The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-05-03
Seeing America First


Iu uIdcu times the train butcher
u.--rI down the aisle shouting his
WNrr- papers. magazine. or fruits
100 % -lus,oug voice. and that let him
uur Ne did not care for what he had
Co. say or had 10 sell only n scant
amount ot harm vas done.
Almost anybody could be n train
butcher In the guoi. old fashioned
way But uow-in the wrst-Or 1T
any rate In those parts NJ the west
whore the scenery abound, the train
butcher must be not only q salesman
but "a lecturer, a cross between Il book
ngent and Lyman II. Howe. lie gives
a travel talk on the scenery and then
undertakes 10 sell Il book Of views
confirming all that he has said. He
slides into the seat beside the guileless
passenger and takes the passengers
attention from the scenery to look nc
Il souvenir PAGER weight He will tall
cOnfidentially for ten minutes about
the merits y a pair Of penny post
cards-for which he asks a dime
Throughout the west practically
everything that one can think Of IL
now offered for sale on trains-Nava.
10 blankets, Indian jewelry, staple and
fancy groceries, and all manner Of
articles for which one cares little or
nothing.
In the course OF a days Journey
through a mountainous region. we
came to a patch OF snow. Simulta
neously with Our coming upon the
snow entered a train salesman with
about eight dozen pairs OF low grade
amber spectacles over his arm. He
explained that from then on we would
be In snow almost continuously, and
that to save the ~passengers' eyeslght
the railroad company had thought
fully provided cOlOred glasses at the
absurdly low price OF so cents each.
When no one offered to buy the
started his lecture all over again with
qualifications and variations, quoting
various learned medical authorities
on the deplOrable number VI persons
whose eyesight had been wrecked aud
whose lives had been made one con
tlnuOus-performance headache simply
because they persisted In staring out
into the sunlight reflected by the
great white mantle OF snow.
BY the time he had finished his dis.
cussion the train had pulled out Of tho
little patch Of snow.
And we saw little more snow that
day,
| noticed one passenger buying a
number OF rather expensive souvenir
booklets. showing wild, mountain
sCenes.
These will be = great help when |
get home and start telling lies" he
said, thumbing his purchases tendel~
"lll show these pictures 10 my
friends and tell them | went all over
this country on a mule"
The charming feature OF the aver.
age train salesman is his optimism. |
rarely saw n Of them sell any sOuve,
Mrs. Yet all talked as II with u con.
ndence NJ being on the verge OF clos
lng out the entire stock. After work
ing at his trade for a few years, one
N these train boys would make an
ideal fisherman In the Adlrondacks.
where the fish are scarce. He could
sit all day without getting a nibble
and yet be- certain every moment that
he would get II big strike the follow
ing moment
Moccasins are offered FOR sale IN
great assortment all through the west
/ presume somebody must buy mecca.
sins. but who wears them after they
are bought And why? Do YOU.
Yourself, foolish reader. know any.
body who ever actually wore a pair Of
souvenir moccasins1
The literary hero " the traif
butchers throughout California IL
Harold Bell Wright, who lives IN Cali
tornla. ! must have asked fifteen ar
ferent boys whom they regarded a,
the greatest living writer WithOu
exception they told me Harold Bel
, Wright, and all seemed surprised tina
! l oun u necessary 10 ask such I
! question. ! flew 20 the defense O
! Bertha NJ Clay, and n or two o
the statesmen admitted that she hai
! u wonderful style, hut that was a
far As they would go They save,
their superlatiyes for Herold Rel
Wright As m lad expressed II
y You can't really know llteratur,
Z until you have sold II on trains Thel
, YOU see what the people really want
| reckon Harold Bell Wright IN th,
most popular author since william