very little was done in that line un-
 til the coming of the Arabians some
 fifteen or twenty years ago. Prior
 to this almost all the peddlers that
 visited Waterbury were English
 speaking people. and many often
 wondered what became of them At
 the present time the field is over-
 worked and the Arabians have smart
 competitors in the persons of num-
 Der of Hebrews, who have the busi-
 ness reduced to science and are
 hard to beat at the game Owing to
 the vigilance of the police who keep
 a sharp lookout to see that these
 vendors have licenses few of them
 care to run the risk for being caught
 and as a consequence it is quite com
 mon to see them in the office of the
 city clerk taking out new licenses
 and getting old ones renewed.
 There are a few French and Ger
 mans at the business and once in
 while an English speaking man
 comes along. In most instances the
 latter are doctors" and their stock in trade is so easily concealed they don't bother about license. l.. Beau lieu of the north end while renewing his license to-day told a reporter of the Democrat that competition in the peddling business is sharp and, that there is not much in 1t anyway. But" he added. rather checrfully, "you see. Mister, don't want a great deal. If I can sell enough to make an honest living that will suffice. I'm not in 1t for making money. I followed farming while I was able. but that's too much for me and have to try something where the la Dor is lighter and the reward not very remunerative. The people of this town are well posted on prices and you can't deceive them either on the quality of goods, so that unless you can do as we'll by them as the big stores they won't take anything from you. Prices in the stores are low and when man with few things such as carry keeps figures down to the bottom notch 1t is easy to count his profits even after a good days sale" The old fellow appeared very happy and although he admit ted that he is not getting rich he demonstrated that he has content ed mind and probably that is more than men who don't have to hustle for their bread can say. There does not seem to be any lack of peddlers of notions in Waterbury. but the doctors" are few and far between and rumor has 1t that they will be fewer before there are more. One of them gave woman a pill the other day for headache and she declares that 1t came near costing her the use of her eye sight and didn't help the ache one, bit. She says that the "ouack" will get warm reception the next time he calls in the neighborhood where she lives. for she hasn't been anyway backward about spreading the thing and half the town are on to the dan- ger of fool,ng with the stnf this travelling doctor carries. although some claim ha has effected cures that haf1fed the skill of nhysicians who stand at the head of the profession.