Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
MYSTERIES OF THE
TRAVELLED BAGGAGE

RIDDEN away in one of the old
n curiosity shops in Washington is
the most peculiar line of merchan-
disc that ever was sold in this city of odd
and unique shops. 1t is known fact
that anything that caters to the vanities
Is a paying proposition. And who is more
vain than the person whose trunk or suit
case is plastered all over the outside with
foreign hotel and steamship labels? No
woman with her first engagement ring Is
more proud of it than the individual with
the battered satchel, which bears close
resemblance to a walking advertisement.
And, taking advantage of this fact. a
secretive dealer makes a collection OF
these labels: and for considerations
and a not very small one. at that-will
undertake to furnish you with consistent
labels for any trip you may suggest-say,
from Washington to London or Paris.
with a side trip along the Riviera.
Isn't it wonderful what progress they
are making these modern days? When X
used to take at least five hundred dollars
to take a nice comfortable little foreign
trip, now it Is possible for one to get a
handful of guide books and a roll of
these labels. and with the close study OF
the one and the application of little
paste to the other, take very enjoyable
vacation with only the outlay OF couple
Of dollars!
And the beauty Of it all is that you
have a sure evidence Of your trip to show
your friend when you ''come back" That
u.s. II you are not careless and let that
friend see you on the street when You
are supposed to be drifting lazily in a
glimpse of you in some summer garden
when he feels morally certain that you
are in some Hofbrauhaus in one of the
interior German cities.
This label-selling trade has been going
on for quite a while in some Of the for
eign countries. but in Washington 1t Is
practically new: and. in order to make up
for lost time. the few favored customers
Of the old man who was progressive
enough to see money in the labels are
certainly giving him grand rush. OF
course 1t would be bad policy for him to
advertise his business, for the simple
reason that some of his customers would
take 1t to heart If there could be any
suspicion that their trip was not bone
fide one
est market for the sale of vanities Of this
variety OF any city in the country. More
globe trotters flock to this city than to
any other. And these, with their satchels
covered with their multicolored labels of
every known and unknown place under
the hearts of the ones that have to stay
at home for any one of hundred rea-
sons. So what is more natural than that
these same stay-at-homes. In order to
create the impression that they are wide
travelled personages, buy these made-tO-
order trips for the price of ticket to
Baltimore. 1t makes their luggage have
the same appearance as that of person
who has spent perhaps thousand dol
lars for the very same labels.
Picking the Proper Labels.
The dealer keeps the labels In separate
sets. one set for each ideal trip, and that
is the way they are most often pur-
chased, but there are occasions when he
IS compelled to break a set and sell in
dividual labels. This is due to the fact
that some of his customers are of the
class that are not very well Informed as
to foreign travel. and only wish to pick
out the most gaudy labels in the collec-
ton or wish to get those of only the
largest cities in the world.
People who would never be suspected
of anything of the kind are the most
the dealer can tell many an amusing in
cident OF the fads and fOibles of the peO-
pie with whom he comes in contact.
"A nice old man. with distinguished
white SIDE WnlSkeTS. CAME IHlO tiie sure
the other day." said the dealer, land for
a few minutes he only looked around at
some Of my other wares. Then. in a
hesitating way. he came up to me and
asked: is this the place where l can
purchase foreign tags and labels for
trunks and suit cases? I told him that
II was and then he grew confidential:
".Well. 1 haven't had time to take a
real. sure-enough trip. and my wife has
been SO anxious to go. She couldn't go
alone, but nearly all of our friends have
gone. and l am bit afraid that perhaps
NV wife has been prevaricating to some
of them about our taking a trip. She
found out that you sell these labels. so
am here to get enough to plaster up our
baggage
II fixed him up with very nice trip
and he departed with satisfied express
sion on his face. l afterward learned
that he is a very prominent official. with
plenty of money to make the trip. but.
as he said, he is SO busy that he hasn't
had time.
Its a rather queer thing. too" he
said, that the ones who are most affect
ed with this sort of thing are people liv-
ing in flats. l suppose that they are shut
up in such a small space all the time in
their little homes that when they start
out on their imaginary travels they like
to cover as much of the universe as pos
sible.''
The Same Thing.