The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-09-22
MAIL ORDER ORIGIN:
GREW, OUT OF FAILURE OF
ORANGES BUSINESS END.
When the Grange Stores Quit Sup
ply Agent Continued This Idea OF
the Catalogue Plan.

ply Agent Continued This Idea OF
the Catalogue Plan.
The story of the rise of the so called
mail order business is an Interesting
chapter in our commercial history.
The spread OF the craze-for II must
bc claSscd as Such-resembIcs that or
an ordinary epidemic against which no
precaution is taken. The disease has
until very recently Nbcen allowed to
spread without even quarantine rcgu-
lations But from present indications
its decline will he as rapid us was It's
rise.
The idea Of selecting goods from Il
catalogue containing pictures OF the ar
ticles nn1 then ordering the articles
thus selected by mail was the direct
result Of the failure OF the business
end OF the grange movement. the
grange store. writes Richard \. Haste
IN Maxwell's TalISnan.
Net 80 lAnly years ago. but before
the tel.rncne the rural routes ana the
intcrurban electric lines had brought
the town and the farm into the present
close relations. there existed in the
f6rai Troiih'l1nitics an iHflte prejudice
against fownsfolk gentrallysirT'fi the re-
TAFT merchant iI particular. He was
Il >uiAdehaIl" and wholly. .1nnel:esss'
sary. lie iWaIS looked 'Fnpon MS. a"hu-
man drofre. a iionprhdintr:'and as S'ls:h
not entit16d"to amy liked Plnc"t Ing Dhas
economic Scheme VI -ciriiZation'' =
AS the working bees every fall wheH
the first frosts come 10 blight tie flow
.crs cast the drolics from the hive, SO
The tIiiddleman was to br'cllt out or the
euuation OF trade. eliminated from the
problem. and through the grange store
the farmer would deal directly with
Tie manufacturer. Millions Of dollars
would bt, thus saved tG the workers
Ty this short cIlt across the cOmlnerclai
field The grange store would buy tile
produce Of the farm and III turn Sell to
the farmer essentials Of life wifi.
out profit either going or coming.
In carrying ont this simple scheme
the grange. not being acquainted with
the mercantile business. employed
agents to buy goods for the grange
store. and the store WIS tl1ru run by Il
"hircu man"-a man Of more or less eX-
pcrience IN handling retail trade, but
who had no interest in the business.
He WIS simply Il hired man.
One of these supply agents was
firm the name Of which now stands
second If not firSt among the catalogue
houses Of today. This firm. If am
not mistaken. WIS then located in Mil;
wau!lee. and It's bush WAS to supply
the grange stores of the middle west
with .DodS-to 90 into the market ana
buy rs cEleaply as p,ssible- for its,prin-
cfpalS.
For Il few years the grange store
fiourishctI. There WIS much interest
manifested, In this new trade toy. lt
WIS hotIly asserted that the t:ty vi the
mi(l,lenian. the retail merchant. hau
passed. But. like all complicated mT-
chimes rim by hired men. It got ont
OF order AMI then stopped. The band
ell farmers fonul that instead OF saw
ins money hy means of the grange
store they had actually h~t money.
The grange stores were accordingly
closed. AMI the StWkloI,ierS charged
mn the little loss to experience ami
turned to- the ever interesting. discus.
sion Of the tariff Oh wheat.
With r9n. l.lSSln@ ot the grange store
the firm above rclerrtrl TO waS lett
without Il business Rut out " the
wreck il saved two things that proved
To- be lunst r:tlllajlr--;l list Of naIneS
Of the farmers or the middle west
and an ilea. With this capita stock
the first catalogue house waS started.
II WIS Il commercial inspiration born
or the. then conditions. But the 'li>rov
erer waS not left lUu. IN exclusive liuS-
session of this iind The pickinsS were
so rich and tlr possibilities Of e1-
nIoitution su exceptional and safe that
others entered .Fr iiell until now the
coluprl i'm has become about as sharp
IN il * in the. retail trade Indeed. The
original catalogue hurlsr-.nGin. genuine
without our stamp c"ncr!h-,haS been
uutfoot-l by Il yul,,. rival Which
straits Ierore the cun,merciu' world
with X capital stock " siDMh.tEo.