The sun., 1916-09-17
@IFTH AVENUE Is certainly some

important thoroughfare from
the Flatiron Building up to
where 1t spills itself into Central Park.
Ofhand. / don't know OF any other
place In the world where so many
needless things are disposed OF. for
anywhere near as many dollars. as
along this stretch of asphalt. And as
q moneymaker 4 is a wonder.
You probably know Fifth avenues
physical makeup as well as l do and
very likely you are as familiar with it's
hotels. clubs and the shops that run
over its sides into the cross streets
but what do you know about the in
tangible something there Is in the air
that gets into ones veins and spells
0-p-e-n-d? Whatever II is. Il is there.
Ono wise old merchant. and n Jap
1t that. blandly explained II was Fifth
avenues plethor!c wealth OF rare
things, unseen elsewhere. that caused
this spending fever TO spread itself
over the visitors. Just as the poppy Of
the East weaves its spell Of dream
splendor over lis victims. Perhaps he
WSo tAoiiks itth sN ht was 'iti
me a little Or.enta! Josh. p~oet.cally
put: but. be that as K may, II Is true
beyond cavil that Fifth avenue knows
how to land the out OF towner and
hypnotic him with its gossamer wei
Of brilliant Lucul.us-like ban
quets and it's far famed shopping
Mecca. Likewise and also II kT-ws
each and every graceful move In the
gentle art OF separating him from his
money.
Twice n t~welvemonth, round about
now, and again in the spring. the
Fifth e fever makes itself felt
throughout the length ard breadth Of
the land; and from what | have heard
and seen there Is oaly one sure cure
Tor those who can afford 1t and that ~
The Visit. Just as u regular fciow
with a system needing repairs finds
some OF the joys Of life in "A health
trip to the hot springs, so do many
citizens find Il fascinating TO toy with
tho temptations Of the avenue and,
in passing. It Is worthy of note that
the female o. the species IL more
deadly In earnest than is the male.
These visitors come s!nGly, IN
couples and groups via the Pennsyl-
vania and Grand Central terminals. to
do the avenue and be done by the
avenue-nnd in a wonderfully large
percentage OF cases things work out
exactly as scheduled.
OF course in tie delicate operation of
%garnering golden shekcls unto Itself
Fifth venue works with Skill. Its adj
mirably trained folks simply and
smoothly h%ypnot!ze the strangers
within the gates into a belief that
things they want when they see them.
and don't wan when they get them,
are indeed well worth the dollars
psGsed for Their possession.
recall to mind a case, less than a
week old. that illustrates the point. y
square jawed person with a cereal
plant not a great ways from Akron,
Ohio, peeled s25 from his roll for a
gold tipped swagger stick Of snake
wood hat neither Main street nor his
fellow church wardens could possibly
sanction. What he wanted, or could
DO, with a military mans make believe
cane that reached only 10 his knees
passeth Understandings: and while |
don't know the psychological why oe it.
set I am willing to gamble he will
smuggle his purchase home and then
fire II away on the first black. rainy
night that m handy,
Another case IL that Of another
stranger who landed in the middle Of
an unexpected purchase that set hin
back considerably and left him won,
dering why on earth he had bought
what he had paid for. This person
Was n big nan from somewhere West