Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-06-25
DEMONSTRATING DRuMMERs


Some gentlemen at our hotel n
Jew days agowe discussing how
lar from the political mark our
travelling statesmen often oet
predicating as they do their
Opinions upon the wish or iudo-
ment OF some leader of their craft
and reechoing it as they 90 to
and FRO. Having had a little
experience with the poor calcula-
tlons OF some of these estimable
gentlemen, we were interested
enough to again scan the follow
ing editorial from the Newport
News Tmes-Herald, flying under
the above caption:
The travelling salesman in MANY
respects is great man and fills large
mission in life. Now and then you meet
with one VINO is SLOUGH but most of
them are princely good fellows. As
general proposition they are a great con-
Venlence to the buyer, who formerly
hao 20 go to the market instead of buv-
ing by sample, which the salesman noyv
makes possible. The salesman is a man
OF rare ability, unexcelled nerve and
unreasonable endurance. He is dinlo-
macy itself. Hard by the fountain of
sn'lies Is the fountain of tears, so that
he reJoices with those that do rejoice
ana weeps with his customers who weep.
AS deiineator of human nature the
travelling salesman stands alongside of
the hotel clerk. The salesman also ia .
oenefactor to transportation lines. hotels
and most especially small livery STABLES
ana the cheap boarding houses in the
country. All of these tributes we are
willing to lay at the feet of the travel
ling salesman.
When it comes, however. to giving IN
the travelling salesman all the mower Of
prophetic vision we enter protest and
araw the line good and hard. The
drummer has no better idea of what is
gong on than any other well read and
Wen informed man and vet we con-
SANITY see, "a travelling salesman inst
.e'urned from such and such territory
'ays so and so" and that seems to settle
ne question. Whether it be prohibition
the primary plan, the pub-
,rhatorial campaign, a sensational mur-
Ter case, or any question under the blue
ahopy OF heaven, the prominent
raveillng salesman will bob up and
ell exactly how public opinion stands or
Vhat the verdict is at the hands of all
he people.
Inc truth of the matter is Mr.. Drum
ner goes into Lonesomeburst. or son,e
'tner town. He drives over several
niles OF rough road and converses with
ne presiding genius of the whip and
ems often halfwitted negro. and
rom this supreme fountain head of ALI
knowledge, he learns just how Lone
stands on all of the great
distract questions of the day. L
ferchance he rolls into Crossroads |
'uhcuon about a. m. and until the
'tores open twits away in the office of
ne leading hostelry with that curions s
night clerk, bell how and c
ireman. From this intellectual luminary
lie gathers for certainty all of the /
en'inhents or the people of the Junction | 9
past, present and to come. II
That day at noon he catches the E
'kyrocket Express and goes over terri r
DRY at the rate of so miles an hour. He h
ais into conversation with some man h
rom somewhere, whose residence oc- q
upatlon and condition he does not know =
Vho points out the sights and tells him n
mat the people are doing and what is RI
oming about. The travelling salesman NJ
then in position to state deliberately
nd exactly what the people in nv
'rritory are going to do"
Many a time. no doubt, the senti- az
ents, impulses and feelings of the q
eat shipbuilding city of Newport News T.
we been gathered by hustling knight nj
the grip from small hotel lobby or
CUP or few uninterested buvers ca
lie salesman is most desirable citizen
{ as a prognosticator he is not the OF
acle he is cracked up to be. ma
. NH " 1yINlnN 49,