Evening star., 1924-08-29
THIS AND THAT
BY C. T.. TRACEWELI..

but even he would have had to invoke
the Muses.. Since the nine are dis
tinctly out OF Care now Except as
base ball players). nothing is left but
to depend upon one's unaided OBJ
servations.
drab way OF many business thorough
fares. which are not so much notable
Tor their blues and greens. their reds
and yellows. as for their more delicate
mauves and brown, with all the in
termediate shades
So has time painted D street, leav-
ing a sort Of dust color over its
stores that harmonizes with the tint
OF the paving, until sidewalk and
house fronts seem very much akin.
This Is the tone worn on by passing
years. 1t is the color of old things.
where yet the slogan Of paint has not
made it's way
behind this hue of age, however.
rests no atmosphere Of stagnation, or
lack or pep" to use word con-
trasting strangely with these scenes.
In the background is the hum Of
business. good business, thank you
Whatever political parties come and
go, however nations may fan and rise,
~ street goes its accustomed way.
BUSINESS as usual must have
originated here.
4 +
- street Is divided into two dis
tinct areas, that extending from the
Elllpse east to the Post Office De-
partment Plaza. ending at the station
o1 The electric railway that runs to
Alexandria and Mount Vernon, and
that running thence on eastward to
the courthouse.
lhe former is not of the real D
street 1t has no particular flavor
such AS the latter half Of the street
possesses, but is one of a piece and
parcel with scores of downtown WAYS
Getting into at Tenth etreet
brings the pedestrian Immediately
into the heart of the second hand
store district. Here are ''old stands"
galore, famous among the homes of
Washington.
Far Northwest, in aristocratic
homes where everything is distinctly
'hrst-hand." the minions of the D
street merchants are wont to come
to bear away used articles for sale
to lesser lights OF this city.
here they are today on D street,
standing on the sidewalk. where Gus
toners may see and feel them a they
pass. No necessity here, indeed. for
walking through plate-eIass doors a,
passing down stately aisles under the
eyes OF naughty clerks. Here is pre-
served the common touch.
is there not something to be said
Tor the d street method of doing bust
ness?
l know fancy stores farther I'D.
town into which persons with plenty
OF money in their pockets actually
are afraid TO enter on account of the
somewhat hostile atmosphere which
greets them at the door.
Jean jacques Rousseau. in his snanny
autooiosraphy tells Of standing many
hours gazing into a store he was
mortalIy afraid to enter. This store
timidity' is something I never have
seen mentioned in any book on sales
manship or in any of the business
magazines.
ret IT exists in many persons, de-
spite their best efforts to overcome
t-men as we'll as women and chill
dren. Just why they shrink from
| able to explain. A real psyche
| analyst might be able to do it,
FROM the merchants standpoint,
however, the explanation has no
bearing on the case. What he should
want is recognition that many such
persons exist. undoubtedly great
many more than he would suspect.
Then should come the methods to be
| used in overcoming this phase OF
buyers fright
Too elaborate entrances tend to
scare some away. When they do
| enter and find themselves confronted
by high and-mighty sales people eye
| ing them from all points. their de-
moralization is complete. One of
shington's largest department
stores seems to have solved this
problem by A modest entrance and
clerks that attend strictly to busi-
ness.
d street stores run to clothing and
musical instruments. No one could
tell where yonder brown suit came
from, as it adorns the dummy just
upon a financier or a broker or some
other luminary of funds.
A cleaning and pressing put it into
| shape for another trial at life. Dare
| so much as to cast a glance at it
| and the alert proprietor, a tall man
! with a sturdy neck, will hail you.
Running the gantlet of D street
| was a time when to so much as
| glance to left or right was to be
grabbed by the proprietor of the
| shop at hand.
They no longer do that on D
| street.
| Finicky new ways are being intro
| duced, but as yet the impressions are
not overstrong. Here they do busi-
ness in the way it was done CEN
the merchantmen of strange, great
cities far across the seas On D
street one gets slimpses into the past
of a great race. Once the fore
| fathers of these sturdy men were
herded into sections of cities. They
were forced, in some cities, to wear
| yellow robes.
One of them was named Rothschild.
He was the banker for the petty king
Of a German principality, and so great
| was the kings trust in him that when
he was forced to fee he gave all
his money to Rothschild.
Rothschild called in the men OF his
race, and to each gave a certain sum
of money. Meet me in London" he
said as he distributed the fortune.
Months later the bearded men came
trickling into London, there to meet
| Rothschild and each man turned over
a full money belt. 1t was this same
| Rothschild who made one of the
greatest plays in financial history.
! He stationed himself on the edge OF
the battle of Waterloo and watched
! the fortunes of that great conflict.
| When he saw that Napoleon had lost
| he passed the word on to man he
had stationed with him.
| This rider took the word on to
| another, and SO it passed across Bel
| gium to the sea, and over the channel
| to London, where the agents OF
| Rothschild were waiting. When the
word arrived they bought all the Eng
i lish notes available and had cor
ner' long before the government
itself knew that Wellington was the