The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-10-17
A BOOK AGENT DISSECTED.

The Journal recently had a call from
book agent who took up half an hour
or more of valuable time on "press day.
under what we consider false pretences.
He represented himself as coming from
Chicago newspaper and SO was made
welcome. Had he made his real mis-
sion known at the outset there would
have been no time lost to either party.
1t may be added here that the evidences
of his calling were artfully concealed
about his person. Seated comfortably
before the open fire he began by deplor-
ing the alleged universal ignorance as
to the great progress this country is
making in population, in wealth, in agri-
culture, in the sciences, ETC., and told
of the many letters of enquiry received
by leading newspapers and by Thomas
Edison and others. A sufficient reply
to this is that these letters of enquiry
will continue, no matter how MANY
cyclopedias or other high priced books
of reference are published. The news
papers and magazines are giving this
information daily, weekly and monthly,
brought up-to-date, and if any remain
ignorant it is because they choose to do
so. In these days it is not practicable
for man or woman to attempt to cover
the whole field of knowledge. 1t is
enough to inform themselves in their
special calling, and in many cases that
is no small undertaking. After the dis
sertation above referred to small pack
age was produced, which when unfolded
resembled a big display advertisement
of a series of monographs under seven
or more departments, with long lists of
names as editors, one list headed by
Theodore Roosevelt The heading was
in large display type which could be
read half way across the room, but Mr..
Agent took up time unnecessarily in
pointing to each word in turn, and call
ing attention to the coats of arms of
all the States arranged as a border.
Then list of names was produced, con-
tanning many we'll known public men
and a few editors, and the impression
he sought to convey was that copies of
the work were to be cleft" with the
persons named so that "when our
agents come around selling the work
these parties can be referred to-" 1t
was also implied that information might
be called for, to be handled by the dis
tinguished array of editors. The next
thing in order was the producing of
contracts in which the aforesaid parties
had agreed to take the work in question
at prices from $50 to 800 according to
tie bindings and to pay for the same in
instaments of So to s. per month. That
settled the matter SO far as the recipi-
ent of this information was concerned,
and who had on his desk at the time
half-written local and number of
proofs waiting to be read. Now admit
ting that this work is all that it pur
ports to be, is it not plain that by the
time it is in the hands of subscribers,
such is the rapid growth and progress
of this country, that it will be out of
date and practically valueless. The
specimen book shown was not specially
attractive geographically, and the COM
parative diagrams have long been used
in the newspapers and magazines. In
conclusion there is this to be said in
behalf of the book agent. He did not
say he was ian old newspaper man."