The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-04-17
RUMMAGE SALES.
"The Spectator" Tells About Them il
The Outlook.

ioon; tefis .hr iouoNihg STORY OF
rummage sale; ssl.s
The Spectator has been staying Will,
some friends In Southern town where
d "rnmmage sale foi THE benefit of i
local charity has been going merrily ci.
The Spectator must confess TO an en-
tire Ignorance, previous to his visit, as
to what rummage sale might be. al
though he has since been informed that
these sales are sweeping over the United
States like q cyclone, carrying all be-
fore them, and sometimes striking three
d week in the same, town. During d
reasonably long life, the Spectator as.
serts with confidence, he has bought tic.
kets for and spent money at about every
kind of charitable entertainment hither-
70 known fairs, strawberry festivals.
kirmesses, tablcaux, candy, doll bag,
and apron sales, thcatricals, pink teas.
pound parties and the rest But this
rnmmsge sale was a surprise even to
bis veteran mind. 1t towers high in his
memory above all other charitable af-
fairs by its supreme cheapness, its i'm.
mense popularity, its disproportinate re-
ceipts and its extreme pictnresqueness
III comprises the Old Curioaiy shop and
Rag Fair. And, like all creations Of gen
ius, it is simplcso thoroughly SO that
one wonders why nobody ever Thought
of 1t before.
Every rummage sale is bound to a
success, in the FIRST place, because it APP
peals to two of the most fundamental
instinct Of the human heart--thc instinct
for boarding useless articles and the
primal passion for bargains I'lc man
ayers of such. a sale appeal to all their
friends To give them some Of the old
things you have put away in the at
tie. Now, everybody has something
put away in the attic, on hanging in
the back Of closet, on down at the
bottom Of d trunk, that he or shc knows
in his or her secret heart Of hearts viii
never be used II Is. Of course. not
to be expected that people. however
charifably inclined, will give all their
useless things to the fllmnage sale. for
that would be asking too much from hu.
man nature but perhaps third Of them
will be rclinqnished with d warm glow
OF conscious generosity in the giving.
Thus. day after day, the Spectator saw
a wagon driving up and down the streets
of the town. with white sheet on It's
side msrned Collecting for the Rum
mage Sale and every day there was
something quecfer in il than the last.
In this way truly unique collection
became the prortpty Of the managers
autoharps, are squares, aec0rslians. All
phahetical blocks, artificial flowers, bag
pipes, busts, bicycles. books. baby jump
ers, bonnets, canary cages. coats. chairs,
clocks, chafing. dishes, decanters, dog
baskets, dresses. door knobs. dress. suits.
engraving, egg-beaters, furniture, Gil.
dies. forks, glass, gloves. gss-stoyes, gin.
ger-lars. hunting boots, honr.giasscs.
hoe, and 80 on down the alphabet. until
secondhand department store WAS
slowly evolved out Of the apparent ella
os, with the managers and their friends
as sales.women, and the appeal 10 the
second great human instinct--that of
bargaining began
II ii evident that none 81 this cher.
ished rubbish, 50 carefully gathered, can.
he sold az full prices, but as Il costs
the managers absolutely nothing, any
price pays. Therefore ut rummage
sale there are bargains like 60 none upon
the earth. Anyone can come into il
with only three cents. and vet find
hotindless capabilities al buying in Ills
purse. In this Southern town the col.
ored people fockcd 10 the rooms where
the sale was held and supplied them
selves with long.coTeted articles such
as musical Instruments, high silk hats.
drcss-suits, gay millinery and tan shoes.
TO their hearts content. one small col.
orei boy had four cents 10 spend. He
strolled about for houis, looked st the
old shoes, hung over a mouse-trap for
a while, considered some penny pictures,
and half decided upon 3 cracked blur
vase, but finally expended his all upon
half dozen numbers OF an illustrated
magazine.
The bagpipes were sold off the moment
the sale began, and were inquired for
eagerly afterward by many corners. In,
deed the out of fhe-way article soon
except in the picture line.
There were two large walnut framed
engravings Of the vintage, say, OF 1856
or whereabouts, which were mysteries
indeed. One represented sort of IIsll
Of Fame, in which perhaps 4 hundred
men and women WERE grouped. all ali.
splutely unfamiliar at FIRST sight, but
labeled Our American Authors.T Ry
patient effort a faint resemblance TO
Holmes Pee ard Cooper might be traced
in three of tho strange forms, but there
the hardest conjecture ceased. As
puzzle picture is was a success. The
other engraving was equally euigmatical.
for it represented the trial az some be.
wigged and melancholy individual in
large Sothic hall crowded with appar
emily distinguished pcrf onages. only no.
body knew who they were. Failing to
sell it az "The Trial of Louis the Six
tenth, the managers then called il. in
despair. The Trial Of Lord RUSSELL
and then the Spectator heard II offered
as "Thc Trial OF Charles the First"
the price getting lower and hover. hat
nobody took IL. II finally went to
colored lady at the auction that ended
the sale. and she may nov he represent.
ing it 60 her friends ~ the trinl OF
jefferson Davis, for all anybody knows
AZ has been said, the SAFE pleased ev-
erybody; or, As one bright woman nut
it, 1t was like the nality Of mercy.
twice blessed, which blesseth him that
gives and him that takes" There were
soric awkward happenings, however. as
when ono woman shopper held upa pair
" infants socks and asked The seller,
in sepnlchral whisper, 'Is them dis.
cascd,7 and another, after cycling Jazz
ket marked sSi.75s hanging behind the
counter for ladies' wraps, asked the one
in charge how much it was. sWhy one
dollar seyenty.ivc,r responded the sell.
er: then, with qiic-s sizing up Of
the apparent customer, -but you can
have Il fore one dollar and a quarter
The woman draw herself up with an