The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-04-18
TRAVELLERS.
IS THE. TRAVELLERS FRIEND
James II. Sprague, Umbrella Man of
Ohio, the Friend Of the Salesman.

If the travelling statesmen of the
country ever had friend in their
lives, it is James H. Sprague, presi-
>,dent of the Sprague Umbrella com-
pany of Newark, o. Mr.. Sprague has
a whole lot of good ideas about how
the retailers should receive the drum
mer who comes to him for business
and he puts his ideas into very read
able shape in recent issue of Farm
Machinery. Mr.. Sprague says:
The man who does not treat travel
ing statesmen who call upon him. With
courtesy and respect, is twin brother
to the party with the speaking part
that Baalam rode and is out OF place
as a buyer. He has missed his calling
and some manure fork is pining away
in lonesomeness without the unfriend-
ly grasp of his witherei hand. He is
not good man for the firm; he mis-
represents as buyer or proprietor;
he is going through this world miss
ing the honest. friendly grasp OF hum
dreds OF manly hands; he is losing
the cream of the bargains that many
travelling men have up their sleeves
for good people," he is advertised
only as a sneak by the men who are
unfortunate enough to call upon him
once" he is stunned by the boys on
the road, who are always we'll posted
on who are the decent men in the
trade, they all lay for him and do
him if they can. He may think he is
sharp, but the boys all think he is an
idiotic loon. and they love to give him
an unfriendly blast every chance they
can get and many of them will work
over time to say mean and generally
true thing about him. Many of the
very smart" buyers are upstairs who
do not represent dollar they have
earned; who are excess baggage on
the hands of the firm they try to buy
for. who would be more in proper
place as wrap holders for second
race horse, or chambermaids in a
country livery stable, than as buyers
for reputable concerns. 1t is not nee
essary to boy of every traveller who
calls upon you, but if you have to be
the least bit mean to any one. vent
your spite on one of them whom you
have given an order. If you feel
called upon to be handicapped and
ugly. and are such a fool that you
can't hold it in, and too cowardly to
try it on some one your size, give a
traveller good order and then he will
grin and bear your idiocy. Tell him
if the goods don't come just exactly
as represented and plumb up to the
sample. that you'll fire 'em back and
kick him out the next time he comes.
He will laugh at it and say to the
boys, THE old man is a id old
crank. but you can sell him all right"
and the other travellers will at least
tolerate you. If you can't give a man
an order, you can give him good
pleasant word. There are very few
travelling men who are not gentlemen
and the equal in every way of the men
they call upon. 1t is their way of
getting living and it is an honest
way. The writer tried it for twenty
five years and knows all about it, and
l say it without fear of successful con-
tradiction, that you make the mistake
OF your life when you do not treat
travelling men with courtesy. And then
when life's fitful dream is DER, if you
are fortunate enough to appear with
us good people on the plains of Para
disc. you'll find the travelling man in
evidence and you'll feel glad to meet
him, for If he has been there any
length of time he will know the place
and will willingly show his friends
around and introduce them to all of
the greatest and best people. Speak
gently to the travelling man: "the
larger the man, the gentler speak; Z"
he is liable to be one of the proprie-
tors in your next shopping place,
when time shall be no more.