The Falls City tribune., 1910-08-12
lat did Mrs. smllh gef for

Aiidl alu MfE- smith ger Tor Uef
nollar2 She got a good heart to heart
talk from The peddler with a little
ablarneye thrown In. chat was worth
something). and she got a bottle of
somc kind of stuff that she knew
nothing about except what the label
told her and what the peddler had
repeated to her from his printed lin
|sttuctlon book" which he had learn
ed by heart. Now what was in that
botae? How much of that thirty-fiye
cents went into the bottle? If there
vas than ten or fifteen cents
went into hat bottle then this patent
medicine mar is the philanthropist of
his class. SO Mrs. Smith got some
talk, a little "blarney', some print
ed testimonials and directions and
fifteen cents worth of-nobody knows
what. And she is going to swallow
il for what ails her. She has to now,
her money out of it. After she
bought 1t she vas sorry; she always
is. But she is brave. No white
feather for her. There is a dollar
In that bottle, so she studies the
printed matter. That settles 1t. She
has got a dollars worth all right.
The testimonials say so. SO she
swallows Il bottle of stuff that cost
ten or fifteen cents that she knows
nothing about, recommended by a
peddler who doesn't know medi-
cine from mythology, put up by a
man who hasn't even a patent medi-
cine reputation, and put up for -
sale. But of course the peddler
carries other things in his wagon be-
sides medicines. He has flayoring eX.
tracts. baking powder, a few things
in the grocery line and various odds
and ends, but medicines are his
long suit. He has medicine fol-
everything from corns to consump
ton and veterinary medicines put uI
by the justly celebrated and renown
ed Doctor Anyoldthingtogetthe
money.
Does the pure food and drug in
spector eve get a chance to see any
of this truck that is peddled arouno
the country? Never. 1t all bears
the usual guaranteed under the pure
food law, etc." but that doesn't meat
anything but that the manufacturer
has promised to "be good
| do not suppose that there is
ten per cent of the stuff the ped
dlers sells that is up to the stand
ard. and as for his drugs and medi
cines that fifteer
cent-for-a-dollar marvel will not Kill
you, Mrs. Smith; the manufacturer is
too shrewd to risk that, you are safe;
} he wants to sell you another bunch.
but if you really want to get benefit
out of that bottle throw it on the
ash heap, II will do you more good
there than in your stomach, and
you can credit yourself with a dollars
worth of experience.
Now isn't the local dealer entitled
to this business? OF course this dol
lar purchase amounts to nothing, but
in the aggregate the amount is quite
large. Mrs. Smith needs the local
dealer. She can't buy all her wants
of peddlers. She must buy most of
her supplies of the local dealers. The
local merchant admits his obligation
to Mrs. Smith. He knows that it is
up to him to keep a good stock for
her selection; to give her good hon
est goods at fair prices; to make his
store attractive, n to stand ready
to make good to her If anything goes
wrong, Is the obligation all one
sided? If everybody bought of ped
dlers where would the merchant be?
Mrs. Smith needs the local
dealer and he needs her patron
age and if he is under obligations to
do the best he can for her, she is
also under obligation to give him
ALL her trade so that he may
thrive and grow and make a better
store for her accommodation. She loses
NOTHING by it. She gains by it.
Every time she helps him she helps
herself and the community. There
can only be good stores where the
community sustains them, and the
better the patronage the bigger and
better the stores.