Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-29
NO MORE "DRUMllERS'
Displaced aud Irnpfoved Upon By the
Travelling Salesman.

The action Of the executive commit
tee of the White Mountain Travel
ers" association in canceling the an
nual banquet for this year and asking
the members of the organization to
send their respective dollars to the
Red Cross fund, through their Secre-
tary-Treasurer, Frank Greasy OF Con-
cord, calls attention not only to the
prevailing American spirit Of sacrifice
in a national crisis, but also to the i've
wires and good fellows who compose
this and other bodies, Of travelling
statesmen.
Drummer they used invariably
to be cAlled-but. that was before they
arrived at the degree OF business dig
nifty which nov characterizes them.
In those days could spot a drum
mer az far a. M could see him. He
blew into town with the air Of one
and usually he wa, in a way. He
brought with him the latest and
choicest stock Of commercial samples
and subterranean stories, and he
made his bid for orders for the for
mel by regaling the merchant and his
Icronies with the latter. He carried
good cigars, Which he distributed with
"a lavish hand. Sometimes he bent his
elbow in the company Of other con-
vivial fellows, and drank toasts which
he would not have liked his wife and
daughters to hear. He wore sporty
clothes. and feminine charmers were
as susceptible to him as he was to
them-which was some susceptible.
He knew everybody, from Fifth ave-
nue. to wayback -Four Corners. On the
trains he was apt TO talk rather loud
ly-when he was not exchanging
wireless messages with ONE demure
but more or less sophisticated fellow
passenger Of the opposite sex.
But, as kipling says, that's all flung
behind him, long ago and far away.
Today. as you observe the trains and
the streets and the busy inarts of
trade, you can't tell a drummer from
a lawyer, a schoolmaster, a newspa-
per man or a minister He comes In
to town like q maj with a single, seri-
ous purpose in mind, and that to sell
goods. He sells them, and il on his
way to the next town for the same
serious purpose. II he has in his pos
session a line Of incorporated and un-
censored anecdotes, he 10 % busy that
he never-oh. we'll, hardly ever-re-
lates them. He still carries good
cigars, and il Is liberal Is ever in
tributes them tudiciously and withou,
ostentation. He 10 comparatively. Z
stranger to the aproned individual be.
hind the glaB-laden bar. His clothe.
are quiet-even noiseless-but good
Not all. the charms Of Cleopatra
Helen Of Troy, and the Queen 81
sheba. combined, car divert his at.
tention from his business when he 4
away from home. and he has only on,
home and only N wife, to which ant
to whom he is devoted. The days o
Sunday poker r long past; thu
drummer may have known them, but
the travelling salesman does not IN,
chances are, at least. even that he be
longs to the Gideons, and that he &C
tually reads the Bible which that bant
of worthy travelling statesmen hal
placed in his room at the hotel; AM
on Sunday he EoeG to church or re-
mains quietly at home, reading abou
baseball and the war.
In his line. az in every other, mod
ern competition has tended to wee
out the frivolous and the unreliable
Generally speaking. only those VIII
are In earnest. and whose minds n
on their business, remain. He an
his comrades : az big-hearteA, q