Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1906-06-11

had any legal right to lock his store
door for the night. This condition
now exists in the one store commu-
mites, but not in towns of any rec
ognized Importance with up-to-date
stores like, for instance, the beautiful
town of Barton.
am aware that it is hard for some
men to be obliged to go home at night
and get acquainted with their fami-
lies; no doubt in some cases it comes
hardest on their families. One dear
woman was heard to say that she did
not like to have the stores close be-
cause it makes the village look so dark
Chats good reasoning. l fancy L
see our good friend from three miles
away, to whom you refer, aitnougn it
seems from his reasoning that he
must be much farther back, drawing
up around the sittin' room fire, get
ting out the big catalogue, writing off
the ORDER" very likely to send to
Chicago, "and the next morning the
r. T. d. man takes the letter and
there is no bother or time lost" Easy,
isn't it? He couldn't wait to go that
three miles another day or send by
neighbor John, but can wait two
weeks or more for his goods to come
fir IN far away.
Now, suppose our friend from three
miles away had called on his home
merchant with subscription paper
for his neighbor John, who had sick
wife. or had lost horse, or one of
dozen other misfort mes constantly
occurring in all communities, and had
found the store closed at six p. M,
after being open from six in the
morning, do you think, Mr.. Editor,
that he would go home and in his
spirit of disgust "draw up to the fire"
and write his petition of sy mpathy to
perhaps Sears, Roebuck & Co. of Chi
cago, for them to sign and return at
at once, with two or five dollars en-
closed, and "send the next morning
by the r. F. D. man." thus boycotting
the home merchant; or would he con-
tinue to call on his home merchant
until he found the door open and the
smiling proprietor anxiously waiting
to sign his petition? My Judgment
is he would call, Il have never heard
of merchants escape. The country
merchant does not have to issue any
big catalogue in order to hold the
subscription business at home; and
are you sure, Mr.. Editor, that our
friend from three miles away did not
owe a little bill of long standing at
nearly all the home stores, and thus
felt it economy for him to send away
for his goods? The demand for prize
packages will never cease, and some
people will always prefer to buy
goods by picture, and from parties far
away, and from whom no redress can
be had. Mr.. Catalogue from Chicago
| is not the man who comes to our aid
in time of trouble, to help the widow
and orphan; he does not support our
schools and churches, erect manufac-
tories, establish free libraries, where
our friend of three. miles can come
and get a book of free reading on any
subject, if he chooses, on economy.
1 would suggest on travel, and>wou1d
then advise him to take trip as long
one way as he is narrow the other,
and I trust he will be long enough
gone to have broadened his views and
acknowledge the advent of the TWEEN
tieth century.
Times have changed; 80 have the
customs of merchandising in all up
to-date towns and cities, and why
shouldn't they? But the change
hasn't reached Barton, and Judging
from the foregoing editorial discour-
agement, fancy the millennium is
scheduled to arrive first.
It is plain condition of fact that
the life of country merchant is I'M
necessarily one of long hours and
close confinement He becomes a
store fixture, his clerks have little or
no freedom; they are tied up like
watchdogs TO take everyone's kicks
and must return smiles or the public
will demand his or her discharge; the
clerks should always appear cheerful,
because they are only shut in from
six in the morning until nine or ten
at night, with twenty to thirty min
utes at meals where they cape and
swallow a few times and back to the
store, as some one may be waiting TO
them; anyway, he must be there, for
that is what he Is hired for, and stay
until the last hanger-on has been in
from perhaps enjoying the open air
oncert,-something neithermerchant
nor clerk ever have the opportunity
of hearing. This everlasting staying