ee . S A v =] J » OPW) Ow KANG ) ym ~ See Poy) OS) &S NESS ae P\e) 5 7 Em A ay, r\ Ne \ ) D = ci Ve Aa va GRAND RAPIDS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1902. Number 956 tn en 5 Credit Cadvuies Collectors, og hia and Commercial _ 2 _ Do You Want to Sell Your real estate or business for CASH? If so, write to Warner, Benton Harbor, Mich., specialist in quick deals. Give description and price and you will re- ceive full information by return mail. 959 =~ en ” pores eee eo aR e2 4 Sa nS epee a Rass sah elartet Pee igs ae? ee ee pa a eae MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 3 SKIPPED TOWN. Experience of a Michigan Man in Mass- achusetts. From the Springfield Republican. Eighty-five unfortunate ‘‘artists’’ were thrown out into a cold December world yesterday afternoon by the last expiring quiver of the grand, titanic foodless food fair at City Hall. The inventory includes one female, seventeen Arabs, one professor and trained horse, and a miscellanous assortment of vaudeville performers, foreign and domestic; and the streets of the town in the late after- noun sounded like the thoroughfares of the city of Babel after work had been knocked off on the now justly celebrated tower. On every. street corner, it seemed, stood some melancholy Arab, backed up against the heartless breeze, which was twitching eagerly at his red gauze bloomers. This has been a hard week for Arabs, indeed. Ever since they first appeared on Monday morning riding into an arctic gale on halfa dozen little buzzy livery horses, which the management kindly provided, with their Sahara shawls wreathed about their forms and held up against their cheerless noses, everything has gone wrong with them and the foodless fair. The price of 25 cents proved too much for admission to look at the outside of the tents in the hall; the one solitary exhibitor of food withdrew from the motley assembly, the Egyptian dancers proved too Egyptian for the blood of the city government; the sheriffs came upstairs in platoons, and the end came finally yesterday noon. The question arises in many throb- bing hearts to-day, who is Robert F. Walter? He has stated that he is a property holder,owning the house at 134 Princeton street in this city. Heisa dark complexioned man of about 30, of smooth and finished address, weighs about 140 pounds, is five feet six inches high, and has a beardless face. It is not known just where he is at present, although there are a number of hearty enquiries. He announced through a corps of typewriters to various vaude- ville attractions that he desired to open a gigantic food fair in this city. He chose from the applicants the Talma woman’s band of Providence, an organ- ization of some twenty-five people, which must have cost him $400 a week ; ‘*Prof.’’ Walberti and his trained horse, $150 a week ; the Monte Myro pantomime quartet, $125 a week. The total was thus something like $675 a week. In addi- tion, he made_ arrangements with a small army of special attractions for booths, who were to have a_ percentage of the receipts. The army went into camp on Monday. They were rather lonely on that day and the’ next. Each evening Mr. Walter soothed them. On Wednesday two attachments were made. They were settled, anda general attach- ment was then put on in behalf of a woman named Van Deusen, who was introduced as a sister-in-law of Walter. The performers stayed along, being ad- vised by their lawyers that it would be necessary if they wished to hold a claim under their contract. In the meantime other local creditors appeared. There were several hundred dollars’ worth of local claims: A_ big electric light bill for a gorgeous sign, a bill of $70 to G. A. Murray for decoration, some $100 for labor, and a number of other small items. There was little room for at- tachments for these, however, although deputy sheriffs appeared in hordes. The receipts naturally went to the Van Deusen claim, which, it is stated, was ‘for money owed.’’ Yesterday the crash came. The band went out in silence, the Arabs were occupied in tent-folding and stealing away, and the air was full of harrowing and in some cases revolt- ing threats. Mr. Walter, however, was not there to hear them. Last night City Hall looked like the field of Gettysburg after the third day, with the city mes- senger and a crowd of deputy sheriffs gazing wistfully over the ruins. The city helped many of the performers out of town. But, so far as known, no help was given Mr. Walter for this purpose. The trials and tribulations of the fair came to a close when the fair was stopped by order of the Mayor, because of the failure of the management to pay the amount demanded in advance by the city for the rent of the hall for the bal- ance of the week. Marshal Stebbins was instructed by the Mayor that if at 1 in the afternnoon the amount had not been deposited in the City Treasurer’s office he was to close the fair. In spite of the confident air of the manager that the money would be forthcoming, it was not deposited with the City Treasurer by the appointed hour and City Marshal Stebbins and City Messenger Burns made an official visit to the fair. The manager was not to be found, but the marshal left no vagueness in the minds of the fair people as to the city’s posi- tion in the matter when he left. Officer O’Connell was later stationed at the door and the fair was closed to the pub- lic. A number of the vaudeville peo- ple at first discussed the advisability of paying the necessary amount and carry- ing on the fair for the rest of the week, but this plan was abandoned and they started early in the afternoon packing up their goods. Almost from the first the fair has had a large attendance of deputy sheriffs and there have been keepers in the box office continuously since the second day. The Talma_ band, the vaudeville troupe and the Monte Myro troupe were stranded as a result of the sudden clos- ing of the fair, and there was weeping and angry talking for some time in the afternoon. Finally one of the vaude- ville section had a happy thought and made her way to the office of the over- seer of the poor, where Agent White was besieged. After making the young woman turn her pockets wrong side out and take affidavit that she was penniless in the cold corridors of Springfield’s City Hall he decided to pay her way to New York City. Soon the good news spread and before 6 in the evening Mr. White had arranged to send twenty-one of the performers in the fair to the metropolis. This expense, together with the expressage on baggage, will cost the city about $50 or $55. There were lively times when the members of the band found that they could get away on the 6.34 train, but one girl hesitated because she feared she would not be able to pack her trunk. It later devel- oped that she had only a satchel, but was fearful that she might not be able to get that out of the boarding house. It was finally arranged to send the party on a later train. The people who had been stopping at the Raymond hotel were given a free supper. While the defunct **troupers’’ were sailing over the coun- try toward New York there were many keepers of boarding houses wondering how much profit the food fair had brought them. —s—>_—__ Hard Blow for New York’s Pure Food Law. The vital clause of New York’s pure food law was last week declared uncon- stitutional. Some time ago the Agricul- tural Department of the State lost its suit in a case it brought against John S. Biesecker for the advertising of certain preservatives for milk, etc. The State appealed. The Court of Appeals handed down its decision last week. The ‘‘ peo- ple’’ again lost. The court holds that the section of the New York State pure food law which makes it unlawful to ad- vertise or sell a preservative of butter or any other dairy product is unconstitu- tional. The court also declares as un- constitutional any State law which pro- hibits the sale of a healthful food sub- stance or any substance which contains no ingredient deleterious to the human health. > 0. Had Lived in Chicago. ‘‘Are you married or unmarried?’’ asked the theatrical manager of an ap- plicant for engagement. ‘*Unmarried,’’ replied she. been unmarried four times.’’ —___~»> 4. ___ When a man meets his wife down town, he wonders how much it will cost him. ‘I’ve AES SAS “a co ccs PSRSSSAaeSess AS} Sts a, PACS i B IDEAL CARRIAGE RUNNER Made in three sizes suitable for Buggies, Surreys, Hearses, Hacks, etc. We also have in stock for QuIcK sHIpMENT a few sets of farm bob sleds. : SES SS Sea AS EASA EASES Sons II NI I ements Jansing Michigan. SAAS SS be) SEF EREAISARASA aA ODISAKSE 2 ea CLO LMP ORR eine MC eo a 4 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Around the State Movements of Merchants. South Haven—The Harley Drug Co. has opened a new drug store. Freeport—S. R. Hunt has sold his hardware stock to David Ferguson. Sand Creek—C. M. Stockwell has sold his general stock to Lewis M. Smith. Hardgrove—Mrs. E. Kent has sold her grocery stock to W. T. Kirkby & Co. Kalamazoo—Nathan J. White suc- ceeds Jacob Donker in the meat busi- ness. Chesaning—J. E. Knapp, of Shep- herd, has opened a meat market at this place. Imlay City—John M. Killen has pur- chased the grocery stock of Thos. B. Keyworth. Ann Arbor—George P. Wilder has sold his drug stock to Vernor Cushing, of Belding. Ithaca—Kille & Dodge continue the agricultural implement business of Kille & Hoffman. Detroit—Myer, Davis & Co. succeed John C. Bleil in the dry goods and no- tion business. Rescue—Geo. W. Hopkins has pur- chased the general merchandise stock of Matthew Smith. Port Huron—The Endlich-Arnot Bak- ing Co, succeeds John Endlich in the bakery business. Chapin—McCarty & Hoover, general dealers, have dissolved partnership, Jerome Hoover succeeding. Linden—Fred F. Middlesworth will be succeeded April 1 by Mablin Winget in the produce and grain business. “Inkster—Curtis Brace has engaged in general trade, having purchased the merchandise stock of C. F. Bennett. Jasper—J. E. DeLano & Son is the style of the new firm which succeeds Hayward & DeLano in general trade. Covert—Spivey & Rumsey have pur- chased the grocery and feed stock and meat market of O. W. Morgan & Son. Benzonia—E. C. Coates and Mr. De- Can have purchased the Benzonia meat market, Mr. Coates taking the manage- ment. Pentwater—The J. E. Gamble Co. is the style of the new firm organized to succeed the Fincher-Gamble Co. in general trade. Howard City—J. W. Lovely has sold his hardware stock to J. G. Buck, who has been a resident of Iowa for the past fourteen years. Bay City—Geo. H. Potter has pur- chased the interest of his partner in the hardware and paint business of McKerr- ' eghan & Potter. Chase—C. J. Bachant continues the hardware and grocery business formerly conducted under the style of C. J. Bachant & Son. Big Rapids—Lewis Bailie has pur- chased the meat market of Albert W. Meyers at the corner of Maple street and Warren avenue. Port Huron—The Fraser Clothing Co. has dissolved partnership. The busi- ness will be continued by Donald A. Fraser in his own name. Howard City—Henry Kinnee has sold his harness and carriage stock to W. F. Nagler, druggist. Mr. Nagler will con- tinue business at both locations. Caro—J. R. Herman will shortly open a store for the exclusive sale of china and glassware in the building now oc- cupied by J. J. Franklin as a harness shop as .soon as same can be fitted up for that purpose. Mr. Franklin has leased the new Ellis: store, Dowagiac—Hamblin & Moulthrop have sold their grocery stock to John A. Jones, of South Dakota, who will con- tinue the business at the same location. Battle Creek—W. H. Hamilton will close out his grocery stock and will de- vote his entire attention hereafter to the management of the Real Food (Per-Fo) Co. Judd's Corners—Alfonso Reed is erecting a store building 30x80 feet in dimensions, two stories high, which he will occupy with his general merchan- dise stock. Lansing—S. B. Keyes has resigned his position with A. M. Donsereaux and will leave in a few days for Flint, where he will open a men’s furnishing goods store. Coldwater—Gorman & Yapp, grocers, have sold out to J. D. Vanorthwick, of Butler, and H. E. Blackmar, of Litch- field. Mr. Gorman has been appointed postmaster. Stanton—Thos. Evans, who has con- ducted a meat market here for many years, will engage in the same line of business at Ionia, having purchased the Albert P. Crell market. Escanaba—Matthew Fillion has pur- chased the interest of S. B. Rathfon in the shoe firm of Rathfon & Young. The business will be continued under the style of Young & Fillion Cadillac—Andrew L. Virene & Co. will shortly open a grocery store at 516 North Mitchell street. Mr. Virene was until recently in the employ of E. Gust Johnson, the grocer. Dowagiac—The stock of merchandise belonging to Tobias Bros., conducted under the style of the Fair, was bid in by Strong, Lee & Co., of Detroit, at $6,700. The stock inventoried $11, 470.24. Vicksburg—Charles Z. Robinson and Robert S. Raby have purchased an _ in- terest in the department store business of J. A. Richardson. The new firm will be known as Richardson, Robinson & Raby. Muskegon—The meat firm of Timmer & Dick, at 140 Pine street, has been dissolved, Alex. A. Dick having pur- chased the interest of his partner. He will continue the business in his own name. Kalamazoo—W. O. and D. T. Jones, sons of the late J. R. Jones, of the dry goods firm of J. R. Jones’ Sons & Co., have purchased the dry goods stock of Joseph Speyer and have removed to that location. Pontiac—C. G. DeShon has _pur- chased the clothing stock of P. A. Hitchcock and will continue the busi- ness at the same location. Mr. DeShon also conducts a clothing store at Oxford and at Detroit. Eaton Rapids—A. M. Smith & Co., of Boston, who commenced buying eggs in a small way in this city several years ago, have purchased the Selby evapora- tor property and will convert it into a cold storage warehouse. Dowagiac—W. H. Thorp has sold his drug stock to Karl H. Nelson, of Cedar Springs, who will continue the business at the same location. The sale was made through the medium of the want column department of the Tradesman. Jackson—Henry H. Neesley has been appointed trustee for the creditors of the wholesale and retail grocery establish- ment of Parker & Fleming. The con- cern has been running behind for a year or two, but Mr. Parker hoped to turn the tide and had worked hard to that end. Mr. Neesley will continue the business for the present and will do all possible to put it on its feet again, West Bay City—Wilbur T. Eldridge, druggist of West Bay City, formerly Vice-Consul of the Michigan L. A. W., died last week as a result of pneumonia. He is survived by a widow and one child. He was 29 years of age, and prominent in Masonic matters. Caro—A. Traver, who was engaged in the furniture and undertaking business at Pinnebog, has removed to this place and will embark in the same line of business, He will shortly begin the erection of a two-story building, 31x50 feet, at the corner of Grant and State streets. Ironwood—Michael Murphy, who for a number of years has been with the dry goods house of Davis & Fehr, will remove to Ely, Minn., and engage in the clothing and men’s furnishing goods business in partnership with P. R. Vail, one of the pioneer merchants of the Vermillion range. Fremont—Charles E. Pearson has pur- chased the grocery stock of L. Vallier. He has leased the store building occu- pied by Mr. Vallier and will conduct a general department store. An addition is being erected at the rear of the build- ing high enough to accommodate two floors, thus giving a floor space 109 feet deep. Kalamazoo—The Sperry Hardware Co, has been incorporated with a cap- ital stock of $20,000. The new concern is the outgrowth of the hardware busi- ness of Geo. Sperry, who is Secretary and General Manager of the new con- cern. The other officers of the new house are Charles D. Fuller, President, and M. C. Sperry, Treasurer. The stock has been removed to 128 West Main street and considerably expanded. Covert—The locally famous case of P. C. Bailey vs. T. A. Lampson and T. D. Randall has been settled to the satisfac- tion of all concerned. The case resulted from the refusal of the town board of Covert to accept Mr. Bailey’s bonds for a drug store. He presented a good bond, but the board refused to accept it and he was compelled to close his store. He thereupon instituted a suit for $10,000 damages against Messrs. Lampson and Randall. Subsequently the town board met at Covert and, after a decidedly warm meeting, accepted the bonds. Manufacturing Matters. Albion—The Manning Harness Co. has been organized with a capital stock of $25,000, Detroit—D. S. Zemon has engaged in the manufacture of skirts and cloaks at 123 Jefferson avenue. Detroit—The capital stock of the Frontier Mineral Paint Co. has been in- creased from $50,000 to $100,000, Ironwood—The Scott & Howe Lum- ber Co. has filed articles of incorpora- tion. The capital stock is $50,000, Lapeer—The Lapeer Handle Co. plant, owned by C. E. Smith, has been purchased by the Pontiac Turning Co. and will be removed to Pontiac, Ann Artbor—The Schneider Closet & Heater Co. has sold out its business of manufacturing water heaters and plumb- ing specialties to the O. K. Brass Works. Standish—James Norn has his sawmill on the Hauptman branch of the M. C. railroad, north of here, nearly finished. He expects to cut 30,000 feet of lumber daily and a total of 6,000,000 feet of logs for the coming season. Fremont—The Fremont Canning Co. bas increased its capital stock from $20,000 to $30,0c0. The increase will be absorbed by a stock dividend of 50 per cent., which was declared last week upon all paid up stock. Birch Creek—Michael Kirk, an ex- perienced creamery operator and cheese manufacturer of Ozaukee county, Wis- consin, will erect a creamery here this winter to cost $6,000. Many farmers have stock in the company. Albion—D. Brundage, E. C. Lester and D. M. Hough have formed a com- pany to be known as the Hough Gaso- line Engine Company, for the manufac- ture of gasoline engines in this city. The company is capitalized at $9,000. _ Detroit—The Imperial Cap Co., cap- italized at $6,500, and doing business at 116 Jefferson avenue, has filed articles of incorporation. James McKnight is President, Edward V. Brigham Treas- urer, and Edmund A. Morris Secretary. Mnuskegon—The directors of the Mus- kegon Milling Co. have elected the fol- lowing officers: President, Leonard Eyke; Vice-President, Newcomb Mc Graft; Secretary, William Vos; Treas- urer, C. H. Hackley; Superintendent, J. L. Hisey. Menominee—The Roper Cedar Lum- ber Co. has filed articles of incorpora- tion and will establish a yard here as soon as the stock can be secured. Offi- cers have not been elected yet, but a meeting will be held and offices opened before Feb. 1. Detroit—Articles of association have been filed by the Detroit Machine & Valve Co. ; capitalized at $10,000, all of which is paid in. The organizers are: Eugene H. Sloman, 998 shares; Arthur P. Born, one share; Wm. A. Griffith, one share, all of Detroit. Detroit—The Dr. Reed Cushion Shoe Co., of Chicago, has filed articles of in- corporation with the Wayne County clerk. The capital stock is $50,000, with $30,000 paid in. The stockholders are James B. Book, 1,333 shares; S. Emory Whiting, 667 shares; S. Robin- son, 1,000 shares; S. Emory Whitney, trustee, 2,000 shares. : Galesburg—The stockholders of the Galesburg Canning Co. held their first annual meeting since its organization less than a year ago, Jan. 14. The financial report was a very agreeable surprise to many and shows a net profit of $700 as the result of the recent brief season. The stock represents an orig- inal investment of $7,000, M. O. BAKER & Asbestos Cement, 20 Pearl Street CO., Toledo, Ohio WANT CHICKENS, EGGS, BUTTER AND CALVES Cover Your Steam Pipes Asbestos Pipe Coverings, Asbestos Paper, Asbestos Mill Board Asbestos Packings, Mineral Wool, Hair Felt. GRAND RAPIDS SUPPLY COMPANY Grand Rapids, Mich. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 5 Grand Rapids Gossip The Produce Market. Apples—Good stock is running from $4.50@6 per bbl. for Spys and Baldwins and $3.75@4 for other varieties. Bananas—Pricés range from $1.25@ 1.75 per bunch, according to size. Beets—$1.25 per bbl. Butter—Factory creamery commands 24c for fancy, 22c for choice and 2oc for storage. Dairy grades are weaker and lower on account. of heavy receipts. Fancy commands 16@18c. Choice fetches 14@16c. Packing stock goes at 12@13¢c. Cabbage—65c per doz. Carrots—$1.25 per bbl. Celery—18c per doz. Cranberries—Jerseys command $7.75@ 8 per bbl. ; Waltons, $3@3.10 per crate for fancy. Dates—4%4@5c per lb. Eggs—The price has gone glimmering on account of scarcity of fresh stock. Local dealers meet with no difficulty in obtaining 19@22c for case count fresh and 21@25c for candled fresh. Cold storage stock finds an outlet on the basis of about 2oc. Figs—Three crown Turkey command I1c and 5 crown fetch 14c. Game—Dealers pay goc@s$1 for rab- bits. Grapes—$5@5.50 per keg for Malagas. Honey—White stock is in ample sup- ply at 13@14c. Amber is in active de- mand at 12@13c, and dark is in moder- ate demand at 10@IIc. Lemons—Californias, $3.25@3.35 for either size. Lettuce—15c per lb. for hothouse. Maple Syrup—$1 per gal. for fancy. Onions—The market is active and strong at $1.10@1.25 per bu. Oranges—California navels fetch $3 per box for fancy and $2.75 for choice. Potatoes—The market is still dull and sluggish, on account of the glutted con- dition at many of the principal distrib- uting and consuming markets. Poultry—The market is still strong and good stock is scarce. Dressed hens fetch 8@gc, chickens command Io@IIc, turkey hens fetch 12@13c, gobblers command 10@1lIc, ducks. fetch 1o@1Ic and geese 8@gc._ Live pigeons are in moderate demand at 50@6oc and squabs at $1.20@z2. Parsley—3o0c per doz. Sweet Potatoes—Kiln dried Jerseys have advanced to $5. ——__> +> —__—_ The Grain Market. Wheat has been dull during the fast week. Prices have slumped about 3c on winter and spring wheat. The cause for the depression is the problem no one can solve, as the visible made a fair decrease of 852,000 bushels. The Gov- ernment crop report claims that the last harvest for spring and winter wheat was 675,000,000 bushels. Our exports have been enormous and a vast amount has been used in feeding animals. Besides, the stocks on the continent are growing smaller and it is nearly six months be- fore the new crop will be available. The growing crop is not in the best condi- tion, as the report makes it ten points less than last year. The drouth in the Southwest has its effect, besides the plant is not protected with snow, as it should be; but the bears appear to be able to depress the {market by putting out large lines, and the longs who took profits also helped to depress prices, but as the market seems about even, prices will be maintained for the present un- less unforeseen complications come to hand. While our prices are some lower, the foreigners are holding off buying, thinking they can buy at a lower figure. They may be mistaken, however. Corn shared in the depression, but not in as great a degree as wheat, and is 2c per bushel lower than last week. The visible showed a small decrease of 59,000 bushels, which did not help Scarce. the price. The visible is a trifle more than last year. Taking conditions into consideration, it looks as if corn was cheap. Oats alone held their price. There was no change. There were not many offered and what were, were taken up quick. Rye also had a slump, with a shrink- age of 3c per bushel. Buyers were not anxious to take hold, so prices sagged. Beans shared in the general depres- sion in the cereal market and more so, as they dropped about ISc per bushel. They are still high and a further drop may be expected, as consumption has been curtailed on account of the high price. Flour remains firm. While the spec- ulative market in wheat has been de- pressed, the millers are compelled to pay higher prices for cash wheat, as farmers are not willing to sell at going prices, but are holding back. There seems no change in flour price. Mill feed is firm at $23 for bran and $24 for middlings. Receipts of grain and other commod- ities for the year Igo1, as per the Board of Trade statistics, were as follows: wheat, 2,839 cars; oats, 339 cars; flour, 220 cars; bran, 3 cars; straw, 36 cars; corn, 447 cars; rye, 27 cars; beans, 93 cars; hay, 116 cars; potatoes, 573 cars. Receipts for the week were as fol- lows: wheat, 69 cars; oats,2 cars; beans, 3 cars; hay, 3 cars; corn, 3 cars; flour, 8 cars; malt, I car; potatoes, 6 cars, Millers are paying 87c for wheat. C. G. A. Voigt. ———_—__>4.__ Merged Into a Stock Company. Thomas E. Wykes has merged his grain, coal and lime business into a corporation under the style of the Wykes-Schroeder Co. The company has a paid-in capital stock of $12,000, di- vided among five stockholders in the following amounts: Whomas FE) Wykes. 20000000... 2. $6, 450 Geo, C. Schroeder............... 5,350 @Clande PF. Wykes..0.:........... 100 Altce Ey Wykes. 000... 50 Evelyn Noble Schreoder......... 50 The officers of the corporation are as follows: President—Thomas E. Wykes.. Secretary—George C. Schroeder. Treasurer—Claude P. Wykes. oO Saginaw—The National Manufactur- ing & Supply Co., capital stock $25,000, jobbers and manufacturers of machinery and machinists’ tools, and general agents for mill and railroad supplies, etc., has been organized here. J. D. Swarthout, of this city, is President and Treasurer; H. L. Ansted, of Cincin- nati, Vice-President and General Man- ager, and J. J. Brewer, of Remus, Sec- |. retary. The factory is the only one of its kind in this city. >_> -—_—_ Charles McCreery has engaged in the grocery business at Dighton. The Ball- Barnhart-Putman Co. furnished the stock. > 22> Geo. Elkins has engaged in the gro- cery business at Remus. The stock was furnished by the Musselman Grocer Co, —__>-2 > —____ The VanKeulen & Wilkinson Lumber Co. succeeds N. J. G. VanKeulen in the lumber and shingle business. —__> > The style of the Sanitary Supply Co. has been changed to the Ferguson-Mar- cellus Co, —_—__—~» 0 .>___—_ The Michigan Elm Hoop Co. has in- creased its capital stock from $20,000 to $30, 000, For Gillies’ N. Y. tea,all kinds, grades and prices, call Visner, both phones. NO FOOD FAIR. Why the Promoter Suddenly Abandoned the Project. About two weeks ago a young man came to Grand Rapids and announced that he intended to conduct a Food Fair at the Auditorium the last week in Jan- uary. He gave his name as Robert F. Walters and said he was born and reared at Flint, where his parents still resided, his father being a wealthy tobacconist. He claimed to have a partner in the person of Geo, R. Murray, of Buffalo, and asserted that he resided in Spring- field, Mass., where he managed a very successful food show the fourth week in December. He engaged rooms for him- self and wife at 95 Barclay street, where he engaged the services of several dozen people to assist him in the work of con- ducting the show. He incurred engrav- ing and printing bills, rented a type- writer and entered upon the work of preparation with great gusto. In the meantime he called at the office of the Tradesman and solicited the assistance of the paper and its editor, which were assured him in case the investigation then under way proved him to be worthy of confidence. In the meantime letters had been dispatched to the newspapers at Springfield, and a day or two later replies were received as follows: Good Housekeeping: We know noth- ing about the responsibility of the man concerning whom you enquire in your note of Jan. 7. All we know is that the recent food fair in this city was a fail- ure and that the city had to pay the fares of some of the performers in order to get them out of town. The Republi- can and Union both said that the thing was utterly mismanaged, if not dishon- estly. Homestead: Damned rascal. everybody, even us. Union: Mr. Walters started a food fair here a short time ago, but left town suddenly without paying his bills. The only safe way to do business with him is to get your money in advance. Republican: Referring to your favor of recent date, Robert F. Walters at- tempted to conduct a food show in this city last month and made a disastrous failure, as you will see by the en- closed clipping from our issue of De- cember 21. The article referred to is reproduced on page 3 of this week’s issue. On receipt of this information the Tradesman requested Walters to call at the office and, when he put in an ap- pearance, the following conversation occurred between the editor and his caller: ‘*I have asked you to call at the office in order to inform you that you will not hold a food show in this city.’’ ‘*You don’t mean to say you will pre- vent the show being held?’’ ‘*T mean exactly that.’’ ‘*VYou can not do it, because | have a lease of the hall, which can not be re- voked. Perhaps you can prevent the show being a success, but you can not prevent its being held.’’ ‘*T repeat what I said—you will bold no food show in Grand Rapids.’’ ‘*How will you prevent it?’’ ‘*By getting the manager of the hall to cancel your lease and by informing the newspapers regarding your fiasco at Springfield.’’ ‘‘1 could not help the Springfield fail- ure. The show didn’t draw and failed to pay expenses.”’ ‘*If you had stood your ground like a man and divided the proceeds among those more unfortunate than yourself, Did I would respect you for your courage and assist you in the work of regaining a position; but your action in sneaking away from the people whom you had betrayed shows that you are unworthy of the confidence and respect of decent people. Will you promise me to quit the food show project right now or shall I make these disclosures to the news- papers and thus compel you to leave the city in disgrace?r’’ ‘*T will call at your office and give you an answer at 11 o'clock Monday morning.’’ Instead of keeping his promise, he mailed a postal card, reading as follows: Grand Rapids Food Fair Cancelled. Unable to make arrangements to call, and at Mr. Murray’s instructions, wish to thank you for the enthusiasm you are developing in the Food Fairline. Will be pleased to have you attend our Food Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, next month. Asst. Sec’y Food Fair. To his landlady, whom he left in the lurch, he wrote as follows: In response to a telegram from South Bend, Ind., have been compelled to leave this evening for South Bend; so will have to cancel Food Fair, as Mr, Murray, the manager, has wired me that he will not give a fair here. Take care of my letters. Willsend you money that I owe you within the next two weeks, as my wife will come right on to South Bend. Will write again and explain all. In haste. The name of William J. Walters ap- pears in the reference books of the mer- cantile agencies, under the head of Flint, credited with being a cigar dealer and having less than $1,000 in property. Mr. Walters and his wife visited their son here last week and took the daugh- ter-in-law home with them. While Wal- ters claims to have gone to Buffalo, to Dubuque and to South Bend, the prob- ability is he has gone to Flint to join his wife and parents. The Tradesman claims no credit for the abandonment of the project, be- cause it feels that it simply did its duty in the premises, by preventing an exhi- bition which would, in all probability, be a repetition of the wretched experi- ence at Springfield. a Hides, Pelts, Furs, Tallow and Wool. The hide market shows a continual weakness and decline. Sales are made for future delivery at higher prices, which contractors are trying to fill, There is no accumulation of stock, as buyers stand ready to take all offerings at the decline. Pelts are in good demand and change hands freely and at fair prices. Large lots have been sold at the advance, while the new supply is not large. Furs are firm in value, while awaiting the outcome of the London sales begin- ning Jan. 20. The market is uncertain, although strong. Tallow is weaker, and. sales are not large. Stocks have been worked off to quite an extent. Edible is in good de- mand and firm. Wools are stronger West than the East- ern market warrants. The manufactur- ers are well supplied and are not anx- ious until new stocks for goods come in. Stocks are smaller and large quan- tities are being ground up, which indi- cates that all in sight will be wanted, and at no lower values. Wm. T. Hess. —_—~» 2 ~~. A Mecklenberg manufacturer is said to have invented a composition of steel twice as hard as any yet made at a cost of 50 per cent. less than any process in use. If this proves true and the ductility of the metal is not destroyed by the process, it will doubtless revolutionize the manufacture of steel. ia Ang Ure SAREE ute eae Ree ere et ke ele te Suakennan 6 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN The New York Market Special Features of the Grocery and Prod- uce Trades. Special Correspondence. New York, Jan. 11—We are gradually getting into the regular channels of business again. The big retail stores are making their usual reduction sales and these always come when everybody is ‘‘strapped’’ by reason of their great holiday efforts. Still, there must be money left if one may judge by the size of the throngs in the stores. The grocery trade in general is most excellent, and the entire force is work- ing as hard as they can jump from . morning to night. Coffee is dull, as compared with the recent spurt of activity, and has as- sumed a position more in keeping with its statistical position. We hear precious little now about “‘crop fail- ures.'" In an invoice way Rio No. 7 closes at 63¢c. In store and afloat there are 2,454,690 bags, against 1,002,950 bags at the same time last year. Both roasters and jobbers seem to be indiffer- ent to the situation and the actual busi- ness transacted has been of small pro- portions. Mild sorts are as flat as can be and the demand is practically noth- ing. Good Cucuta is worth, nominally East Indias ‘‘stale, flat and un- profitable. *’ There was a decided lull in teas at the end of the year but matters are once more cheerful and dealers seem to have great confidence in the future. Prices are firm with demand fairly good and stocks growing smaller. There may yet be a ‘‘future’’ for tea. There is just an average market as to sugar—nothing more. Jobbers are not inclined to carry stocks larger than nec- essary and sales made have been of small quantities for current transactions. Havemeyer’s address at the annual meeting of the stockholders has been a good deal talked about, and seems to have had a disquieting effect on Mr. Oxnard. Raw sugars are duil and weak. Since the year began there has been a steady improvement in rice and the market closes in sellers’ favor, although sales are of smal! lots and matters are not yet in real ‘‘spring’’ condition. Prime to choice, 5@5 sc. Not an item of interest can be men- tioned in spices. There story everywhere of ‘‘usual business."’ Prices are without change, but there is some encouragement i they seem to be well sustained. Jobbing trade in molasses has been quite active in the better sorts. value. There low prices, comparatively. Good to prime centrifugal, 17@30c. Blends, 25 @32¢. Tomatoes and corn are the center of attraction in canned goods. The former continue high. Should they advance a little further we shall probably have free 1 Considerable business has been done in Maine futures offerings from Canada. at Soc delivered here. factory, 6244c. Western, f. o. b. will Ln, Soc. firm at $1.30; reach $1.50. some think they Maryland futures, Salmon is selling well, although there is no boom. Red Alaska, $1.05. Dried fruit is steady for almost all sorts. Currants are now in liberal sup- ply, but the demand is active and quo- tations are firmly sustained. Lemons are slightly higher—say about Fancy Sicily are now up to $2.65 for fancy 300s. Oranges are The supply is mod- erate and orders have been sufficiently isc _ per box. doing fairly well. mumerous to keep the market well cleaned up. Florida brights, $2.25 @3 5°. 5 omestic white beans are practically unchanged. The demand is very quiet at the moment and stocks seem ample for all requirements. Choice marrow, $2.35@2.40; choice medium, $2@2.05 choice pea, $1.95@2, the latter, perhaps, being rather extreme. is the same in the fact that Stocks are not large and are firmly held at full is considerable molasses here made from cane that has been slightly frosted and such goods sell for ; Stocks of tomatoes are very light and standard New Jerseys are The butter situation is almost iden- tical with that prevailing last week. The very best qualities are taken up quite readily at the 25c rate and for other grades the tone is rather weaker, and with larger supplies it would seem as if we might see lower figures. There is a wide variation in quality anda good deal of the stock coming on the market must be disposed of at the first opportunity. Creamery, seconds to firsts, I9@23Cc. Western imitation creamery, 16@1gc, the latter for very desirable stock. Western factory, 14@ 15 34c. Strength is added almost every day to cheese and sellers are very firm in their views. State, full cream, small size, 1144c, with large size about tc less. There is a rather small demand for eggs owing to the high price. If it be true that eggs are being cornered in Chicago it would seem the part of wis- dom for the holders to let go before long if they want to come out whole. Still, they are in clover just now. Best West- ern are worth 35c,fresh gathered 33c and regular pack 27@33c. Fall packed re- frigerator goods are worth 20@25c, and the very lowest rate made on any sort of eggs, 16c for ‘‘dirty’’ refrigerator stock. Truly, ‘‘eggs is eggs."’ 2+» S_—- Mothers’ Oats Coupon Scheme Declared Illegal. A decision has just been rendered by the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia in the case of Patrick H. Sheehy against the District of Colum- bia, and is the final decree in the prose- cution instituted by the District author- ities in the Police Court for a violation of what is known as ‘‘the gift enter- prise act.’’ Mr. Sheehy conducts a large wholesale and retail grocery busi- ness at the corner of Eleventh street and Florida avenue, northwest, Wash- ington. In the spring of last year he was arrested and convicted in the Po- lice Court of engaging ina gift enter- prise. It was charged that he sold, in the regular course of his business, a cereal, put up in packages and exten- sively advertised. The scheme was that of the Akron Cereal Co., now the Great Western Cereal Co., on Mothers’ Oats. it was to insert in each package of the cereal a coupon on which was printed, besides other advertising matter of the company, one letter of the alphabet, to- gether with a statement that any person presenting to the company at its home office a series of these coupons with the proper letters on them to spell the word ‘*Mothers’’ would be entitled to a set of dishes valued at $8; or by sending the coupons in certain quantities, not less than twenty-five with 4 cents in postage stamps, would receive articles of small value. Upon investigation the District authorities decided that the scheme was in violation of the revised statutes of the District, and necessary steps were taken to test the question of the legality of the scheme. The prosecution of Mr. Sheehy was the beginning of this effort, and the decision of the Court of Appeals proves that the authorities of the Dis- trict were justified in their course. The court, in the course of its opinion, said: ‘‘As regards the main feature of the business scheme, we are of the opinion that it falls clearly within the scope of the statute prohibiting engagement in the business of a gift enterprise ‘in the manner defined in the act or otherwise.’ To the indirect gift or premium feature of the ‘trading stamp’ scheme, it plain- ly superadds the element of chance, the gambling feature generally involved in all of the many forms of what is ordi- narily known as a gift enterprise."’ —_>2+2>___ Why the Barber Was Alone in the Shop. For a good many months a certain Monroe street merchant has been ac- customed to drop into a little barber |shop near by three mornings out of each week and get shaved. During all this time he has been regularly shaved by the same man. There are two other chairs in the shop, but he bas preferred always to wait until his favorite was at leisure. :| One morning last week be went into the shop at the usual! hour and found no one there but the man who usually queer. shaved him. Even the negro porter was missing, but he made up his mind that they had all stepped out for a moment and sat down in the chair without giv- ing the matter another thought. The barber received him pleasantly and set to work at once. He was well lathered and the shaving had begun when the barber made a curious remark : “IT had a strange customer in the chair this morning,’’ he said. ‘‘He had two sets of eyebrows. I told him about it and wanted to shave off the extra pair, but he wouldn’t let me and acted as though he was frightened about . ‘*That was strange,’’ said the man in the chair, beginning to feel extremely uneasy. ‘*Yes,’’ went on the barber, as he waved his razorin graceful curves about the customer's chin, ‘‘it was rather Then, a few minutes later, I noticed that both the boss and the man on the other chair had double sets of eyebrows, too. I told them about it. At first they laughed. 1 said 1 had worked here five years and had never noticed those double eyebrows before. Then the boss said, ‘Why, the man’s crazy. Let's go and get the police.” Then they both ran out of the shop. That was just hefore you came in. Now, there isn't a thing the matter with me. I ain’t crazy. Do you think I am? Do you notice anything queer about me?”’ ‘*Not a thing,’’ said the man _ in the hair, as cold chills ran up and down his spinal column. ‘‘Not a thing in the world. Would you just as leave use cold water on my face?’’ The barber went back to the wash- basin and the half-shaved customer bis hat, rushed out into the street. He hasn't been back since and he doesn't know what became of the barber who saw double. —» > Making Money Rapidly. Mr. Wheatpit—My failure is the talk of the street. At the meeting of my creditors to-day 1 arranged to pay Io cents on the dollar. Mrs. Wheatpit (after a moment's fig- uring)—Oh, Henry, isn’t that lovely? Then the sso hat I had sent home to-day will only cost you $5! _____os 2s ___ You can always tell a girl’s age when she is nearly 4o—she is perpetually making fudge. Attention Lumbermen and Others We carry in stock a spe- cial pattern of Convex Sleigh Shoe Steel in 3, 334 and 4 inch widths, made on our special order exclusively to meet the requirements of the Mich- igan trade. Can ship promptly. Write for prices. Sherwood Hall Grand Rapids, Michigan jumped out of the chair and grabbing | You take no risk when you use H. M. R. Brand Torpedo Gravel Asphalt Ready Roofing For 35 years our roofs have been the standard of excellence. Write for samples. H. M. Reynolds Roofing Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. REAL ESTATE BROKE GRAHAM & MORTON BUILDING BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN IF YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR REAL ESTATE OR BUSINESS FOR CASH OR BUY REALTY OR MERCANTILE PROPERTY WRITE TO MERCAN- TILE MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Salesman’s Bluff Was Better Than His Employer’s. I was sitting in the office of a Leb- anon, Pa., grocer last week, when an interesting—to me—colloquy took place between the grocer and one of his clerks. The clerk came in the office with a sample of roasted coffee that had just come in. ‘*T don’t believe this coffee is as good as the last we had,’’ he said. ‘‘It don’t look to me like the same at all. What did you pay for it?’’ ‘Same as the last,’’ said the grocer, ‘*twenty-seven cents.’’ ‘*T’ll put in the cup and try it,’’ said the clerk. ‘‘I don’t believe it’s as good as we've been getting. And, by the way,’’ he added, ‘‘we ought to be get- ting more than 20 cents a jar for that orange marmalade. All the other people in town are getting 22 cents right along. It costs $2.04 a dozen, don’t it?’’ ‘*Yes,’’ replied the grocer. ‘‘Well, five cents isn’t any too much to make on it. We’re only making three cents now.’’ ‘‘All right,’’ said the grocer, ‘‘sell it at 22 cents.’’ The reason this bit of conversation in- terested me so much was because it showed a tremendous difference between the conditions that inspired it and those that prevailed years ago, when I started in to learn the grocery business. The conversation that I heard represented conditions as they ought to be—the clerk let into the inside of the business, not as an outsider only hired to drudge, but as a practical partner. After this clerk went out, -I asked a question or two about him. He was in no sense a partner,simply a clerk, yet I'll wager that he takes as much interest in the business as if he had owned a part of it. Why? Because he is treated as part of it. He is shown to be thought worthy of confidence. The grocer in whose store I did my best to learn the trade thought clerks, especially me, were creatures of wood and iron, who were never to have a thought about the business, but simply to do what they were told to. I made one break there that taught me what I could expect in the way of tuition. I went in the store with definite ideas of learning the business. I had ambition. I took the ‘‘ Youth’s Com- panion’’ in those days, and every week read of boys who had started as_ cuspi- dor cleaners and, by strict attention to business, wound up in five years worth a hundred million dollars. My employer used the old-fashioned hieroglyphic cost mark. He had an an- cient cipher that he had invented him- self, and every price card in the store had the cost indicated by AEB or some- thing like that. A few days after I entered the service of this merchant prince, just about when I was beginning to feel that there was little miore to learn, I went to him during the noon dulness one day. ‘‘Mr. Jones,’’ I. said, ‘‘I think I had better know what this cost mark means, so I will understand the business bet- ter.’ The old man gave a snort that could be heard half a square away. Then he smiled grimly, and his smile was worse than anybody else’s kick. ‘‘When I think it’s necessary for you to know the secrets o’ this business,’’ he snarled, ‘‘I'll call ye in and tell ye! And until I do you keep your nose out o' what don’t concern ye! Now, go down cellar and bring up ten buckets of sugar!’’ That was the sort of aid a clerk had in learning the business in those days, at least from such employers as I had. I stayed in that man’s employ maybe two years. At the end of that time I knew where the crackers were kept, and that the macaroni was in the second box to the left under the far end of the counter, but as for knowing the busi- ness, I didn’t know any more about it than when I first went there. I had no idea what anything cost, for the old man had never called me in and told me, and I had only the vaguest idea of what quality meant. This was not my fault. The old man took no trade papers, and he told me nothing, so where could I learn? I knew that this grade of coffee was better in quality than that one, because it was marked to sell at a higher price, but I had no idea why it was better. What a fool an employer is to treat a clerk as an outsider who must be kept from learning anything at all cost! It simply made a worthless little hound out of me, where if I had been properly encouraged I would have been willing within a month to take the entire care of running that business off my employ- er’s shoulders. I don’t hesitate to say that I loafed and soldiered whenever 1 could, lying down on my job whenever it was possible. I am not attempting to justify my course in doing that, but how human it was! There is nothing that will put spring ina clerk’s heel like appreciation and confidence. , I know a lot of houses who would no more let their clerks know such things as whether the year has been a good one than they would fly. No matter how much money the house has made during the year,there is always the cry of bad year, and ‘‘making no money.’’ This is treating employes like fools, for a man in the store can tell fairly well whether the business is running behind or not. Not long ago a company of this sort were giving this tale of woe to their head salesman, who was asking them to expend a little money in a direction that he thought would bring back big returns. ‘““We'd be glad to if the year had been better,’’ whined the head of the firm, ‘‘but we haven’t made any money and we can’t afford it.’’ The salesman was a man the house couldn’t replace very well, and he knew enough about the business to havea pretty clear idea that his employer was not sincere. So he tried a bluff of his own. ‘*Well,’’ he said, ‘‘I think I'll pull out and give it up. Itdon’t pay me to stay here and work at a losing game year after year.’’ Then he walked out of the office, only to be called back. The old man not only decided without a minute’s hesita- tion to spend the money the salesman wanted him to spend, but he raised the latter’s salary. The salesman’s bluff was a better one than his employer’s.—Stroller in Gro- cery World. —__>42>__ Drank Yeast and Couldn’t Rise. Henry Bergstrom,a well-to-do farmer, living near Patterson, N. Y., had a narrow escape from death recently be- cause he mistook a bowl of liquid yeast for buttermilk. 4 Early in the evening he went into his house after attending to some chores and, feeling thirsty, went to the pantry, according to his custom, to get a drink of buttermilk. A bow! similar to the one in which that drink was usually kept stood on a shelf. It was filled with yeast, which Mrs. Bergstrom had prepared for breadmaking. Not until he had swallowed two quarts of the mix- ture did Bergstrom discover his mis- take, and even then he did not attach much importance to the incident. Three hours later, however, when he had re- tired to bed, the yeast began to perform its work. Agonizing pains came, and Bergstrom writhed on the floor. One of the family hurried for a doctor, upon whose arrival some prompt work with a stomach pump saved the farmer's life. ~~ -0 Easily Reduced to Penury. i Mr. Gaswell—I dropped a cent in the gutter and it has reduced me to poverty. Mr. Dukane—How can you be reduced to poverty by the loss of single cent? Mr. Gaswell—Don’t you see that it makes me a pennyless man? The Imperial Gas Lamp Is an absolutely safe lamp. It burns without odor or smoke. Common stove gasoline is used. It is an eco- nomical light. Attractive prices are offered. Write at once for Agency The Imperial Gas Lamp Co. 132 and 134 Lake St. E., Chicago You ought to sell LILY WHITE “The flour the best cooks use” VALLEY CITY MILLING CO., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. It’s Like Throwing money to the birds paring © fabulous price for a soda appara' when our $20 FOUNTAIN Ss Will do the business just as well. Over 10,000 in use. No tanks, no charging = saree required. Makes finest Soda Water for one-half cent a glass. Send ad- dress for particulars and endorsements. Grant Manufacturing Co., Inc. Pittsburg, Pa. Pe) = i, Magna Charta Bond The leader of all Bond Papers, Made from new rag stock, free from adulteration, perfectly sized, long fiber. A paper that will with- stand theravagesoftime. Carried in stock in all the standard sizes and weights by Tradesman Company, Manufacturer’s Agents, Grand Rapids, Mich. Se AILS VEC VECUUUCUVCCU VC CUCU CUURGUVUCUVECUWECNIVIQUWHGUNlGuwuS ARAAAARAARAAARAAAAAAA AAA AAA A A Peculiarity of our used it. would pay you to begin? 5 2 : ‘ a New Silver Leaf e FLOUR is that people continue ° to call for it after they have once 3 If you do not already handle it do you not think it : : e e @ Muskegon Milling Co., § Muskegon, Mich. : a CSE CCC CSS CCS SCC STS Whether Polly Wants a Cracker or not depends upon the quality of the cracker. The same is true of your customers, also. Standard Crackers are always reliable. to equal any on the market. ceive prompt attention. E. J. Kruce & Co., Detroit, Michigan KALKI AAR AAAI I We guarantee our goods Mail orders re- Pyke) 4mm ley Va aoa a O10 ICAGO MANUFACTURERS OF Cr Cales HOUSEHOLD, COUNTER MARKET CANDY POSTAL SCALES SPRING BALANCES ¢ ETc i ies 2 a eae iE t ie MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Devoted to the Best Interests of Business Men Published at the New Blodgett Building, Grand Rapids, by the TRADESMAN COMPANY One Dollar a Year, Payable in Advance. Advertising Rates on Application. Communications invited from practical business men. Correspondents must give their full names and addresses, not mga xoanneg for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Subscribers may have the mai address of their papers changed as often as desired. No paper discontinued, except at the option of the ee until all arr es are paid. Sample copies sent free to any address. Entered at the Grand Rapids Post Office as Second Class l matter. When writing to any of our Advertisers, please say that —= saw the advertise- ment in the Michigan Tradesman. E. A. STOWE, EpiTor. WEDNESDAY, - - JANUARY 15, 1902 County of Kent ™ John DeBoer, being du poses and says as follows: I am pressman in the office of the Tradesman Company and have charge of the presses and folding machine in that establishment. I printed and folded 7,000 copies of the issue of January 8, 1902, and saw the edition mailed in the usual manner. And further deponent saith not. John DeBoer. Sworn and subscribed before me, a notary public in and for said county, this eleventh day of January, 1902. Henry B. Fairchild, age | _— in ca or Kent County, ich. STATE OF MICHIGAN y sworn, de- ENDED ITS USEFULNESS. The action of the Michigan Retail Furniture Dealers’ Association, in hold- ing a meeting in Chicago and accepting the hospitality of the furniture manu- facturers of that city, will necessarily deprive the organization of the confi- dence and cc-operation of every right- thinking retailer in the State. The or- ganization was ostensibly called into existence to abolish certain abuses pe- culiar to the trade, particularly the sale of goods at retail by manufacturers and wholesale dealers. The promoters of the organization claimed to be acting with- out prejudice and insisted that their crusade was not directed against any particular market or set of manufactur- ers, but against abuses which existed in every great market to the loss and detri- ment of the retail trade. A preliminary meeting was held in Detroit last Sep- tember, when it was decided to hold an- other meeting in January, at such time and place as might be decided upon by the President and Secretary. Instead of selecting some city in the State which is centrally located and remote from furni- ture manufacturing, so that the least suspicion of favoritism might not attach to the action of the organization, the offi- cers accepted the invitation of Chicago manufacturers to be their guests and accept their hospitality in the shape of a banquet and theater party. The officers who were so indiscreet as to accept an invitation of this kind from such a source may not have given the matter due consideration, and _ the Tradesman dislikes to believe that they were actuated by mercenary motives in making the selection; but the holding of a State convention in another State and under such suspicious auspices can not fail to damn the organization in the eyes of those who believe it is quite as necessary to avoid the appearance of evil as it-is to avoid evil itself. The Tradesman deplores the circum- stance because it embarrasses the organ- ization to such an extent as to put an effectual quietus on any further work of a reformatory character and compro- mises every retail] dealer who has given the organization his co-operation and support. THE CHINESE COURT. With all its tinseled splendor, its yel- low jackets and its peacock feathers, the Chinese court is back in Pekin. Even the dowager empress seems to have been impressed a little by the lesson of recent events and took special pains to bow to some of the foreigners. That is a piece of great condescension on her part and something very unusual. Her custom hitherto has been to hold her head very high and to look with distant, not to say disgusted, eyes upon every foreigner, who, in her vocabulary as well as that of the Boxers, are ‘‘ foreign devils.’’ The Emperor and the Em- press do not, as a rule, show themselves to the common people,and this so-called son of heaven when he came back to Pekin the other day suffered himself to be the chief object and be focused by a dozen or more of cameras, which took in likewise his gay banners and silk umbrellas. One of the places visited by the dowager empress was the temple of the goddess of mercy. Hitherto that has been out of her line. Mercy has not been one of the attributes she has thought worth practicing. There was a time when mercy was what she and the court seemed to need most and her necessities have made her more appre- ciative of its value. There is reason to believe, however, that whatever of at- tention she was persuaded to pay to for- eigners was merely lip service and su- perficial. Down deep in her heart she hates them as much as ever, and is only making a virtue of necessity by bestow- ing even the favor of a nod. The dowager empress has been for years and still is the greatest barrier between China and progress. She has managed to hold the reins of government in her hands whoever chanced to be on the throne. She is a terror in more ways than one. The death of Li Hung Chang has deprived China of its ablest and most astute statesman, the one who hav- ing traveled most, knew most about the outside world. It remains yet to be seen whether there shall rise up in his place any man of equal acumen and sagacity. Such a one must needs be very diplomatic and shrewd if he is to exercise any very considerable influence with the dowager empress, who has been and presumably still is the real power in China, The foolish extreme to which game legislation is sometimes carried is shown in the case of Connecticut. Prairie chickens have never been known to live in that State, but the game law prohibits the sale of ‘‘ruffed grouse, partridge and every other member of the grouse family’’ for two years. Under this law, a marketman in Waterbury has been ar- rested for having in his possession prairie chickens, which all the market- men of the State have been openly sell- ing, little dreaming that the law for the protection of grouse native to the State applied to birds of the family which had never existed there. A Philadelphia man is said to have contracted smallpox through the hand- ling of infected money. Poverty has — advantages, after all is said and one. ANOTHER OPEN DOOR. Now that the Congress of the United States has uttered its dictum and the Isthmian Canal has passed from fancy into fact, it is curious to see how this opening of the door between the oceans has become a necessity in the great world of trade. The progress of commerce has fol- lowed the star of empire on its West- ward journey. Centuries ago when the earth was small and the intelligent in- habitants of it were crowded upon the shore of the Aegean Sea, that little sheet of water where the myths and the gods dwelt together was large enough for the transaction of the earth’s business. Civilized as the Greeks were and attain- ing a culture which, in certain lines, has never been surpassed, they still did not dare to trust themselves out of sight of land. The harbors were lined with ships, thrift followed in their wake as they sailed from island to island in the well-known archipelago, but ships and sea were well adapted to each other and civilization slept and dreamed among the enchanted islands, never thinking and never caring for the Mediterranean glinting and waiting in the sunshine for the trading vessels that never came to make the most of the advantages the waves were eager to give that dreamy race. It was not until Rome had seated her- self not far from the mouths of the Tiber that the great inland sea began to mean something to the world. Trade during the ages had grown and the Roman wants and the Roman legions soon made the Grecian archipelago tributary to the world’s mistress. Shut in as the Medit- erranean is by the three continents, it became the highway of them all and then the commerce of the world ceased to be provincial. Tyre and Sidon sprang into being and prominence and Phoe- nicia became a name known everywhere for the enterprise of her merchants and the presence of her ships. The basin of the Mediterranean was the civilizer of the ancient world and for centuries men knew little of the stormy Atlantic, battering even then the Pillars of Her- cules and impatiently waiting to enter upon its mission of carrying on the commerce of mankind. With the fall of the Roman capital and its provinces the: commercial cen- ter passed from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The world was growing and the new waterway was eagerly made the most of. Spain, washed alike by the ocean and the inland sea, was the first to profit by her double advantage. With a firm grip on the Mediterranean, she boldly turned her face to the western waste of waters and, listening to her Columbus, pried from its waves the con- tinent that ought to bear his name. Then modern life began on both sides of the Atlantic. England ‘‘roused her- self like a strong man from sleep’’ and began to think of something besides the woolsack. France, not to be outdone, began to assert herself. Germany, still mindful of Charlemagne, had ‘‘dreams that were not all dreams,’’ and wild America, hardly alive, could only claim to live. From that time to the Great Present the busy world has traveled with its ships the stormy waterway. Tired of wind and storm and the dis- astrous wrecks they made,it has learned its needed lesson and now the keels of commerce, careless of wind and storm, have found the Atlantic too small for its enterprises, which are girdling the earth‘ and the distance too far for the time required for their accomplishment. Balboa has found another sea. The peninsula with bolts of rock has barred its entrance and to-day the baby of the old time, grown to manhood, stands, hammer in hand, ready to knock back the bolts and let his vessels through. The commerce of the continents has outgrown the Atlantic basin and the Pacific Ocean, the future scene of the earth’s highest civilization, is about to begin. Through that stupendous door- way the culture of the East will pass, as, centuries ago, it sailed through the Pillars of Hercules, and the first keel that comes into the Pacific through that open door will be the herald of a new era and a new Civilization. ‘‘Westward the star of empire takes its way.’’ Like that other, the Star in the East, it will go no farther and there, on that limit- less ocean, through that door which the American genius will open, the Old World and the New will work out to- gether the destiny which they must there have and hold in common. TIME TO CALL A HALT. Considerable criticism is being show- ered on the State Dairy and Food Com- missioner nowadays because he appears to be more active in causing the arrest of merchants who are selling colored oleomargarine than he is in bringing the cases totrial. In view of the fact that numerous constitutional lawyers have asserted that the law is invalid and in view of the fact that the Frose- cuting Attorney of Wayne county re- fuses to entertain complaints of this character because he is of the same opinion, it would seem as _ though it would be more businesslike for Com- missioner Snow to prosecute some of the cases already begun than to keep up the work of causing new arrests, which may have to be dismissed because of vi- tal defects in the law. Very few busi- ness men believe in the justice of the law and merchants as a class are dis- posed to ignore it because they believe it to be unfair and unjust and class leg- islation of the most nefarious character. The Tradesman joins in this opinion, because it is unable to understand why it is a criminal offense to color oleo and not an offense to color butter. In urg- ing the retail trade to disregard the law, the butterine manufacturers are entire- ly within the bounds of reasonableness, because they are furnishing those deal- ers who buy the colored gonds an indem- nifying bond agreeing to protect them in case of prosecution. While this ren- ders it unnecessary for the dealer to as- sume the financial burden of defending an action at law, an arrest under a charge of violating a statute carries with it a certain degree of stigma which no merchant covets, and if Commissioner Snow is willing to take any advice from the Tradesman, it is that he call a halt and make no further arrests until he has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the people that the law he has sworn to en- force will pass the ordeal of the Supreme Court. : Within the year Andrew Carnegie has given away about $40,000,000. That is quite a bunch of money to part with in twelve months. With it great good will be accomplished and for years and years it will go on benefiting the human race. He has said that it is a disgrace to die a millionaire and he is diligently ap- plying himself to gratify his proclaimed ambition of dying comparatively poor. At this rate, even his immense fortune will melt away. The example he has set is one well worth the attention of other American multi-millionaires, MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 9 CAME OUT AHEAD. Exciting Experience of the Little Store Manager. Written for the Tradesman. Jesse Strong comes in quite often, and if business happens to be quiet, he tells me stories of his past life. Once upon a time, before the railroad went to Tam- arack City, he drove the freight team for Van Alstine’s store. I have an ap- preciative ear for commercial yarns ‘and he likes nothing better than to load me up with a lot of wise sayings, varying his discourse with an occasional hair- raising episode that he declares ’pon honor is ‘’ gospel true.’’ Some time ago I! sent the Tradesman one of his stories, a tale of the Tamar- ack City store, in which Pete Martin, the dapper young manager from Chi- cago who had just taken charge of the business, settled the worst bully in the little lumbering town. It was a regular “‘knock down and drag out’’ affair— rather too sensational for the young lady clerk beginning to read Wordsworth— but, nevertheless, quite true to life. Now Jesse has furnished the sequel, but before telling it, as nearly as pos- sible in his own words, I think best to introduce a bit of history that Mr. Strong knew nothing about. eae) When Professor Hawkins, otherwise known as ‘‘Squint,’’ left Tamarack City after his little trouble with Pete Martin in Van Alstine’s store, he tarried not until he came to the saloon of Charlie Burke at Hooligan’s Four Corners. A nine mile tramp through the sand that hot summer evening had not tended to soothe the Professor’s temper. He was mad all the way through, and as his potations along the route had _ consisted solely of brook water, his throat was as dry as the proverbial powder horn. His face was plastered over with dust and perspiration and blood, for the wound made by the little manager had flowed freely in a small way,and a great gory smear, beginning at the collar of his Mackinaw jacket, had spread in irregu- lar streaks and blotches over his visible garments unti] Mr. Hawkins bore every appearance of having been dragged through a slaughter yard. Unmindful of this, however, he turned into Burke’s with long, rapid strides and seizing by the shoulders a_ half drunken wretch who happened to stand in his way,sent him spinning across the room and against the benches near the wall, where he fell into a limp and help- less heap, stunned and gasping. Several men who saw the unprovoked assauly jumped to their feet, intending to ‘‘take it up.’’ But when Hawkins threw his jacket on the floor and faced them, his eyes blazing like a cat’s and his great muscles roping and rippling over his massive limbs like the coils of an angry snake, they paused. And so they stood, cowering and hesitant, until one, with more assurance than the rest, said apologetically : ‘‘Why, Prof., is that y-ou? I har’ly knowed yuh.’’ ‘Yes, it’s me,’’ answered the pugilist in mocking tones. ‘‘D’ye expect me to send in a valet with my callin’ cards?’’ Then he laid his right hand on his left arm, working it slowly up and down for a time as if trying to gauge its power, and at length, as the loafers had all sneaked away or dropped into ob- scurity under cover of the deep shadows of the great heating stove that stood in the room winter and summer, he turned to the bar, drank a tumbler of raw alco- hol without perceptible inconvenience, and enquired of the barkeeper : ‘*Where’s Charlie?’’ The liquor mixer winked slowly and slyly, jerked his head toward the back room and said laconically: ‘‘Number two,”’ ‘*Suthin’ on?’’ asked the professor, and the barkeeper winked again. Hawkins scowled, for he was annoyed, and of late things had not been alto- gether to his liking. Burke wasa_ sort of oracle among the toughs and_ outlaws of Northern Michigan, and the Professor wanted to consult him. Anything that stood in the way of Mr. Hawkins’ im- mediate desires was never meekly toler- ated, so, with a moment’s brief hesita- tion, he turned on his heel and walked through the door leading into the back rooms of Burke’s saloon. When he came to number two in the little hallway, he gave one, just one rap on the door, and that not being prompt- ly answered, he knocked out one of the panels with his fist. Then, as the door was opened about a foot wide, he sum- moned a little extra energy to his assist- ance and kicked it off its hinges. The little seven foot square room was so choked with cigar smoke that at first the Professor could not see across it, and when he did, the first object that caught his eye was Burke, a tipsy leer on his face, sitting at a card table. ‘*T reckernized yer raps,’’ said he. ‘*Don’t be so dashed deliberate nex’ time, then,’’ admonished Hawkins. ‘*Be'n having a little game, and my legs is paralyzed. You'll have to ’scuse me for not getting up.’’ The table was covered with playing cards, burned matches, cigar stubs and ashes, and the whole thing had been drenched with beer. There were a lot of tumblers and empty bottles on the floor, and sitting about the room, either leaning against the wall, or with their heads upon the table sleeping off the effects of their recent festivities, were three young men. Hawkins viewed the scene with feel- ings of rage and resentment, and seizing first one and then another of the inebri- ates by the portion easiest to reach, he pitched them roughly into® the little hallway. Then setting up the broken door behind him, he settled into the chair directly opposite Burke, and looked steadily at him, as if to say: ‘*Well,what are you going to do about ies Something in the man, something per- haps in the way it had been done, struck the saloon keeper favorably, and he gurgled a poor little apology for a laugh, and said: ‘*Hain’t you kinder familiar with my good customers?’’ ‘*Aw, rats!’’ was the reply. ‘‘That’s pie to what they get here sometimes. You hain’t forgot Stub Wh—’’ ‘*Hold on there !’’ commanded Burke, in no measured tones, reaching toward his hip pocket as he spoke. ‘‘Hain't yeh got any sense left?’’ Hawkins did not move. ‘‘Don’t git narvous over nothing,’’ said he. ‘‘l hope you don’t think I’m going to peach. I didn’t come here to have a row with y-o-u. I've come for advice, that is, if you hain’t too full to give it.’’ ‘‘Don’t be alarmed about me,’’ said Burke, his face suddenly lighting up with a crafty smile. ‘‘Ye can’t expect a man to drink ag’in three and not show any effect from it arter he’s got ’em all floored and the bundle stowed away, hay? Got the long green? Well, 1 guess,’’ slapping his pocket. ‘‘But what’s the matter with you? Got into trouble over to Tamarack, eh? Like to be pinched,and want me to stand for it, I reckon.’’ ‘*No, wuss'n that.’’ ‘*Robbed the bank and killed the cashier, eh?’’ ‘No, you ijit! Ye couldn't guess it in a month. I got licked.’’ Burke usually took things as they came, in a matter of fact way, and sel- dom permitted himself to be surprised at any thing. But when he heard this admission from Mr. Hawkins, his senses seemed to leave him all at once. He arose to his feet, but finding his legs too weak, sank back into his chair. Then he tried to speak, but a rattling gasp was the result. However, this state of affairs was of short duration, and when he next opened his mouth, he pronounced one word: ‘*Bad?’’ he asked. For answer the Professor turned his head so that Burke could see the place, bruised and bloody and black, where the blow had been planted. And then he told the story. It may seem strange that he would do this, but the saloon keeper was a half lawyer for the gang, and they valued his judgment highly. More than this, they had found that those who lied or gave him false infor- mation upon any matter of especial in- terest, were forever after deprived of the benefit of his counsel. No amount of money, no pressure from friends, and no promises of reformation would there- after avail. Thus it came that when Mr. Burke received a tip from one of his crowd, he seldom doubted the smalli- est detail therein. ‘‘Nothin’ but a counter jumper, too,’’ said Burke when the Professor had fin- ished. ‘‘Can ye lick him?’’ *‘ You bet I kin.’? ‘*Then why didn’t ye do it?’’ ‘I did allow to of gone back an’ done it, but thinkin’ it all over, I reckoned I better see you first.’’ And then he leaned over the table and talked to Burke for a longtime. Talked fast and low, and Burke listened to every word he said, sometimes scowling, and some- times wearing that same old crafty smile and nodding his head. But at length, when the Professor had finished, Burke said promptly : ‘*No, sir. It won’t do. I'll never be the daddy to no such scheme. The’ hain’t enough in it. It'd just destroy a lot of property and the’d be nothin’ in it fer any of us. What we want is the ready simoleon, and we want it without attracting the attention of the cops. I’ve got a better scheme than yourn.’”’ ‘Yes, but I want to s-a-l-i-v-a-t-e that dry goods sharp.’’ ‘*Sh-h-h,’’ said Burke, laying his fat hand gently upon the Professor’s rough, red paw. ‘‘Leave me alone for that.’’ And then he whispered to Squint for about five minutes, and the words he said were as the balm of Gilead to the pugilist. When he had finished speak- ing, Hawkins blurted out: ‘*That’s all right, but who the dooce’ll we get to do it?’’ ‘‘Not so loud, there. You’d make a good one to holler at an auction sale. Why,that’s easy enough. There’s little Tub Doak. He’s a keen un. He's done chores here quite a spell, and I’ve ketched him in enough deviltry to send him over the road twicet, sol know he’s reliable. - He’ll do anything from pick- ing a pocket to cracking a safe and no- body'd ever suspect it to look at him. He’s as meek asa Jersey calf. They don’t know him at Tamarack, so I'll get him washed up a bit, give him his instructions and send him over there. If he gets the job, you can hang around the outskirts of the town and he’ll find some way to put you onto the lay at the proper time. ’’ * + * Business was proper good at Tamar- ack City that summer. Pete Martin had lots of idees that he’d fetched in from the city, and now that he was getting used to the ways of a small town and the clerks in the store begun to take a better interest in things through his teachings, the’ seemed to be no reason why old Van would ever be sorry for trying Pete. 1 still kept doing the teaming for the store, and it was every day and every day that I had to hitch up and go to Barry ferfreight. Sometimes it was dry goods and shoes, and some- times it was a mess of hardware, ’cus we kep’ most everything, but more oftener it was groceries, for it was on them that we had the biggest sale. Pete had been digging up old stuff off and on every sence he took charge of the store. There was all sorts of goods stowed away that none on us knew any- thing about, for Van had been there sence the year one, and it was a funny piece of goods that he wouldn’t handle, now I promise you. There was a lot of pieces of dress goods and shirting, and any amount of old shoes, and out of date hats and par- asols and hoopskirts, and there was rib- bons and dress trimmings that was made long enough afore the flood. Pete puts lots of that stuff into boxes and stuck it right out where folks would fall over it coming into the front door. Then he had it ticketed with prices in big black figgers. Kidlets allowed he’d die of shame at some of the stuff that Pete dragged out, and that it was so old that it wouldn’t even pass at a donation party. But after Pete had sold fifteen pairs of one kind of shoes that Kid swore couldn’t be marketed on a bet, the boys commenced to take a little more interest in the old stuff, and they took a holt and tried to work it off their- selves. One day Pete had a confab with old Van, and after that he told the boys to get ready for a grand special sale that they’d have in a couple of weeks. He allowed it’d take about that long to get ready for it. He said he was going to get every man, woman and child in the county into the store during his special sale, without they was fisically incom- petent to travel. At least I think them was the words he used. He had got in a lot of stuff from a wholesale house that handled mostly notions, and he mixed that up with the last of the old stock we had on hand, and put some prices on it that stuck out like a sore thumb. Then he had some handbills printed explaining the bargains,. and he sent them all over the country. Some of ’em was pasted onto barns and the like and some was handed into farm houses, and any amount was sent out in the mail. The papers all around us had big ad- vertisements for this special sale, which was to kill everything of the like that had ever took place in that part of the country, and that was only going to last the space of three days. Them times, sales of this kind was mighty oncommon, this being the only one ever had at Tamarack, and whether ye b’lieve it or not, when the first day come, the store was so full that a _ feller couldn’t turn around fer customers. Suffering Moses! How they did swarm in. Old back number fellers with over- alls made out of grain bags, and hair long enough todo up. Wimmen wear- 10 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN ing homespun gownds and calf skin gaiters that was heavy enough to sink a ship, and little young uns that hardly had close enough on ‘em to flag a wheel- barrow. But they’d all fetched their dough along and they was buying stuff, lots of *em, regardless of whether it'd do ’em any good or not. I stayed in from my regular trips to help out during the sale, and it was a good thing I did, for we couldn't begin to do justice to the crowd as it was. And right in the mid- dle of the muss, along comes a kid, a smart looking little cuss, saying his name was Tubby Doak, and asking Pete if he couldn’t give him a job. Pete was busy, but never nothing fazed him very much, so he kept right on selling goods, and talking to the kid at the same time: ‘‘How old are you, Tubby?’’ he asked. ‘‘Number four and a _ half, ma’am? O, yes, we have that size. Glad to show ’emto you. This way, please. Thirteen, are you, Tubby? Ever work in a store? You'll find these the best wearing shoes for the money you ever had. They’re guaranteed in every way, shape and manner. Where’s your father and mother, my boy? An orphan? Well, that's too bad. Can you read and write? That shoe fits you like a glove. Couldn’t be a better fit. Neat, ain't it? Two doilars and a quarter. Thanks. Now, Tubby, you take this package over to Mrs. Hendrick Ben- son’s. You'll have to ask the way when you get outside. I’m too busy to tell you. If you do pretty well until this sale is over, I’ll talk about giving you steady work. Now skip.’’ Tubby made a_ blamed good errand boy. Even Pete admitted that, and he wa’n’t much of a hand for boys, neither. Send him out with a bundle, and it was no time afore he was back. Start him off down cellar or upstairs or into the warehouse for anything, and he’d get it all right, just as quick, it seemed, as though he’d worked there all his life. He was the smartest kid by all odds that I ever see. The third and last day of the sale was a corker and no mistake. Folks just swarmed in. We was running low on some of the bargains we had advertised. In fact, part of ’em was all sold out, and there was some little kicking on that account, but Pete explained that we had had so much bigger trade, and that folks was so much better suited with our stuff than he expected, that they had bought out of all reason, and if they'd please make allowances for us this time, we'd try to better it when we had our next sale. Well, we had bounded around there for three days, had sold no end of stuff and taken in more cash than the old store ever see afore in twice the time. In fact, it had been so busy that Pete hadn’t had time to put the money in the bank, and he was just a little worried over having so much on hand to oncet—nigh twelve hundred dollars. But as I found out arterwards he didn’t think much about that till he got ready to go to bed. There was a room upstairs what had been fixed off for a bedroom, and Pete, not liking the hotel overmuch, set up a bed in there, put in a few other pieces of furniture, and stayed - there nights. Once, during the last day of the sale I went upstairs for something, and who should I see coming out of Pete’s room but our smart errand boy. ‘‘What the dooce ye doing in there?’’ I asked him, and I thought he looked a bit scared when he see me, but he answered up quick that he’d been sent up for a pail of Clary Belle finecut, and not finding it in the other part, he’d just looked into see if there was any more goods stowed in there. I told him where the tobacker was and he went off after it whistling away same as usual, and, though I meant to of told Pete about it,we was so busy that I clean forgot the whole matter till it was too late. All things come to an end at last, so they say, and this sale wa’n't no excep- tions. The store looked like a tornader had went through it, but Pete told the boys he’d excuse "em from straighten- ing of it up that night seeing they was all so dead tired, and had done so well all through the sale, and 1 made my escape and went right to bed, thankful that it was all over and that all I had to do the next day was to set on a load of freight and handle the ribbons over the little span of bays. I went to sleep immejit and never moved once till some time in the night when the‘ come the blamedest hammer- ing on the front door that ever was. I was dreaming that I was a boilermaker, and thought there was all kinds of fell- ers heading down rivets right over me, when the old woman gin me a punch that was like to loosen up my ribs and says, ‘‘somebody's to the door. ’”’ I hain‘t much of a hand to git scared, but I allers go on the plan that it’s bet- ter to be safe than sorry, so I took the old big cavalry revolver I carried all through the war, and went down to the front door. ‘*What’s wanted?’’ says I. ‘“‘It's me. It’s Pete Martin,’’ an- swered a voice that I knowed mighty well, and I throwed open the door to let him in. ‘‘What in the name of time!’’ says I, fer his eyes was bigger’n sassers, and he was jeSts as white as any ghost you ever see. ‘“‘Come_ over quick,’’ says he. ‘*What’s the matter?’’ says I. ‘*That’s just what 1 don't know,’’ says he. ‘‘Put on yer duds and come on. Hurry up, can’t you?’’ ‘*Yes, but what the dooce!’’ says I. But I might of saved my breath for Pete had flew. Well, I follered him just as quick as I could, and when I got there it was just 3 o’clock by the store regulator. He let me in an’ the first thing he says was: ‘*Say, Jess, do I look like a d—d thief?’’ I commenced to laugh at that, but he was so sober that I quit right away and answered up, ‘‘No, you don’t. I don’t think there's a honester man in these parts.’’ ‘*D'ye mean it?’’ says he, and I could see by the way he acted that he was worried near into a fit of sickness, and his hand shook like a leaf in a gust of wind. ‘*‘Now I’m going to tell you what happened as near as_I can, but I want you to come first and take a look at the back window, and see what you can make out of that. You see I've had burglars since yuu left the store.’’ ‘‘Burglars!’’ I exclaimed, for that was the first time I’d ever heerd of the likes in Tamarack City. ‘‘Yes,'’ says Pete. ‘‘ Burglars.’’ ‘‘Did they git much?’’ ‘* By Gee, that’s what I can’t make up my mind,’’ says Pete. By that time we had got to the win- dow, and there, sure enough was all the signs of a breaking in. The big glass had been cut out, and there was pieces of it all over the ground outside. That to the store right seemed to be all we could see there, so Pete dropped into a chair and setting there while it was yet pitch dark out- side, this was what he told me just as nigh as.I can recollect it. ‘*There is an old saying, Jess, that it’s the onexpected what always happens. But that hain’t so. When I was getting ready for bed last night I felt it in my bones somehow that we was like to be robbed. Never felt that way before in my life. Well, I tried to laugh at my feelings, and laid I it all to having so much money on hand, but I thought I'd take every precaution anyway, and then let come what would. That old shell of a safe of ourn hain’t no more protection than a pasteboard box when it comes to burglars and after I’d gone to bed 1 kept thinking about it, so at last I got up, came downstairs in the dark, took the bills out and after making a bundle of them, I put them under the mattress in my bed. 1 got to worrying about that, too, for I thought if anyone broke in, my bed would be about the first place they’d search. I finally decided I'd’ put it somewhere else, and got up for the purpose, but after lighting the lamp, I changed my mind, and ex- amined my revolver carefully instead, thinking that I’d give anyone that hap- pened my way a mighty warm recep- tion. I lay there awake for a long time, but finally dropped off into a restless sleep, only to be wakened suddenly with the feeling that there was somebody in the store. I kept still then, and held my breath till I could hear my heart beating, and it seemed as though the blood roared through my veins like a big river running over a high hill. All at once I heard the floor creak outside my door, and grasping my pistol firmly I waited for what was to come. All at once, through the deep shadows of the doorway, the still darker form of a man showed for an instant, and as my eyes caught its shape I pulled the trigger, expecting the bright flash to show me better how to aim next time, but my gun missed fire. ‘* “Here he is—quick !’’ exclaimed the figure, making a rapid movement in my direction, while I, in frantic haste, cocked and fired once more. Again the pistol snapped, and before I could shoot again, a great weight fell upon me, and I was helpless, There were two of them, one a man of great height and powerful, the other of equal weight and strength, apparently, but not so tall, and they tied a dirty rag over my mouth and bound me with cords. Then _ they lighted the lamp and looked around, but as they both wore cloth masks, I could not see their faces. The first thing they noticed was the revolver that had done me such poor service, and they laughed brutally and pitched it into one corner of the room. Next they overhauled my clothes and finding the big safe key in one of the pockets, said they guessed they’d got what they wanted and the taller of the two offered to go down and overhaul the little tin box. ‘‘Thefe was some dispute over this, the short man seeming afraid to trust him to do the job, but after a time they settled their differences, and the tall man went. After an insufferably long time he returned, cursing like a drunken sailor, and swearing that there was but a few dollars of silver in the safe. Even then I couldn’t help being amused. at his disappointment, but as | thought of the roll of bills under the mattress my mirth was brief. The short man seemed to suspect his companion of foul play and they had a wordy altercation that I thought once would lead to blows. At last the short man referred the matter to me, in a way, and I told him that we never kept any money in the store. That we had a special arrangement with the bank, and deposited all our cash every night. Still they wrangled over the matter, the short man not believing his partner, and of course doubting me. Finally the short man said he would go and have a look himself, and went off downstairs, growling away till he was out of earshot. ‘‘When he got back he called the other fellow into the hall and they stood there and talked for some minutes, and then they came at me with a new tack. They were going to scare me into tell- ing them where the money was. One of them held a cocked revolver against my temple and the other jabbed a needle into the bottom of my foot. 1 managed to kick the tall man in the stomach hard enough to knock him against the wall, and he swore that he would brain me, but the short man was so much pleased at my activity and took my part so earnestly that I escaped further torture, and after another coun- cil in the hallway they went away, tell- ing me they would be back ina few minutes, and that I must lie still or suffer instant death when they returned. With all possible haste I worked the cords loose and hurried to assure myself that the cash was safe. I ran my hand under the mattress, but could feel noth- ing. Then I threw the covers off the bed, but the money was gone. Now what do you think of that? Am I the thief? Where’s the money, and what will Mr. VanAlstine say when I tell him about it?’’ ‘*Wall, Holy Smoke!’’ said I. ‘‘Let’s go an’ take another look.’’ So we did. We tore that bedding all to pieces, but not as much asa scrap of a bill could we find anywheres. So not being able to do any good that way I sot down to think it over, and the first thing I see was that air revolver, lying on the floor. For want of suthing bet- ter to do, I picked it up and went to looking it over. ‘‘You say you snapped it twice?’’ I asked. “‘Yes, twice,’’ said Pete. ‘‘Missed both times.’’ ‘‘Funny,’’ says I, still looking at it. ‘*Bullets in all them cartridges, too,’’ says I, pulling out the chamber. ‘‘Why, man, a-l-] them cartridges has been snapped. Just look a here!’’ And sure enough there was a hammer mark on every cartridge and a bullet in each one, too. Then it flashed through my head about seeing the kid come out of the room in the afternoon, and I took my knife and started to cut the lead off the end of one of the cartridges, and the bullet was loose and pulled right out. The shell was empty. There wa’n’ta grain of powder in it. ‘*Pete,’’ says T, ‘I never doubted yer story for a minute, but I’ll admit now that it did look pretty fishy to hand out to the public, afore this. However, here’s proof that somebody’s been a meddling with your shooting iron. I guess the’ won’t no one dispute that. And I'll bet a hundred to one that I can put my hand right on the one that done it.’’ Then I told him what I'd see. By that time it was commencing to crack day, and I told Pete I'd take a look around outside for signs, ‘‘clues’’ the detectives call ‘em, and he would better straighten up a bit around the safe. So he went, feeling down enough, I don’t doubt. There was some tracks about the win- MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 11 dow, but nothing that would do any good towards locating the burglars, as | could see, so I walked along through the yard toward the main road fence. All to oncet, a leetle to one side of the path, I see a familiar object that made me start and | run and picked it up like it had been the most valuable thing inthe world. And just then I heerd the blamedest war whoop from the store, and lookin’ up I see Pete waving a package in his hand, and hollering to me that he had found the money. ‘It’s all there,’’ says he. ‘‘Every dollar of it. Every cent of it. What do you think of that for luck?’’ he says, and then he danced a war dance on the back stoop. ‘‘How the dooce!’’ says I, fer I was quite took back by so much good for- tune. ‘‘Found it in the waste paper bas- ket,’’ says Pete, between whoops. ‘‘What the dickens was it there?’’ I asks again. ‘‘D’no and don’t care. Holy smoke! but that was a shave. Say, Jess, now | know how it feels to go to bed in the poor house, and wake up in the morn- ing worth a million of money. Whoop !"’ ‘‘Well, but somebody must of put it there. Who was it?’’ Tell me that.”’ ‘‘O, I suppose I did it myself last night. When I was a little feller 1 used to bother my folks nigh to death walk- ing around in my sleep. Probably one of those fits took me on account of my worry. I was half expecting to find it some place like that when I came down- stairs.’’ ‘‘Well, say, you're smart, I'll admit,’’ says I. ‘‘But still an’ all, you hain’t the only pebble on the beach. Jest look a here,’* and I held up my find. ‘‘What in time!’’ says Pete, as his eyes fell on the object. And I didn’t wonder he was sur- prised, although he had seen the same thing before. It was a ragged old Mack- inaw, dirty and worn, and from the right side of the collar down it was all smeared over with blood. Geo. L. Thurston. + 0s Spoiling a Romance. ‘‘It must have been quite a year ago,’ said the general delivery clerk at the postoffice, “‘that a man came in one day and enquired for a letter in his name, and he looked much disappointed when I could find none to hand out. Since that day, up to a week ago, he has been coming twice a week, most always when I was on duty, and as no letter for him ever arrived I had considerable curiosity regarding his case. In fact, I built up a romance around him. I took it that he might have separated from his wife: in some distant town, and was hoping to hear from her and make up the quarrel, and I actually came to feel hard towards her because she refused to write. It seemed to me that the man was failing in health as he lost hope, and now and then I gave him a cheerful word to brace him up. A week ago I saw his name on a letter, and next time he called I glad- ly passed it out with the remark : ‘Here is your long expected letter at last, and I hope it contains good news.’ ‘‘He stepped away from the window to read it, and after a few minutes he came back to say: ‘* *T didn’t get it.’ ‘* ‘What was it?’ “« ‘Why, I sent to my brother-in-law in Pittsburg almost a year ago to borrow a dollar to buy some porous plasters, and he writes me that he can’t well spare it, and that I'd better use mustard instead!’ ’’ doing seo It is better to make a great many men happy by being engaged to them, than to make one miserable by marrying him. Difference Between Child Culture and Child Raising. If the mothers of to-day have any re- gard for the future safety of our Gov- ernment, happiness of our homes, or moral tone of society, let them pause not a moment, but sufficiently long to comprehend the gravity of their respon- sibility. The hackneyed subjects of ‘‘Woman’s Sphere,’" ‘‘The Mother’s Realm,’ or even of ‘‘Domestic Econ- omy,’’ do not come in the class to be discussed. It is your boy, my boy and our boys, and the relation we hold to them aside from the natural one. That is the least important of all—this nat- ural relation—and it is the cultivated kinship during childhood that will make the difference in the man of fine affgc- tions, keen sensibilities and apprecia- tive sympathy and the man of perhaps the same theoretical education and de- sirable environment, but blunt in speech, indelicate in speech and devoid of fel- low-feeling or what has so aptly been termed the milk of human kindness. In the masses, for to them only can one rule apply, since the extremes of wealth and poverty alike furnish their own types, among the millions of boys in this country whose families constitute what we term the masses—there is found the material for future government, so- ciety and religion. In this class are the nursery boys, the back yard boys, the street boys and a few—but how pitifully rare—of the mother’s companion boys. A distinction should be drawn be- tween the raising and the cultivation of children. Too many make their ad- vent into this life purely by accident. They are not unwelcome, not particu- larly undesirable—just a natural law kept in force, we say—then need we expect much, or even hope for little from such an offspring? Then there is the all-desired son, yet whose coming quickens in the maternal breast no real sense of obligation or responsibility, she deeming her duty done when a good nurse, and luxurious or comfortable clothing are provided. Later good tutors and occasional expensive trips for the expansion of ideas—yet forgetting or overlooking the most essential element of education and cultivation, a mother’s companionship, comradeship and a sympathetic fellowship, which would rob life of its soulless aspect, warm the heart into responsive throbbings of joy, pain or exultation, and create a kinship not only between mother and son, but *twixt him’ and all humanity—an ‘‘herit- age richer than houses and lands.’’ The mother who deprives her child of her society would never dream of allow- ing him to go to sleep hungry—food is provided, a comfortable bed, etc., yet just as essential is the heart food, the tender relationship that makes him re- veal alike his boyish faults, escapades, aspirations, desires and weaknesses, and makes him snre of a responsive laugh when he is merry. A theory you Say. Where is the time in this busy age, for such a comradeship? Where the heart is involved and a child’s interests are paramount in a mother’s plans, there is always possible a delicate blending of theory into practice, and how great is her reward! A fellow love that multi- plies each year, growing into a perfect safeguard around her boy’s life and _ re- sulting ultimately in a type of manhood but too rare. There is the mother with a ‘‘houseful of children,’’ as the expression goes, and who, looking at life from a purely practical standpoint, deems sentiment as unnecessary in their rearing (and they are reared, never cultivated) as a second caudal appendage would prove to the average feline creature. As soon as they can walk, let them play in the back yard. Turn them loose and let brother or sister, a few years their senior, take turns caring for the little animals. Barbarous! Has humanity sunk to the level of beasts when her young are to be reared under such con- ditions? Motherhood means sacrifice of at least a few natural inclinations and a disre- gard for so-called social obligations while her children are small. If she is unwilling to lay on the altar of mater- nity all aspirations to shine outside her home, then ’tis a pity she wed, or more’s the pity that she should be a mother. How often does the card club stand between her and her child! She returns home from a two or three hours’ siege at cards bearing triumphantly the first prize—a cut glass bon-bon dish, a bit of china or silver—and fails to count the scores she might have made had she spent the time with her boy. Would the afternoon have been counted lost—if the days of our lives be numbered—had she taken him by the hand and walked with him, atuning her thoughts to his (and thus insuring a hearing), had led him up step by step into some higher plane of reflection, artfully engaging him in an unconscious revelation of his hopes, feelings and faults. Could sbe truly place a valuation on the insight thus gained into her boy’s nature and would she find no impress on his character from a heart to heart talk? Let a mother.be first her boy’s guard- ian, second his playfellow, third his comrade and lastly a fitting companion, keeping abreast of the times and in touch with his ambitions, yet always reserving for him alone a sympathy pos- sessing the delicate charm of perfect understanding. Edna Todd-Bowers. —____~> 2. —__- Bankrupted the Show. ‘*Ves,’’ said the manager of the de- funct Uncle Tom’s Cabin company, ‘‘it was our dog that broke up the show.’”’ ‘‘The dog, eh? What was the matter with him?’’ ‘“Too fastidious. You never saw such a hound in your life. You know the play of course. We tie a piece of meat in the folds of Eliza’s frock, and that’s what draws the dog after her when she runs across the blocks of ice. Welli, what do you think the dog demanded?”’ *'Can't imagine.’ ‘Porterhouse beefsteak, sir, and with the tenderloin left in! Yes, sir. How’s that? And you couldn't fool him, He wouldn’t chase .Eliza a foot unless the meat was a choice cut. No, sir. And, by gum, sir, our company had to live on liver and bacon so that blamed dog could have his steak. Yes, sir.’’ ‘‘The demand was too much for you, was it?’’ ‘‘No, it wasn’t. That is, it wasn’t until he began to insist upon mushrooms with his steak. Then we just threw up our hands and quit.’’ ——__—_> 2. Will Be Back Soon. Mrs. O’Brien—Good marnin, Mrs. McCabe. An ‘phwat makes you look so sad? Mrs. McCabe—Shure, Dennis was sint to the penitintiary for six months. Mrs. O’Brien—Well. Shure, worry. Six months will soon pass. Mrs. McCabe—Shure, that’s phwat worries me. —___»2»—____ don't New Account For Bankers. ‘‘Shall I charge up the amount the cashier skipped with to profit and loss?’’ queried the book-keeper. ‘‘No,’’ replied the head of the firm, ‘‘put it down under running expenses. ’’ There is nothing like the 5c package of Favorite Sweets and Orange Blossoms The New Made Only By Straub Bros. & Amiotte : Traverse City, Michigan Confection WORLD "S BEST a él ae 5c. CIGAR. ALL JOBBERS and G. J. JOHNSON CIGAR CO. ad GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN. 12 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Shoes and Rubbers Rules Adopted by a Successful Shoe House. Here is a set of rules and regulations published by the Starkey Boot and Shoe Company, Arcade shoe dealers, of Springfield, Ohio. There is a whole lot of meat in these rules, and if shoemen in general would study them they would undoubtedly find a few pointers which would be useful to them in their business : I. Promptness in business and po- liteness to customers cost little, but ac- complish much. 2. Every employe must be in the store on time and in his respective depart- ment. 3. All salespeople, when not waiting on customers or working in stock, will be required to remain at or near their department. Congregating, loud talk- ing or reading will not be permitted. 4. In any room, when goods are down and out of place,in which a sales- man has a department, he will not be expected to be idle while such goods are in disorder. 5. Swearing, smoking, chewing gum or loafing around the doors in business hours is not allowed. 6. Discussions and arguments on any subject must not be participated in dur- ing business hours. Business is duty. 7- No one should leave the store dur- ing business hours without permission or leaving notice at the desk as to length of absence. 8. Industry, promptness and fidelity are essential to success just as much to the boy, the successful salesman, as to the proprietor. These rules, cheerfully and honestly complied with, will be a benefit and help to every one. g. Every article sold, all repairing, shoes left for patent buttons, or for any other purpose, must be taken to the desk, examined and tied up ina neat package before being delivered to the customer. No article must go out of the store without being wrapped. Io. Every salesman or saleslady must make out his or her checks before going to the desk, and must call out in the presence of the customer the amount that is presented to him or her in pay- ment of the purchase. The salesman must know the amount given him and the change to which the customer is en- titled. 11. All charge tickets must be ap- proved by the management before the goods are taken to the desk tor exami- nation. 12. Charge tickets must be made out in the presence of the customer, with full name and address, before being taken to the management for approval, with references, if any. 13. All goods left at the office must be plainly marked with name and date or a check given. 14. A salesman’s check must be pre- sented at the desk with every article sold, or there will be no examination nor stamping of the check. 15. Every article returned, for what- ever Cause, must be taken at once to the desk before being unwrapped for ex- amination and adjustment, if, on ap- proval or account to be credited, other- wise an exchange check will be issued which will represent cash. 16. Tags must be attached to all goods left at the shop, with name, date, number of salesman and full instruc- tions as to what is to be done. 17. All packages to be delivered must be plainly marked with name and address and full instructions and left at the desk. 18. It is the duty of the check clerk at the office to see that every article is as represented by the salesman’s check, in quality, quantity and price, and that the shoes are mates before stamping the check. They must see that all packages are delivered promptly. Of late it is becoming a habit in stores to guarantee shoes. Some clerks never fail to state this fact when sell- ing, without the faintest idea of living up to the contract. Patent leather, in particular, seems to be guaranteed in such a way as to leave.a loophole for es- cape by the indefinite wording of the contract. How much more honest and dignified it would be if the following style of no- tice were sent out with every pair of patent leather shoes: WE GUARANTEE That this pair of shoes will give rea- sonable wear and will not break through. We claim this to be the best patent leather, but it won’t stand zero weather or handliug when cold: it will crack. When they grow dull use a littie —- wax and rub briskly with dry cloth. Since the heavy extension soles have become so popular,and dealers are com- pelled to carry a large stock of the same, it has been almost impossible to keep the shelves uniform and avoid breaking cartons and stock boxes, ow- ing to the widths of the soles. Large- sized boxes have been tried with very little success to overcome this difficulty. Follow these instructions : Fold the quarters inside in this way: Grasp the shoe in the left hand at the shank, at the same time taking hold of the quarters with the right hand; at the top studs turn slightly to the left and press in. In this way you do not wrin- kle the upper or affect the vampsin any way. Treat both shoes the same. Place the shoes in the carton in this manner: Left shoe first with sole resting on bottom of carton, heel in left corner front; right shoe turned, sole up, heel in right corner front. In this you have both heels at the same end of the box, using tissue paper in the usual way. These instructions apply to the very broad extensions. Ordinary extensions do not need folding in at the top. Sim- ply place the left shoe in first on the left side of carton, with inside ball down, and the right shoe on right side with inside ball down, both heels at front end of box. Take out the extra size cartons and use the ordinary size and your shelves will look trim again. —_—__ #2 Fallacy of Running Closing Out Sales During January. It seems to be taken for granted that the month of January commences the dull sedson in the shoe business; also that it is necessary for shoemen to im- mediately proceed to rid themselves of their winter stock, even although they have to sacrifice profits. In other words, a condition is springing up in shoes very similar to that in white goods and muslin underwear, where merchants believe it is necessary for them to start their bargain sale the last week in the old year or the first week of the new and call it the ‘‘spring opening.’’ This is a most ridiculous condition of affairs, and for it the merchants can blame no one but themselves. If Janu- ary is to be considered a dull month in the shoe business, then you can not fig- ure that there is such a period as the winter season which can be utilized with profit by the merchant. For when you should be selling your second call order, you are considering the advisability of cutting everything in stock. This is an unwise policy to pursue, and the sooner the fact is realized the better. From our own experience in the shoe business we are positive that the month of January is a good selling month, and that merchants, instead of figuring on bargain sales, should be making a special drive on their winter stock at regular prices. Many customers who bought their last pair of summer shoes during the latter Shoes That Pinch In order not to pinch the foot a shoe must fit perfectly; it must conform to the foot readily.. It must not be too wide or too narrow, too long or too short. With a sym- metry of outline and fine appearance must be combined a maximum of wear. Our own factory made shoes possess these qualities; otherwise we could not have doubled our output over a year ago. Of course we have not been making shoes for the last thirty-five years—we are too young for that; there- fore we have not had time to get into ruts and obsolete methods—we are too alert for that. Our method of mak- ing shoes is aggressive and progressive, always in advance and striving for the highest in the art of shoe-making, with the special object that they fit and not pinch the foot of the wearer. True, they may pinch competitors, but we can not stop for that. We can not help making shoes that are ‘« Leaders,’’ such as our Hard Pan, Oregon Kid, Pioneer and Eureka, names applied to shoes by past generations, but by us imbued with new life and significance, already in great demand and constantly growing. Herold-Bertsch Shoe Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. Makers of Shoes COLD WEATHER SHOES We carry 36 different kinds of en’s, Shoes and Slippers. Women’s Button or Lace, Lined, Kid Foxed, Felt Top Opera Toe, Machine Sewed.... Write us what you want and we will send samples or salesman, Wom- Misses’ and Children’s Warm Warm Shoe, -$1.00 Same as above in Turned, Common Bene $1.00 Women’s Felt, Fur Trimmed, Juliet eee ee 80 cents HIRTH, KRAUSE & CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. Specialty House. COMFORTABLE SHOES No. 1059—Women’s Red Felt Nullifier fur trimmed...... eal No. 2490—Misses’ Red Felt Nullifier or thie. No. 2491—Child’s Red Felt Nullifier Cre No. 2475—Women’s Blue Felt lace Dong. foxed, op. and C. S. toe No. 2487—Women’s Dong., felt lined, fur trimmed Nullifier,......... No. 2488—Women’s Black Felt, fur trimmed Nullifier.............. We have the above warm shoes in stock and can supply you promptly. 85c 80c 70C $1.00 $1.00 85c GEO. H. REEDER & CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 13 part of September or in the month of October are just thinking of buying their heavy winter goods. Agaih you will find any number of persons who leave the buying of their shoes until after the Christmas holidays and utilize the money they have in buying holiday presents. In many of the larger cities of the East the month of January is considered one of the best months of the year—of course, when there is seasonable weather, without which it is almost im- possible to sell heavy winter goods. If you find the trade a little dull we would certainly advise the issuance of a neat circular calling attention to your regular line of shoes. Advertise them also in the columns of the newspapers, but do not under any consideration ad- vertise a reduction in prices. You have the months of February and March in which to hold your ‘‘clearance sales,’’ and you will find during these months to make the bargain sales you wiil re- quire the same shoes that you now con- template cutting in price. If shoes that are bought and received by you in November, to be sold at an advance of 33% per cent. are cut in price during the month of January they become a poor investment, and if mer- chants feel the necessity of cutting the prices of shoes in January it would be wisdom to desist from purchasing any winter goods. These forced conditions which are arising in all branches of the business sooner or later are going to havea detri- mental effect upon the trade, and the merchant who persists in running these bargain sales at unseasonable times is sure to feel it in the future. What man thinks of running a bargain sale of his regular suramer stock before the middle of July? Well, if it is not advisable to run bargain sales in June, we can not see why it is right to run them in January, because these months exactly compare with each other. Our winters are getting shorter, and they start much later than they did in years gone by; therefore it behooves merchants to figure upon the best winter month in order to make their strongest showing on their shoes. We repeat, ‘‘we believe the best winter month is Janu- ary, and consequently that is the month when shoemen ought to have their greatest returns from their winter stock and not at bargain prices.’’ If stagnant conditions are felt or an- ticipated, why not call in some maker of specialties or go into the market and secure a ‘‘job’’ that will size up with the shoes you have already on your shelves and make a bargain sale of these? If you make a bargain sale of this kind, display your shoes on a table in the rear of the store, while on the front table have samples of your regular winter stock nicely formed up, with a price card on each. You will find that you will not only sell your ‘‘job,’’ but the ‘‘job’’ will assist in selling all your winter weight goods. It is also a very noticeable fact that as soon as you start the trade coming, even although you have sold all your bargain shoes, you will still get a goodly amount of patronage which will pay you for whatever trouble you incurred with your bargain jot. In other words, this bit of enterprise acts as a stimulant to the trade, and is one of the best forms of advertising that a shoeman can use. — Shoe Retailer. —_—_->-2-e—___. Some people’s hearts are ; (shrunk in them like dried nuts. You can hear ’em rattle as they walk, Window Trimming Adapted to Displays of Shoes. I wonder how many of you know to what extent natural prepared plants, foliage, artificial flowers, etc., can be made to supply the deficiency in your materials for decorating purposes. Also are you aware that these articles may be had from the manufacturers in any form desired,and at a cost quite reason- able? Loose leaves, flowers and vines can be used to great advantage in spe- cial trims, in the way of festoons, floral drapery for columns, edges, sides and tops of windows, etc. I can see no reason why the_ general prejudice against things artificial should continue in this regard. It is not like wearing an artificial flower on one’s coat, or us- ing them for ornaments at home. The manufacturers of these goods have re- duced their business to an art, and their output is suitable and appropriate in the best of window trims. The term ‘‘natural prepared plants’’ may convey little or no impression to your mind. Natural prepared plants are chemically perpetuated just as they stand, the growth and life being arrested, while every detail and feature of a liv- ing plant and its life-like appearance are retained. In some instances, it is early impossible to detect the difference, especially by sight. It would be well for trimmers to keep posted on the new and beautiful things that are constantly coming out in this line. They are even more valuable in shoe windows than in displays of cloths, laces, dresses and such things, as such exhibitions are really ornamental in themselves, with their colors, shapes and possibilities of arrangement. Shoes in themselves are not diversely ornamen- tal, and something bright and highly colored is necessary to give an exhibi- tion of shoes a pleasing appearnace. Many trimmers, no doubt, have their faults, but too often they are not so much to blame as the men they are working for. Of the greatest import- ance to the merchant are his windows, and how they are trimmed, but many of them persist in hampering their trim- mer in different ways. One way is not to give him a free hand in planning and carrying out his displays. They seem to think the trimmer is not competent to judge what should be shown in the window, and how it should be shown. They give him an order to show a cer- tain line of goods and expect him to get the old trim out, the window cleaned and cleared and retrimmed in the space of an hour or two, and then after the new display is in, find fault with, and criticise the bad points of it. It looks like small justice to the man who is constantly racking his brain for ideas with which to advance his window trims. Sometimes a trimmer, when he asks permission to purchase a few nickel stands, is met by a blank refusal; the merchant thinks that as they have got along without them in the past they can do without them in the future. Such merchants as these do not realize that their windows must keep pace with the advances of their business. What is it that makes the biggest impression upon the public if not the window displays, and how is the public to know the class of store and the up-to-dateness of the goods handled without them? Then why is it that so many merchants can not or will not see for themselves that they must encourage and not discourage the window man? Perhaps they are afraid he will ask for more pay. If heisa good trimmer it is an even chance that he deserves it. I should think it would be well for the merchant to have a chat now and then with his trimmer, concerning what to display. Give him reasonable time to plan and carry out his displays. Keep away from him while he is in the win- dow. When he has put in a creditable display tell him so, and let him know either directly or indirectly that you are satisfied with his work. lf you have an idea, point it out to him, of course, but if it conflicts with his, do not force him to adopt it, as he is supposed to know what is required better than you do; if he doesn’t, he shouldn’t be there. Lay aside a sum each year for window ex- penses, and leave it to the trimmer’s discretion what to purchase. Right now, by the way, is a-good time to do this. If the trimmer knows his business, he will make economical use of this ap- propriation, and keep within it. Make him feel that you have confidence in him.—Shoe and Leather Gazette. —__> 2. The happy should not insist too much upon their happiness in the presence of the unhappy. soda tata dats tr tr tanta tn tn tnt te dn tp tnt tp pip POF FG GV FOO OVE VV OU UVU UU Half a Century of shoe making has per- fected in the knowledge of the merchants’ re- quirements. C. M. Henderson & Co. «Western Shoe Builders ’”’ Cor. Market and Quincy Sts., Chicago bo da ba ba bn hn Ln bn hr Mn hi ki hi Ma bs hi Me Mi Ma Me i i hi ll i i ii i ih hi hi i i i i hh i ht FOF FGF OF VV VV VV EVV Li i Mi Li bi Li, hi, hh Mi Mi Mi Mi Mi Mi Mi i hi hn he hi li i a The Celebrated “Ione” Shoe for Men Soi \U Velour and Vici Kid Stock. Re- tails at $2.50. The Western Shoe Co., Toledo, Ohio Distributors ahha GRAND RAPIDS SHOE. | HARD PAN Sixteen years ago, using such materials as would warrant good results, at the same time keeping the cost at a nominal figure, we gave form to our ideal of a man’s everyday shoe. We Named It the Hard Pan That we hit the nail on the head is evidenced by the fact that this shoe has won a reputation envied but seldom attained by other makes. RINDGE, KALMBACH, LOGIE & CO., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. EO ESE eR. SE a. ee em. BRADLEY & METCALF CoO., MILWAUKEE, WIS. WE SELL GOODYEAR GLOVE RUBBERS. we. OR a a a a ee a. ol ERIE 1902 ! Make a resolution that cat do you good. Buy more of Bradley & Metcalf Co.’s shoes and your business will increase. Try it. EE GR Ge ee 14 Clothing Loss of Dignity Which Comes Through Strife. Two furnishing goods houses in Maine have recently been engaged in a cut rate warfare quite as warm as the winter underwear which formed the subject matter of the scrimmage and of the mu- tual recriminations and _ pleasantries that the two firms in question hurled at each other in long daily advertisements, which must have afforded sincere pleas- ure to the local newspapers whose space they so generously purchased. This was a David and Goliath-like encounter, even to the ending, which, as in the biblical test of arms, was in fa- vor of David, or the smaller contestant. The smaller firm, a somewhat hustling establishment, seemed always willing to go one better than the other fellow. In this case David’s winning strata- gem consisted, as duly advertised, in throwing the underwear from the roof of the store into the street, to be scrambled for by the most able-bodied and strenu- ous members of the particularly large and lively crowd which had gathered in the hope of amusement or booty. To use the words of one of the local papers the scrimmage was “‘away ahead of foot ball.’’ As the truculent nature of this national pastime is a matter of common knowledge, it is not surprising that,ata very early stage of the proceed- ings, the large number of the fair sex who were. present with a hope of sharing in the spoils, simultaneously went (to again quote our chronicler) ‘‘away back and sat down.’’ Chivalry in the breast of the male warriors had been killed by sordid hopes of free underwear. Of course, it can not be denied that there are, for some people, very decided advantages in this method of advertise- ment and conquest of a competitor. ‘It is an ill wind that blows nobody good,’’ and free clothing is, it must be confessed, a sublime thought, and one likely to evoke the enthusiastic approval of the deserving and lusty poor and of economical persons, who are willing to sink their dignity in order to realize such a desirable proposition. Then, too, the little exposures of pri- vate business methods, the insinuations and abuse showered on each other by the combative firms, must bea source of sincere delight to their competitors who, not being blinded by bitterness, are probably well aware that particular and desirable customers are very likely to keep aloof from both of the warring firms. To the male and female busy- bodies of a comparatively small town the opportunity for gossip and unctious repetition, afforded by each telling stroke of mouthy battle, is little short of a godsend. ° On the other hand, to each of the firms engaged, there must come a dis- tinct loss of dignity, organization, and discipline, the likelihood of being avoided by conservative and desirable customers, whom this kind of thing in- variably annoys, and an actual loss, en- tailed through advertisements which would ordinarily be unnecessary, and the partial or complete sacrifice of the merchandise in point. In this case the smaller firm was ap- parently aggrieved and seems to have scored an undoubted and popular vic- tory. Yet, victory is, in such a strife, but a melancholy satisfaction. + +. In a prominent department store a curious incident was noted the other day. Asalesman at the neckwear coun- MICHIGAN ter had, unfortunately, a more than us- ually exacting customer to wait upon. Nothing seemed to quite suit this ‘‘crank.’’ Two ladies approached the counter, and one of them, taking up a necktie, said to the other, ‘‘Shall we give him half a dozen of this shape?’’ At this critical moment, the crank said to our salesman, ‘‘I will take this one,’’ but he spoke to the air, for the individ- ual he addressed, drawn by the hope of a good and apparently easy sale, had deserted him to attend to the two ladies. Another salesman stood dreaming at the end of the counter; he had not been awakened to attend one of the patrons. With a _ scowl, the ‘‘crank’’ threw down the necktie he had decided to pur- chase, and stalked out of the store. And the ladies, with the delightful inconse- quence of their sex, decided not to pur- chase any neckwear that day. So our salesman fell between two stools. And the store made—no sale, and an enemy. * Ox There is a certain wholesale and re- tail firm which has for the past two years been advertising its retirement from the retail trade as the ostensible reason for the quotation of sacrificial prices on an apparently unlimited stock. Each of their advertisements in some way touches upon the inevitable end of their retail existence. Yet, the end does not come, may indeed never come. It seems incomprehensible that this firm can not discern the damage to their reputation for sincerity caused by these constant, but never fulfilled, statements of retirement. Their newspaper and window advertisements are peculiar, characteristic and noticeable, therefore their incessant cry of ‘‘wolf’’ has be- come an old story with the old result, and their advertised bargains, being hinged on an improbable or uncertain event, have come to be ranked with the ‘‘fire sales,’’ ‘‘removal sales,’’ etc., obtaining in dubious quarters. ae: A busy man’s prime objection to pur- chasing his furnishings in a department store is nearly always found to rest on the annoying delay in the return of his parcel and change. Knowing this, it would appear to be good policy for an establishment de- voted exclusively to the sale of men’s furnishing goods to eliminate delay, so far as possible, and really be what it is supposed to be, a store for busy men. But not all furnishing goods retailers think this way. Some of them have mistaken their vocation, and should be earning fame and fortune as proprietors of Turkish baths, where men goto kill the time which is of no value. In a furnishing goods store lately no- ticed one’s purchases were, in a leisurely manner, carried up to the desk, to take their turn among the number of other articles to be wrapped by a tired per- son, who also made the change. In this way the unhappy customer found it very possible to pass from ten minutes to a quarter of an hour waiting for his bun- dle.—Apparel Gazette. We'll Give You Fits this season and also increase your glove trade if you will pur- chase the celebrated glove line of MASON, CAMPBELL & CO., JOHNSTOWN, N. Y. If our salesmen do not cal! on you, drop them a line at Lansing, Mich. Cc. H. BALL, : Central and Northern Michigan. P. D. ROGERS, Northern Ohio and Indiana and Southern Michigan. TRADESMAN William Connor Wholesale Ready [lade Clothing 28-30 South Ionia Street, Grand Rapids, Mich, It has proven a great convenience to the trade generally, as well as to myself, my having opened up a permanent ready made clothing establishment, located as above, and I respectfully announce that my entire line of spring samples is now on view in one of the largest and best lighted rooms for display in Michigan. I have every stvle, size and pattern in Men’s, Youths’, Boys’ and Children’s Clothing, from the very lowest to the highest prices, with the best of finish that is made. In addi- tion, I have added samples of every kind of summer wear, direct from the factory of Messrs. Miller & Co., Baltimore, Md., including Alpaca Coats, Mohair Coats and Vests, Ministers’ Coats, Drap De Ete Coats, Duck Suits, White and Fancy Vests, Serge Suits, Pongee Coats and Vests, Crash and Flannel Suits, etc., etc. I have more samples for the merchants to select from than any wholesale house in Roches- ter, New York, Chicago or elsewhere. Call and judge for yourself. Customers’ expenses allowed. Office hours daily 7:30 a. m. to6 p. m., except Saturday, then 7:30 a.m. to1 p.m. A great line of Pants for all ages. Twenty-two years in the business. WILLIAM CONNOR. APPPPPAPPPPPPPPPPPIPIPPPAPIPPPPIIPPIEA Send us your mail orders © No. 6001. Plush Windsor. $4.50 to 12.00 No. 6018. $2.25 to 12.00 in Beavers and Kerseys per dozen. all colors. Satisfaction Fresh Guaranteed Goods No. 6244. Yacht $2.25 to 9.00 per dozen, We have some extra good values in Gloves and Mittens at $2.25, 4.50 and 9.00 per dozen. G. H. Gates & Co., 143 Jefferson Ave., Detroit : APPPIPA SEEEEEEPEEEEE PETE TEEPE Eres The Peerless M’f’g Co., Detroit, Mich. Manufacturers of the well known brand of. Peerless Pants, Shirts, Overalls and Lumbermen’s Wear Also dealers in men’s furnishings. Mail orders FROM DEALERS will receive prompt attention. ehhh hhh 4h Grand Rapids Office, 28 South Ionia Street In charge of Otto Weber, whose office hours are from 9 a. m. to 6 p.m. + + + + + + + + + + + + i + + + $44 PEPE EEE E TEESE EEE PE EEe MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 15 Dry Goods Weekly Market Review of the Principal Staples. Staple Cottons—Heavy brown sheet- ings and drills are in a well-sold condi- tion and firm, although there is little to report in the way of current business for the week under review. Bleached cot- tons are without quotable changes in prices, but all the leading lines are so well situated that the keeping of prices to their present level seems, according to what agents say, only a matter of policy on their part, conditions really warranting advances. It is more than likely that these advances will be named, however, very shortly. Wide sheetings are quiet, but everywhere tule very firm, and hints are made of ad- vances in the near future. There is no change reported in cotton flannels or blankets, although they are all reported firm. Denims are still in very small supply, and sold ahead, and prices are very firm. All other lines of coarse colored cottons are well conditioned and firm, although not all are as well situ- ated as denims. Prints—In staple calicoes buyers ap- pear to be pretty well supplied, but the market is in a comfortable condition, many of the lines being well sold ahead. Fancy calicoes and specialties are quiet and show no new feature. Percales and printed flannelettes are quiet but firm. Plain domets are steady, but fancy domets. show slight irregularities in spots. Ginghams—Staple ginghams continue in the strong position they have held for some time, and in several quarters orders are accepted ‘‘at value only.’’ Dress ginghams and all fine woven fab- rics are sold well ahead, and very firm in price. Dress Goods—As is to be expected the dress goods market continues quiet- ly situated. There is business doing, but it lacks snap and vim. It is busi- ness of a filling-in character, the orders being of no large size individually, but no less acceptable to the trade. Mills making staple fabrics suited for dress uses and also suits and separate skirts, are generally well employed. Some very fair business is reported in heavy weight skirtings, the demand running to meltons, cheviots, friezes, etc. The dress goods demand ‘still ‘runs to ex- tremes—cloth effects on one hand and sheer fabrics of extreme lightweight on the other. Although a good many suit and skirt salesmen are now on the road, and some fair orders have been sent in, the business has not yet developed to any great extent. The business that has been done is primarily of staple charac- ter. The cutter-up is confident of the outcome, and expects that from now on the business will develop in a pleasing way. Underwear—The last of the fine wool underwear is now on the market and enquiries in regard to it are becoming more animated. Fleeces are said to have secured a fair amount of business for fall and largely at the standard prices for standard goods. It seems as though the goods sold at lower prices, even although they purport to be full standards in every respect, had made buyers suspicious. Reports came to hand for a while to the effect that a good business was being secured by the salesmen, who were in the West show- ing these goods, but soon came other re- ports from the sections through which these men traveled, which seemed to throw some doubt on the earlier state- ments, and the latest show that the full standard goods shown by houses that have reputations to sustain are having by far the greatest success. From the present conditions, it seems as though the season would after all be drawn out rather long, contrary to what was ex- pected just before the holidays. There appeared to be no reason why the _busi- ness should not be done up with snap and vigor, but the actions of a few mills changed this very materially. They put their men on the road before there was any hope of doing any legitimate business, and then when orders failed to flow in freely, they proceeded to cut their prices. Buyers were in an ex- cellent condition to place their orders quickly when the proper time arrived, but when this phase of the business pre- sented itself, it made them feel that there was no strength to the underwear market and they became suspicious of all prices and all statements of sales- men. The only natural result of all this has been to make the season a long one, because buyers will work carefully, shopping around until they make sure that they are right when they place their orders. We believe that a number of these under-priced lines will be with- drawn in the near future and that price- cutting will end. The jobbing end of the trade has begun to liven up consid- erably. Their stocks and those of the retailers’ are at a very low ebb and prices will be easily maintained in this section of the market. Hosiery—The domestic agents have had very little to do this past week and are able to take things easy, rather a welcome change in many ways after the long, brisk season, which they have been through. The foreign mills are busy preparing for their January ship- ments. They have only just completed shipments which were promised for December, and unless they can increase their January production they will be still further behind on the shipments for this month. The jobbers have had a good hosiery trade during the week. They are just beginning to place spring orders with the manufacturers. They promise that their orders will be large so the hosiery mills will soon have their hands full. Lace open-work effects are in such good favor that a number of the mills are putting in special machinery for the express purpose of making these goods. The supply from domestic mills, coupled with the imported goods, did not satisfy the trade last season, hence the increased production anticipated. It has been a little difficult to persuade re- tailers that fancy hosiery for both men and women will be an important feature of next spring’s and summer’s business, but they are now beginning to realize that this will be a fact and are prepar- ing accordingly. Many improvements have been made in the make-up, not the least of which is the increased care in the color combinations. True artistic and asthetic values are considered and the results are so far superior to what we have formerly been accustomed to seeing that it would appear as though the present production was the begin- ning of a new era in the manufacture of fancy hosiery in this country and abroad. We are not likely to again see the crude efforts of those whoare merely striving to get recognition by means of brilliancy and glaring effects, but all seem to have been educated to a point of harmony and eternal fitness. It is noteworthy that hosiery is not included in January sales in retail realms, for it seems as though there was no more in retail stocks than could be disposed of in the ordinary channels of business at regular prices. Carpets—With the ushering in of the new year the carpet manufacturing trade finds itself in an exceedingly pros- perous condition as a whole. A major- ity of the plants of the country are fully employed and have orders on hand that will last for some months to come. In the 3{ goods line, the demand is the strongest, and manufacturers of these goods are reaping good returns from prices that compare well with previous years. Of course, prices of the raw ma- terial, yarns, etc., are much higher than in most seasons, but with the advance from 234c up made by most of the mills within the past week or two, the differ- ence in the cost of stock is more than covered. The prosperity of the country at large is indicated in the carpet mar- ket by the strong demand for the high- grade carpets. Not for some years has the carpet trade received such a call for goods of the better qualities as that which it is enjoying at the present time, and this can be readily seen when offic- ials of several large mills working on such classes of goods state that orders have been taken for the balance of the season. This has reference to the larger mills, and the bulk of the orders were taken before the advance was made a week orso ago, The smaller manu- facturers, while well supplied with or- ders for near-by delivery, are in a posi- tion to take considerably more orders at the better prices. Thus manufactur- ers of the smaller caliber will find that their profits at the end cf the season will be much larger proportionately than those of their larger competitors who filled up with orders at the season’s opening. The first of the new year finds the ingrain carpet market in a much brighter condition than for a year or more. In Philadelphia nearly all the weavers are busy on orders for January delivery, but orders for delivery beyond January have not as yet become numer- ous. Manufacturers, however, are not worrying much about the future, but are giving their undivided attention to things of the present. The prospects are favorable for a good business the bal- ance of the season. Prices on ingrains are exceedingly low, and it is doubtful in most cases if the manufacturer is able to get any return at all for his trouble. The qualities of goods this year are sur- prisingly good, considering the low prices manufacturers are forced to ac- cept on account of buyers refusing to pay their asking prices. Smyrna Rugs—Rug manufacturers are well supplied with orders for Smyrna rugs, and consequently all of their ma- chinery is running on full time. The demand for these rugs does not seem to show any falling off, and, in fact, the call at the present time appears to be larger than for some time past. Ask to see Samples of Pan-American Guaranteed Clothing Makers Wile Bros. & Weill, Buffalo, N.Y. M. Wile & Co. Famous Makers of Clothing Buffalo, N. Y. Samples on Request Prepaid have ever shown. Wholesale Dry Goods Grand Rapids, Michigan It will pay to look them over. Voigt, Herpolsheimer & Co. INO2 Will find our travelers out with better lines than we 4 <2: aa We have a large and complete assortment of prints in the following makes: American Indigo Blues American Shirtings American Black and Whites Simpson Greys Simpson Black and Whites Simpson Percales Simpson Fancies Hamilton Reds Hamilton Staples Hamilton Twilled Robes Hamilton Patchwork Amaranth Fancies, Tartan Reds, etc., and our prices are right. P. STEKETEE & SONS, Wholesale Dry Goods Grand Rapids, Michigan 16 Butter and Eggs Observations by a Gotham Egg Man. Ever since we reached the height of cold storage egg accumulations last July all outside influences seem to have conspired in favor of owners of reserve stocks, A situation which was then de- cidedly unpromising, by reason of the very large quantity put away at a rela- tively high average cost, was materially improved by the prevalence of excep- tionally hot weather in July and August, entailing enormous waste of summer production and opening an unusually free summer outlet for early storages. And although there were carried into the fall season so large accumulations as to make the final outcome still dubious, the later weather conditions have all been so favorable that the prospect of a satisfactory wind up of the better grades has almost steadily improved until of late a clearance of all useful qualities at profitable figures has been practically assured. Usually the reduc- tion of fresh collections incident to the fall season carries the supply of fresh eggs to the lowest point during Novem- ber and early December and is followed by an increase during the latter month when the weather conditions are not un- favorable. But this year, just at the time when an increase of the lay was to be expected in Southerly sections, a pro- tracted period of extreme cold weather occurred, checking any increase and permitting a close clearance of fresh eggs in all parts of the country. This has kept the weight of consumptive de- mand on the storage accumulations to such an extent as to reduce the quantity left on hand at the opening of the New Year to very moderate figures, and as there are still no indications that sup- plies of fresh can increase materially before the latter part of the month there is now good reason to expect a very sat- isfactory clearance of the quantity re- maining. Reports from Chicago indi- cate a remaining stock in refrigerators there of about 60,000 cases on January 1. In Philadelphia there are believed to be very few eggs on hand, and the hold- ings in other Southeastern Pennsylvania houses are small,as are also those in in- terior New York cities. The three houses at Jersey City, Albnay, and Springfield, controlled by Eastern States Refrigerating Company, had only 18,000 cases left on January 1, of which less than 5,000 cases were held at Jersey City. Boston’s stock at the close of the old year was about 38,000 cases—rather more in proportion than at other points in the East. New York houses are esti- mated to have held on January 1 only about 18,000 cases of the eggs originally stored here, but in addition to these there were several thousand cases of limed eggs and of refrigerator eggs which had been sent forward from in- terior houses and re-stored at this point. Of such there were probably enough to bring our total holdings on January 1 up to about 32,000 cases. +2 Some facts about fall refrigerator eggs will bear consideration by those who are accustomed to putting stock away dur- ing September and October. At that season of the year the fresh collections of eggs are more or less badly mixed with shrunken and weak bodied country holdings and unless great care is taken in culling these out the fall packings when offered in later markets receive no preference over the finer qualities of spring eggs. Of course their cost is BEDE vB its A ote aera ea tenn ee gr MICHIGAN much higher and we have _ observed many lots recently offered for which owners could scarcely get a new dollar back for an old one. Of course closely selected fall eggs, such as were practic- ally new laid when put away in late September and October, would now be salable well up toward the value of fresh gathered eggs and would make a fair profit; but to have graded stock so closely last October would have made it cost very high and it is only the abnor- mal scarcity of fresh eggs now which would permit a favorable outcome on such goods. On the lots put away con- taining a large proportion of shrunken and weak eggs it is impossible to realize satisfactory prices in relation to their cost. The improving facilities for carrying spring eggs and the extended period during which the finest Aprils maintain fine quality should induce a change in the method of handling fall refrigerators ; they should be put in only when closely graded and with the old and shrunken country holdings thrown out; if they can not be obtained cheap enough to permit such close assortment, they had best be let alone. + + + When the winter egg market rises to high figures through scarcity there is usually a later loss to shippers arising from a failure to anticipate quickly enough the later decline. Prices are likely to fall heavily with the first in- dication of material increase in supplies and we urge shippers to put their prices down at primary points as soon as there are any signs of a larger run of stock, and not to wait for a break in distrib- uting markets; otherwise there will come a time when they will make bad losses. —N. Y. Produce Review. oo Handling Freight Cars. Just at this time, when shippers and dealers East and West are calling vain- ly for more freight cars, it is encourag- ing to read of the rapid method of handling freigit cars at the Philadel- phia yards of the Pennsylvania Rail- road. Three hundred miles of track within the city limits are devoted to this work alone, and ordinarily a train of average length can be broken up, re-marked *and disposed of in twenty minutes. In or- der to accomplish this rapid transit, twenty different squads of men are de- tailed, all acting under one leader. This work is done chiefly at night, and the ‘‘yard,’’ as the great gridiron of tracks is called, flashes with lights of different colors, all used in signaling orders to the busy workers. When a freight train reaches the yard —each car bearing its appropriate label and chalk marks—a local car marker takes charge of it and scrawls on every car the most astonishing signs, which no one but a freight handler could un- derstand. But all the workers in the yard are initiated into the mysteries of the chalk marks and the orders scribbled on each car are rapidly carried out. ——__» 2. How to Increase Sale on Bulk Pickles. Bulk pickles form a profitable item in a grocer’s stock, but unfortunately they are hard to exhibit and, as a conse- quence, the sale in most stores is lim- ited. We recently talked toa retailer who claimed to have solved the problem of showing pickles in variety at an economy of room, and his method is so simple and inexpensive that we give it to our readers as a timely suggestion. His plan was to purchase glass globes, such as are sold for aquariums. These he placed upon his counters filled with pickles, etc. He claims to have in- creased his sale ten fold. SSeS PRES CR se Ta eS TRADESMAN --Parchment Paper for Roll Butter-- Write for Prices to C. D. CRITTENDEN, 98 South Division St., Grand Rapids Successor to C. H. Libby, Wholesale Butter, Eggs, Fruits, Produce Consignments solicited. Reference, State Bank of Michigan. Both phones, 1300. SHIP YOUR BUTTER AND ECCS R. HIRT, JR., DETROIT, MICH., and be sure of getting the Highest Market Price. Geo. N. Huff & Co. WANTED 10,000 Dozen Squabs, or Young Pigeons just before leaving nest to fly. Also Poultry, Butter, Eggs and Old Pigeons. Highest market guaranteed on all shipments. Write for references and quotations, 55 Cadillac Square, Detroit, Michigan “WANTED” BEANS, POP CORN, PEAS, CLOVER SEED ALFRED J. BROWN SEED Co., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. POTATOES Wanted in carlots only. We pay highest market price. In writing state variety and quality. H. ELMER MOSELEY & CO. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Long Distance Telephones—Citizens 2417 304 & 305 Clark Building, Bell Main 66 Opposite Union Depot WHOLESALE OYSTERS CAN OR BULK. F. J. DETTENTHALER, Grand Rapids, Mich. GOO0000009000000000000000000000000000000000000006 ¢ The Vinkemulder Company Wholesale Fruits and Produce Specialties: Onions and Potatoes Write or telephone us if you have any stock to offer. 14-16 OTTAWA STREET, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. OOO209009000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Buy your . EGG CASES AND FILLERS from L. J. SMITH & CO., Eaton Rapids, Mich. Carload lots or small packages to suit purchaser. Send for price list. Large stock. Prompt shipments. SSF ATEN aaa nap Sete = mame = -_ sO ae ee ——~ — a ne Sete = mame = — ee OM nee MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 17 Poultry Peculiarities Pertaining to the Handling of Poultry. ‘*The very satisfactory prices realized for fine turkeys during the recent holi- days should stimulate farmers in nearby sections to raise more of them,"’ re- marked a receiver. ‘‘We always have a pretty good outlet for fancy nearby tur- keys,’’ he continued, ‘‘and I should think that State, Jersey and other near- by poultry raisers would have more stock ready for the big holidays. Notwith- standing the limited supply here for the last holidays, there are said to bea good many in shippers’ hands and I] don’t see why they would not have been better off if they had sold them instead of waiting for a later market.’’ * * * ‘““It is getting so there is no trade at all on Saturday,’’ said a poultry mer- chant. ‘‘And the little stock received has to be carried over until the next week, Shippers should time their poul- try so it will arrive here earlier in the week.’’ Other receivers expressed them- selves in about the same way. The live poultry receivers have comparatively little trade after Wednesday and any- thing in late Friday or Saturday nearly always has to be carried over for the following week. The cost of feeding and the additional shrinkage makes quite an item for the shipper and it would therefore be better to have the livestock arrive on the days it can be sold. Best market days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. * * * The amount of dressed poultry re- ceived from other markets during the year is considerable. Last week New York was higher than some neighboring markets and quite a little poultry was reshipped to this market. This seems like a pretty good advertisement for the New York market. ie € ‘‘T noticed a canner around looking for stock one day-recently,’’ said a poul- try merchant. ‘‘I don’t see,’’ he con- tinued, ‘‘how they secure stock as their prices are usually so low that we can rarely ever sell them anything. Pos- sibly they buy most of their pooultry on other markets or in the West.’’ . * * x I ran across a letter not long ago which was quite interesting. A shipper wrote that if the commission could be shaded he would give the house a trial. Attention has often been drawn to the high expenses of the commission receiv- ers in this market. Rents are high, good help is high,and many other items are more expensive than in other mar- kets so that the cost of running a com- mission business in New York is more than in other cities. Consequently the commission is comparatively lower than elsewhere owing to the higher expenses and it is impossible to shade it without a loss on the commission man’s part. Many shippers seem to object to paying the commission more than any other item in their expense. They evidently do not realize the position of the com- mission merchant nor the risk he takes and as regards shipping to houses will- ing to cut commissions, the less shipped them the better off the shipper will be. There is a wide difference in the quality of poultry received in market, some sections or states sending a much higher grade of stock than other parts of the country. This is especially notice- able in the Far Western and the South- ern and Southwestern receipts which generally average poorer than stock from other points. There seems to be lots of room to grade up the poultry in these localities. It costs no more to raise high grade poultry than ‘‘scrubs,’’ in fact, the latter are more expensive to raise. Some farmers think that as long as they only raise poultry for market there is no necessity of having blooded stock. That is where they are in error, for if they raise for market they want the heavy market variety just as much as they want the small egg-strains of poultry if they keep fowls for the egg results.—N. Y. Produce Review. —_——-—_>-0 > --— Pointers on Unsound Flour. All contaminated odors and flavors affecting flour are universally con- demned by consumers, whether they be those communicated by foul or ill-smell- ing cars, for which the miller can hardly be held responsible, or those originating in the harvesting or milling of the wheat. The former are more or less unavoid- able, but the latter frequently could be prevented by a little extra care on the miller’s part. Of the second class the chief undesir- able odors or flavors are caused by either unsound or water soaked berries, or else from too much moisture in the flour, which, aggravated by tight pack- ing and warmth, develops the odor or- dinarily described as ‘‘mustiness. ’’ Neither the taint caused by this mus- tiness, nor the flavor due to unsound wheat, readily disappears from the bread during baking, and consequently they furnish a’ proper cause for its re- jection by the various boards of in- spectors, ‘ More than three-fourths of the un- soundness of flours is caused by the ac- tion of water on the wheat berry. It may be that the grain was wet through to the bran, which, while not rendering it unsound or unfit for use, gave it an odor of wet straw. This odor usually disappears when the flour is baked. Sometimes it is the result of the straw having been rotted by rain before it was threshed; it then permeated its berries with its foul odor, and they in turn fla- vored the flour during the process of grinding. The miller can {frequently prevent this latter trouble by first wetting the water- soaked wheat with pure water and then drying it. This process of vaporizing the moisture carries off the effects of the foul water in the evaporation. The evil arising from unsound grain can only be prevented by extreme care on the miller’s part. Often wheat which he considers sound will contain a small quantity of poor grain and each kernel of bad wheat is estimated as being able to ruin the flour of 500 good kernels. Hence it is almost impossible for a miller to avoid being caught sometimes with unsound flour, since the effect of bad wheat is so far reaching and power- ful. What Brings Success to the Feed Dealer. The first essential of success for the hay or feed dealer is summed up in the words ‘‘first-class goods at fair prices.’’ The man who hopes to build up a good business must, first of all, sell the best grades of the article he has tc offer; or at least as high a grade as any offered by his competitors. If a hay and feed dealer—or a manufacturer of feeds either—is content to put an inferior ar- ticle on the market, he will eventually find himself left in the lurch and the trade will pass him by. So our first word of advice to all the men who are striving to build up a business in hay, flour and feed, either as shippers or re- ceivers, is this: Keep your trade stand- ards high. Insist upon making and sell- ing a thoroughly good article. Do not have chaff ground up with your feeds or rocks imbedded in the middle of your bales of hay. A reputation for high grade goods is worth money to a busi- ness man and is the surest factor ina successful career. But this is not enough. Twenty-five years ago the reliable maker of feeds or seller of hay had only to sit in his office and wait for his customers to come to him. To-day this method of conducting business would soon bring him to sstar- vation. The new era requires that both manufacturer and dealer shall reach out after trade. Otherwise trade will calm- ly walk past their door without so much as pricing their goods. The unwary reader of the daily newspaper is amazed at the seeming extravagance of the great business houses that fill whole pages with their flaming advertisements, and this unwary reader exclaims over the thousands of dollars expended every year in this way. But the business managers of these great concerns are the wise men of their day and generation, and that the vast sums spent in making known their wares are excellent invest- ments is proved by the continuance of the methad after years of experiment in advertising. This fact simply illustrates the gen- eral principle that, at the present time, any business man, in order to be suc- cessful, must make himself known to the customers he desires to reach—whether they are in the same township or in Kamchatka. He must reach out in all directions, telling the people where he is and what excellent bargains he has to offer them. This he can do either by means of agents or through the columns of the papers devoted to the interests of histrade. No matter how fine his feeds or how bright in color his hay, the up- to-date dealer or shipper must make his goods known if he expects to build up a permanent and successful business. —__~>_42—__ It may not be proper to precede the ‘|father of your best girl downstairs—but sometimes you have to. A light purse makes a dark heart. Air castles are built with sunbeams. I NEED YOUR Small shipments of FRESH EGGS for my retail trade. L. 0. SNEDECOR, 36 Harrison St., N. Y. EGG RECEIVER Reference—New York National Exchange Bank, New York. W. C. TOWNSEND, Wholesale Fruit and Produce Commission Merchant, Eggs, Poultry, Veal, Etc. References: Columbia National Bank, Dun’s and Bradstreet’s Commercial Agencies. 84-86 W. Market St., Buffalo, N. Y. Elk Street Market. 9 North Ionia Street If you give us your HOLIDAY ORDERS For Oranges, Lemons, Cranberries, Grapes, Figs, Nuts, Dates, Etc., you will get the best goods in the market at the right prices. E. E. HEWITT Grand Rapids, Michigan JACOB HOEHN, JR. Stencils Furnished Upon Application Established 1864 HOEHN & MAYER Produce Commission Merchants 295 Washington Street and 15 Bioomfield Street (op. West Washington Market), New York MAX MAYER SPECIALTIES: DRESSED POULTRY, GAME AND EGGS Correspondence Solicited References—Irving National Bank, New York County National Bank. Carloads or less. MOSELEY BROS. BUY BEANS, CLOVER SEED, FIELD -PEAS, POTATOES, ONIONS, If any stock to offer write or telephone us. 28-30-32 OTTAWA ST., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. WE WANT MORE GOOD POULTRY SHIPPERS We buy live stock every day in the week. WRITE US. F. J. SCHAFFER & CO., DETROIT, MICH. Write for reference or ask Michigan Tradesman. Eastern Market. 4 * ee a Peete aig Meal ced dis ddbas en snibtce santas eeu aa Ra cdg hai: each Mio pte a we ot eee - eres einen setae: ad il oseee ree rere s Ss eel renee cari nd ooercak eesti 4 aA ahaa 18 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN os Hardware Value of Association and Contact With Competition. In the early ages of the world the hardware dealer was an unknown factor for the reason that he had no mission to perform. As the world progressed and there came a demand for some one who could supply to his neighbor the various implements of warfare, agriculture or household necessity that were manufac- tured from metal, he came into exist- ence, and has remained until this day. He is an example of evolution, as is all the world, and that evolution is by no means ended, but on the contrary is progressing with more rapid strides, year by year, than ever before. Taking this evolution, then, as a theme, I venture to offer a few thoughts to the hardware dealers of the country for their consideration at the opening of a new year, with the hope that some- thing may be found in them which, even if not new (for there is nothing new under the sun), may be found worthy of their consideration and pos- sible adoption. When the first hardware store in the world was opened (I do not know where it was, nor is it essential that we should waste time in ascertaining), it is fair to presume that the stock was not so large and varied as that found in the stores of the present day, for the reason that the demand did not exist, and where no de- mand exists, every merchant knows that it is foolish for him to carry a stock. As time progressed the variety increased until the present day, when ‘a complete hardware stock isa marvel to the un- initiated and they stand and gape with wonder that any one man should be able to know all about such a multitude of articles as are displayed on the floors, in the show cases and on the shelves of a really first-class hardware dealer. It is no part of this article to make any confession to the public, but as it is presumed to go only to hardware dealers, we may confess to ourselves that the knowledge we do not possess concerning many of the articles that are offered for sale would fill a good-sized book. At the same time we may console our- selves with the thought that, like doc- tors and lawyers, we are supposed to know it all, and if we can Jearn from those two professions to run a good bluff, I see no reason why the dear pub- lic may not be hoodwinked perpetually by a hardware dealer as well as by the esteemed professional men just re- ferred to. In order to do this successfully, how- ever, it is necessary to have a little knowledge, and therefore I am of the epinion that one good thought for the hardware dealer at this time is to con- sider whether he has taken advantage of all the opportunities that are offered him to obtain knowledge of the articles that he makes a business of selling. Has he made a study of the points of merit in one article as compared with another? Does he make it a point to try to carry the best of everything or is he satisfied with an imitation of the best? Is he governed in his purchases by the quality or the price? These are days of keen competition. Days in which the thinking man real- izes that unbridled competition in price is ruinous to all and open toall,and that in such a contest the careless man is liable to meet with failure and bank- ruptcy. No man desires to spend the best years of his life in hard work without making some progress and accumulating a little something for the evening of life, Another thought then for each one to take home to himself is: Am 1 doing all I can to place myself on friendly terms with my competitor so as to pre- vent this competition from ruining us both? If any one feels impelled to answer this question in the negative, is not a New Year’s resolve to do better in or- der? The whole matter of our own rights and our neighbors’ is involved in the resolution. Another thing that may be of interest to some who read this article is the dis- position to be made of all the good ad- vice received. That is the one article of which all people seem disposed to give freely and which the recipients seem to value—well, at a considerable discount from the list price. Perhaps both the giver and receiver may be in error as to its true value. At the risk of having a big discount taken from the advice now offered, I presume to suggest that the hardware dealer can afford to spend some time in thinking. Some one has said, I think it was a hardware dealer, toat the unthinking business man was a curse to all others who competed with him. In my humble opinion, there is much truth in this statement, and the sooner the unthinking man _ changes to a thinker, the better it will be for all who know him. To come to the point, then, the hard- ware dealer should use every means at his command to conduct his business with all the judgment and discretion of which he is capable, and should leave no stone unturned to devise ways and means whereby his relations with his competitors may be of the most friend- ly character. Is there any better way than by asso- ciation and contact with this competi- tor? Is there any better way to obtain new ideas than by getting them from some one whose thoughts are upon the same subjects as your own? Is there any better way to help the good work along than by giving freely of your own ideas, even if they are discounted any- where from 50 to 75 per cent. by some one who does not know a good thing when he sees it? Is there anything better for a hard- ware dealer than association with other hardware dealers through the organiza- tions already in existence? I do not want to answer my own ques- tions. I leave that to you.—H. H. Bishop in American Artisan. ———__2se¢ >______ Slightly Squinting. “*You wouldn’t think that I could have a daughter who is old enough to be married, would you?’’ she asked, sim- pering girlishly. **Well,’’ he said, ‘‘that would de- pend on whether | heard you talk with- out seeing you or saw you without hear- ing you speak,’’ She is still wondering whether he meant it as a compliment or otherwise. ——_-2s02>______ Beauty of Faith. Mrs. Manning—John, I believe you are the biggest liar in the world. The fact is you don't care a fig for me, or you wouldn’t try to deceive me all the time, There was a time when you said I was the best and sweetest woman on earth, ‘ Mr. Manning—And you believed it. Then why can’t you believe the little fibs I tell you now? How Cow Bells Are Made. From the Indianapolis News. A village blacksmith bending over his anvil hammering out a cowbell every now and then to supply the wants of his country’ patrons—that is the common idea of how cowbells are made. Few know that many men are employed the year around by large manufacturing concerns for this special industry. Indianapolis is one of the four cities in the United States that can boast of such a factory, and a ready market is found for its daily production of 180 dozens of bells. It is interesting to note how cowbells are made. Open hearth charcoal iron is used as the metal and the shaping, etc. is done largely by machinery. A sheet of iron is placed in the chopper and cut the required shape and size, after which another machine securely fastens an in- side and outside staple to what will later become the top of the bell. The outside staple is for the collar of the bell’s wearer, to be slipped through while the inside staple is to hold the clapper. From here the unfinished piece goes to the ‘‘cupper,*’ where it gets its shape. This is a heavy ma- chine and the shaper comes down with tremendous pressure on the metal. The operator of this machine must neces- sarily be not only experienced, but con- stantly wide awake, for, as one of the employes remarked, ‘‘A sleepy man would lose a mit the first day.’’ Then the edges are punched and se- curely riveted. Now the bell is ready for the furnace. Eight bells or a nest, are placed in a crucible with a mixture of brass and charcoal. The end of the crucible is entirely covered with a mix- ture of white oak clay and manure, ex- cept for a small hole which is left for the gas to escape. Thirty-five or forty of these crucibles are then dumped into a red hot furnace and left until the brass and charcoal have had time to have their desired effect of brazing, infusing carbon and putting a coating of brass on the surface. The crucibles are then removed, the ends knocked off, and the bells cast intoa big tank of cold water to cool. The furnace room is facetiously termed ‘‘ hell on earth,’’ on account of the awful heat. During the extremely hot weather last summer it was next to impossible to get men to work in this department. Thirty-six tried it one day and all threw up the sponge. When the bells are sufficiently cool they go into the rattler, or rumbler, and come forth highly polished, after which the clapper is placed and they are as- sorted. The ring of the bell is im- portant, the slightest crack in the bell rendering it unmarketable. Such bells are thrown into the scrap pile, to await the avaricious onslaughts of the junk man. Besides cow bells, hog bells and sheep bells are made in the same manner, and thousands of hog nose rings are turned out every day. About the worst joke a woman can play on a man is to marry him. | ae = Mn ‘ 7 ware, etc., etc. 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 Louis St. Sporting Goods, Ammunition, Stoves Window Glass, Bar Iron, Shelf Hard- Foster, Stevens & Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. GOGGGHHGHHGHGHHHHHHHHHGHHHGHGG ’ 10 & 12 Monroe St. Mill Supplies Oils, Waste, Packing, Belt and Hose, Paints, Oils and Varnishes, I. WILCOX CO., Toledo, Ohio Cordage MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 19 RUNNING CLOSE. A Man Who Took No Chances in His Business. A ‘very successful merchant from a country town in the interior, who had built up a fortune ‘‘out of nuthin’,’’ as he said, was recently the center of an interested cornerful in the lobby of a popular hotel. The ‘‘young fellers’’ were firing questions at the old man as to how he ‘‘did it,’’ to which the old one thus appealed to, after shifting his cigar to the opposite corner and medi- tatively rubbing the bald area between his ears, thus made answer: ‘“Well, you see, it’s this-away—I never didn’t take no chances in busi- ness, but I al’ays run her close. *’ ““How do you mean? ‘close’—what is ‘close?’ ’’ ‘*Didn’t never let a dollar lay till she was rusty—kept her goin’—moved her lively all the time.’’ ‘‘Well, now, uncle, just make clear what you mean, will you?’’ ‘All right, I'll make clear, if I kin. An’ I don’t mean ter say that runnin’ her close is the unly thing to doto build up a business; y’ got to have lots o’ horse sense, an’ keep awake in daylight hours, an’ not git rattled, an’ watch the pennies, an’ everlastin'ly hustle; but runnin’ her close was one of the things I did, which I can’t see is done giner- ally—leastways in my neck of the woods. Runnin’ her close is jist keepin’ poor.’’ ‘*To get rich you must keep poor? That seems like a contradiction, uncle; we'll bave to ask you to solve the puz- zle, if you please.’’ ‘**Well now, it’s just this: lal’ayskep’ my money tied up tight in well bought stock, and have nearly al’ays been a borrower to pay my cash bills. Now this was the consekence: Feelin’ the con- stant need o’ money, my exertions was al’ays active; by havin’ to watch the corners all the time, an’ provide money in my hard-upness, | got to 'preciatin’ the meanin’ of discount, an’ my finan- cin’ wits were developed; I watched my credits close, as I couldn’t afford to take no losses; 1 bought close, for I had to make my few dollars goa long way; I didn’t allow no long time to my _ cus- tomers on their bills, for I had to turn my capital frequent, an’ so I had a good excuse for close collectin’; an’ | didn’t fool no money away on theayters, or hoss races, or fine clothes, for I hadn’t none to spare at notime. I was just regularly poor from January 1 to Decem- ber 31, although I was pilin’ up more and more stock; for I put every dollar into stock, and hadn’t a bank balance wo'th speakin’ of. I didn’t look ‘good’ from the banker’s pint of view; but | showed up strong in my inventory !"’ ‘‘Do you think that you wouldn’t have done as well if you had a few thousand dollars loose—over and above the actual needs of your business as it developed?”’ ‘*Yes, I’m sure enough, when I look around and see what’s become of the fellers who started when I did who had money. Say, boys—the young feller who begins rich don’t die rich fre- quent. He ain’t had no need to watch the corners; no need to practice econ- omy, or git his mercantile instincts trained ; he doesn't ’preciate how little things count together for big things; he is indifferent to details, careless in his collections, don’t know or seem to care about discounts, an’ don’t figger close. He's goin’ backward before he knows ae ‘‘Did you say you had a practice of borrowing money?’’ ‘*Young man, I’ve always been a hor- ‘|stock bought judicious. rower, up to a few years ago; I ’spect I’ve paid out enough money for interest to stock a small store. But I’ve hada profit on every dollar I ever borrowed, and [’ve made my biggest gains on bor- rowing money—buying blocks of goods at bargain prices when the chance offered, and that way cleanin’ up some pretty chunky profits, When a man can borrow at 6 per cent. a year, and make IO per cent. on a deal in merchandise, and so turn that borrowed money three or four times in the year—why, makin’ money is just as easy as easy! I never spekalated in merchandise on borrowed money ; but I used horse sense in buy- in’ with it, and right and fair ways in sellin’ the stuff—and that’s all there’s to it. I never borrowed more than I could see my way to pay; an’ sometimes the payin’ wasn’t just handy; but I al’ays paid somehow, an’ kept my credit bright and clean; although sometimes I felt powerful poor afterwards! ‘*No money don’t do no good to you lyin’ in the bank to your account, though it does look purty to the banker in that account; but I never did think it neces- sary to make the banker happy jes’ by his lookin’ at my money—fer I wanted to be happy by looking at a lot of good An’ don’t you fool yourself by thinking that a balance in bank is goin’ to give you a valuable credit outside the bank, or inside the bank; fer a stock bought judicious—a stock that is making money fer you—is a sight more convincin’ than a bank balance. I know, fer I’m at both ends of the line—I’ma merchant and a direc- tor in the bank! Thank you fer a match; these cigars ain’t worth the money; reckon there’s a big profit in hotel cigars. No, much obliged; I don’t drink.’’— Keystone. + - 0 Grand Rapids Man in the Land of Flowers. Los Angeles, Cali., Jan. 1—I wish you a happy and and prosperous New Year. I have just returned from the flower carnival at Pasadena and was nearly roasted. I think of the cold weather at home and wonder if I am dreaming—oranges and roses and flow- ers galore. Last night was a regular Michigan Fourth of July, firecrackers, horns and bells ringing and all having a good time. The city is full of tourists and every train brings more. They claim 2,000 buildings are being erected. Christmas was a fine day and was well celebrated, as there were 200 arrests made, mostly from too much liquid re- freshments. 1 have been to several parks and they look pretty to one who comes from cold weather, even for win- ter. You furnish the water and the cli- mate does the rest. Nice navel oranges are from 10 to 15 cents per dozen. You can get a good meal at from Io to 15 cents—ail you can eat—but rent is high. There are so many people here every- thing seems to be filled. We have some very pleasant sunny rooms on the ground floor, nice yard, grape vines, roses, magnolia, banana trees, etc., one block from the court house, a very fine loca- tion. Our Michigan boys did not do a thing to Stanford! It was fun to hear some of the people here say: ‘‘Our boys will not do a thing to those Michigan fellows from the cold weather. They won’t be able to stand anything.’’ Eastern pco- ple just drowned all the noise they tried to make, there being so many people here from Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa and other Eastern points. I have met several Michigan people here, Tony Benjamin, Mr. VanHoren, Mr. Shrave- send, Mr, J. Strehl, who runs a butter and egg store at 24 Broadway, Grand Rap- ids. Fred Rice, who conducted a grocery store in the Arcade, Grand Rapids, is at Santa Anna, engaged in the bakery business. Wholesale grocery and com- mission houses are not nearly up to our home concerns. Everything is so dusty. Potatoes are large,smooth and fine look- ing, but when you eat them they are wet and soggy. I saw eighteen pumpkins that weighed 3,000 pounds—enough to make pumpkin pies for all the people of Grand Rapids. Fresh eggs are from 30 to 35 cents per dozen. C, Hi. Libby. +> -0-~e Advertised by the Boys They Entertained. From the South Haven Tribune. M. Hale & Co. gave their annual re- ception to the boys between the ages of 6 and 15 years Wednesday. Promptly at g o’clock the boys assembled and were escorted to the back part of the store, where they were blindfolded and put through an initiation similar to that in use by secret societies some time ago. The boys take great sport in tell- ing how they ran against a board or tripped over a rope in being led all over the building. Afterthis they were each provided with a tin horn or some infer- nal noisemaker and sent around town and, judging from the size of the crowd and the noise it made, we should say that every mother’s son in the county was present. This duty heing finished, the boys returned to the store and were each presented with a large sack of candy. >. 9 am Poets take in the’beauties of nature. Their wives usually take in washings. Ab AD ab AB AD A AA AB A 28 2 20 Ah A A hh A a A a DN DD SN NS SS See School Boards From Maine to California a ah ah A AG AB A Ah A AB AB A 2h a Ah ab A A Ah oh ah a a DDD DPSS SS VS VV Y Are beginning to adopt the “WORLD’S ONLY” SANITARY DUSTLESS FLOOR BRUSH as a safeguard against the ravages of contagious dis~ases. It kills the germ in the dust, cheapens the aaa Aaaaae 1 wile Sigh aaa naa eae VSeEyrvesvvey ana eaoeaeaesse — aeaeasaasaasaase SVEseeyseseyyyyy cost of sweeping and saves time. We want a reliable firm in every town to handle our brushes. ee esse6 Milwaukee Dustless Brush Company 121 Sycamore St. Milwaukee, Wis. OOOODOOOHDHOHOHHHHOHOHGOHOHG the second largest in the State. in all departments. Grand Rapids Palace Box Came 19, 21 and 23 E. Fulton St, corner Campau, Grand Rapids, Mich. Established 1866. Now located in their large and commodious new Factory Building— Have greatly increased their facilities Are prepared to quote lowest prices for best work on all kinds of made up boxes, and all kinds of folding boxes; also make a specialty of a'l kinds of box labels and die cutting. 5 Grand Rapids Fixtures Co. Shipped new knocked elegant dows: design Tahes - first a l class combination freight Cigar “= Case rate. No. 36 Cigar Case. This is the finest Cigar Case that we have ever made. Tt is an elegant piece of store furniture and would add greatly to the appearance of any store. Corner Bartlett and South Ionia Streets, Grand Rapids, Mich. There are just two kinds of Coffee: the one that pays a margin and the one that dont. does. pack and sell it. Now take your choice. We roast, Olney & Judson Grocer Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. ee eae an eee ee eee Day ee neiinimaeiancied ~ EAE oie ee Meares oe ee Sram ree ree Re Sanethin Scie ing. ote be ecb RUN CARO BON teeta teres eo PRE Sore De ae eee ce eee eT: Ree ere terentrieeaee came See ES 4 fee ation an noses > Dai ip censor onsrrpenenssntpe ne 20 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Woman’s World The Secret of Happiness Is in Forgetting. The other day two or three of us had forgathered for a cup of afternoon tea, and one of the women was telling with great amusement of a diary her young son had started and which she had _sur- reptitiously inspected. ‘*He took part of his Christmas money and. bought him a great, big, fine leather-covered one,’’ she said, ‘‘in which he intended to put down the complete record of his life. He told me he thought it would be interesting to be able to turn back and see just ex- actly what he had done every day and that it would also be a valuable mine of information to his future biographer in case he should become President or any- thing like that. I agreed with him, and he started out with immense energy and hope. The first page was devoted to a series of New Year's resolutions of such exalted character they would have turned him into an angel and started the pin feathers of his wings to growing in six weeks if he had carried them out. Then began the exciting chronicle of daily life. The first entries read: Jan. 1—Got up. Ate breakfast. Went to school. Played in the afternoon. Had dinner. Studied lessons, Went to bed. Nothing happened. Jan. 2.—Got up. Ate breakfast. Went to school. Played in the afternoon. Had dinner. Went to bed. Nothing happened. Jan. 3—Got up. Ate breakfast. Went to school. Played in the afternoon. Had dinner. Studied lessons. Went to bed. Nothing happened to-day, either. an. 4—Got up. Ate breakfast. Didn’t go to school, because it was Sat- urday. Played. Went to bed. Don’t believe keeping a diary pays unless you are on a desert island or shipwrecked or something. We all laughed at the boyish experi- ence of the universal fate at keeping a diary, and then the woman in the fur hat threw up her hands in a gesture of relief. ‘‘ Thank heaven,’’ she said, ‘‘that form of folly has gone out of fashion, anyway. It used to be the regulation thing for a girl to go through an age of indiscretion in which she spread out her secret thoughts on paper and slopped all over the pages with sentimental gush that it would make her blush to meet face to face with in after life. Oh, I have been through it and I recall the time when I would sit up of nights to indite twaddle about being heart hungry and longing for a soul mate and won- dering if I was not too finely attuned to be ever perfectly happy in this sordid world. The girls of this day are too healthy-minded for that. They get out and play golf and work, and when they get home they want to goto bed, instead of communing with a diary.’’ **And when you wrote what you really thought of people they always found it out somehow, didn’t they?’’ asked an- other middle-aged woman. ‘‘ Nobody would look at a diary, of course. It was sacred from curious eyes and it would have been so dishonorable to pry into its secrets, but when you confided to its pages that you regretted to see that your dear friend Fannie was running after Jim Jones or that while dear Mir- anda was a very sweet girl, anybody could see that she did not have any real intelligence, and was . frivolous and light-minded, your dear Fannie and Miranda always found it out. I lost two cherished friends that way before I learned that a diary could blab.”’ “It’s the men who seem now to be taking up the diary habit,’’ said the girl bachelor with the gold eyeglasses: “‘I notice in two recent divorce cases that the diaries kept by the husbands formed an important point in the evi- dence. In one the husband set down in his faithful diary every spat between himself and his wife. It was awfully interesting and suggestive. One entry said: ‘Quarrel over breakfast. Steak cooked to a cinder.’ Another: ‘ Differed about window shades in back room. If I express a preference for one shade she wants another.’ And so on. There were dozens of ’em, for he had kept a complete tally of all their domestic differences. ‘*In the other divorce case the husband has confided his troubles to his diary — how his wife made him cook and sweep and make beds, while she went off to clubs and theosophical meetings. I have seldom been more touched by reading anything Just fancy the picture of the poor man, after having done his day’s work, with the last dish washed up and the last cup towel spread out to dry, seeking his apartment, there to pour out his soul to his diary while his wife takes her latch key and hies gaily forth to hear some club paper on ‘How to Man- age a Husband.’ But I can tell you one thing, if the judge permits the intro- duction of the diary into the case as evi- dence, it portends no good to wives. Every husband will start a diary and no wife will have any assurance that she is safe in her job. Precious few wives, I can tell you, would like to face a record of all the family disturbances and their own extravagance, to say nothing of the mortification of knowing their husband’s real opinion of them.’’ ‘‘Ah, that’s just it,’’ put in the woman in the fur hat, ‘‘we don’t want to know what our domestic partners really think of us. It is soothing to every man’s vanity to imagine that his wife esteems him the biggest and bright- est and bravest creature in the world and that when she listens to him she is overawed by his wisdom. Every wife delights in picturing herself as her hus- band’s ideal of feminine perfection, ‘because,’ she argues, ‘he picked me out of all the world to be his wife.’ How it would jar the man's self-love if he knew that his wife married him because she could not get some other man she preferred, and what a death blow it would be to her self-complacency if she could only guess that he asks himself, every time he looks at her, what on earth made him do it? ‘‘Neither one does know these home truths and they get along smoothly enough, but if either one contracts the diary habit and goes to setting down their secret thoughts, the matrimonial fat is in the fire. Another thing, too, is, that the secret of happiness is in forget- ting. You never know how much money you are spending unless you take to set- ting down every penny, which is the reason I never keep an account, and am poor and happy, and it is the same way with domestic spats and troubles. It is when you get to adding them together that you find you have accumulated such a lot of grievances that you are bankrupted. My word for it, the diary is an invention of the evil one, and women do well to shun it as they would the plague.”’ ‘*Oh, I don’t know,’’ remarked a de- mure little creature with a jeweled lorgnette chain; ‘‘I know where one diary helped a woman to a good hus- band. There was a pretty young girl, you know, and she was very poor, but a kindly aunt had invited her to spend a month with her in town. There she met a charming man—rich, well-born, intelligent—all that was desirable, but he was stupid, you know, about girls, and love and—er—things like that. He paid the girl lots of attention, but he talked to her about the higher life and platonic companionship and things like that, and the girl did not know just where she stood. Sometimes, you know, man means love by those kind of things, and sometimes he does not. ‘‘Well, the time came for the girl to go home. She cared for the man, but she knew he would not propose unless he was helped a little, so she wrote a lot in her diary. Just the innocent out- pourings of a young girl’s heart and that kind of thing, and then when he was coming to say good-bye, she acci- dentally left it lying open on the desk. When she came down in the room he rushed up and threw his arms around her. ‘* “My darling,’ he said, ‘I know I ought not to have read your innocent diary, but only think if it had not been for this blessed book, what a terrible mistake we should have made, for I should never have dreamed you could care for an old fellow like me. How beautiful this all is! How artless! And to think it was never intended for me to see!’ ‘‘And—and’’ wound up the demure little woman with a blush, ‘‘they were married and lived happily ever after.’’ The bachelor girl arose and began to button on her automobile coat. ‘“Where are you going?’’ we asked. “*To buy a diary,’’ she replied. Dorothy Dix. ee owas : ie arc lights. The above illustration shows our system for store li Send for our catalogue. MICHIGAN BRICK AND TILE MACHINE CO., Morenci, Mich. ghting with 2,000 candle power Michigan Gasoline Gas Machine e; SESE AES ior MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 21 Some of the Fallacies of Fashion. Miss Phoebe Throstle, in Quality street, Says: ‘‘There is a satisfaction in being dressed in the latest fashion that even religion can not give.’ Thousands of women will testify to the truth of this saying. And yet there is another view of the question which Miss Phoebe Throstle did not mention, but which is, nevertheless, as eminently true. There is a satisfaction in being dressed according to one’s own indi- viduality which no amount of fashion can give. This is a truth which some women are in danger of forgetting. I once knew a woman who, to my mind, was always perfectly dressed. She was not rich. Indeed, she often made her own clothes, and they were never expensive, But she was always ex- quisite, Her gowns were always more or less alike. Gray, white and lavender were her colors for summer, black for winter. There was never a look of aggressive stylishness about her, and neither did she ever look like a fashion plate or a dressed-up shop girl. I once asked her the secret of her invariable success in her gowns, and she said: ‘As a girl I realized the great im- portance of clothes in a woman’s life, and I set myself to study the subject for myself. I never had much money to spend on clothes, so from the outset I had to make my plans simple; but I put a large amount of brains inthem. 1 knew that certain colors became me, so I decided to cling to them, rather than risk failure in experiments. ‘‘I knew that certain general iines suited my face and figure, so I made up my mind that my dresses should al- ways be moulded more or less on them, with changes to keep within the limits of fashion. You would be surprised to see how easy it is to adopt one general design to the changing standard of ‘the style,’ and I can wear a gown three times as long as another woman who goes in for extremes. ‘‘Black always seemed to me appro- priate for the street, and restful be- sides, in that it approaches closest to the conventional costume for women. So my street dresses and thick winter dresses are always black. Pink and pearl gray used to be my light colors, but of late years I have substituted lav- ender for pink. ‘‘T have my summer frocks very sim- ple, so that I may have more of them, and can have them washed freely. A little old and very fine lace which I possess does duty every year, worn in slightly varying ways. My collars and cuffs I always make myself. They are a kind of ‘pick-up work’ such as every woman needs now and then, and they mark, by their tastefulness and fresh- ness, the perfect lady. ‘‘A pretty collar, of original design and carefully worked, will give a touch to a plain black gown which no amount of expensive ‘style’ could attain. And, moreover, it shows personality. It is an expression of myself. ‘*That, in a word, is what I try for in my clothes—the expression of my own personality.’’ And she succeeded. This is what 1 call perfect dressing—dainty, appropri- ate, thoughtful. Why won’t more women try for it? We Americans are so imitative and so lacking in originality that the very idea of such an innovation would make most of my young friends’ pompadours stand onend. And yet, dear young ladies, the French women, whose taste in dress you break your necks and_ pocketbooks to imitate, do that very thing. They are original. They do not con- form to, any cast iron mode, but give their brains some play in dressmaking. Hence that je ne sais quoi about a French gown which defies copying. Now, why not be French dressmakers yourselves? Study the subject. Become artists in it. If you do not want to do the manual labor yourselves, hire the hands to do it for you. But put your own brains into every dress ycu wear. Find what is becoming and wear it. It may distress you at first to lose your place among the job lot of dolls which the dressmakers turn out to strut in Fifth avenue every season. It may be some comfort to you, however, to not meet your living image, as far as dress goes, chewing gum on a corner in com- pany with other fashion plates gotten up cheaply to imitate ‘‘the swellest dressers. "’ And, what is more, you will be ex- pressing yourself in your clothes—if there is anything in you to express. Your men friends will admire you the more for it. Men are creatures of habit and like what they are used to. How often do we hear a father or brother say: ‘*Don't put on that new rig. I don't like you in it. Wear that brown, or green, or whatever it may be, dress that you had last year. That is the prettiest thing you have. ’”’ ‘*But, heavens, it is not in the style!’’ ““Isn’t it?’’ says the poor, perplexed man. ‘‘Well, then, have one that is in style, but something like it. It was becoming.’’ Now, the truth is, the man was used to you in that dress, hence he liked it. It was you to him. Men hate anything that breaks into their habits. Let the men you know learn your style in clothes and they will come back to you with a delicious feeling of rest after the kaleidoscopic changes which they see each season work among their girl friends. Above all, though, avoid extremes. Because you are resolved not to be a fashion plate, do not turn deaconess. Don’t ‘‘adopt a costume’’ or wear big sleeves ina small sleeve year or any other such strong-minded nonsense. Adopt the happy medium,and let that medium become you. There is the whole secret. Your looks will gain by it. Your character will gain. Your pocketbook will gain immensely. And, best of all, you will be saved that inevitable nervous breakdown and trip to Philadelphia which lie in store for every American woman of to-day, and which are brought on by the desper- ate effort to ‘‘keep up’’ and to live everybody else’s life instead of living your own and being yourself. Louisa M. Green. A A Good Example. S. S. Teacher—I was very sorry to hear, Sandy, that you went fishing last Sunday ; you should certainly set a bet- ter example than that. Now here’sa little boy (turning to new comer) who doesn’t go fishing on the Lord’s day, do you, little boy? New Comer—No, sir. S. S. Teacher—Ah! I thought as much. One look in that innocent face was convincing. And why don’t you go fishing on Sunday, my little man? New Comer—’Cause there ain't no fishing where I live. This is the way the business grows Kennedys Oysterettes Kennedys Oysterettes NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY FINE CUT UNCLE DANIEL. TOBACCO MANUFACTURERS INDEPENDENT FACTORY OUR LEADING BRANDS. SMOKING HAND PRESSED. Flake Cut. DETROIT, MICHIGAN KEEP THEM IN MIND. OJIBWA. DOUBLE CROSS. Long Cut. STRONG HOLD. FOREST GIANT. SWEET CORE, Plug Cut. FLAT-IRON. SWEET SPRAY. FLAT CAR. Granulated. SO-LO. The above brands are manufactured from the finest selected Leaf Tobacco that money can buy. See quotations in price current. PLUG CREME DE MENTHE. SASS AS SAS SOS SOE AT NOI SISSIES SCOTTEN- DILLON COMPANY ee rd Sosa Sed Aa ES SN nar Nea Baro RI ED Bt a Hi # et) Hy 7 Fi ¥ s ca. & % “ bs a 22 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN | Clerks’ Corner. Clerks Who Know the Value of a Dollar. Written for the Tradesman. They had just started in, no doubt about that. Everybody said they ought to have known better than to have chosen that of all localities; but the two young fellows belonged to the pig- headed order and deliberately, with their four eyes wide open, walked down to that particular and forbidding store- room in the middle of the block and went to work, There was an abundance of that. The last man there had made a failure of it-and left everything down at the heel, the room had been empty for twelve months and, when the boys went in, it beggared description. The ‘‘start in’’ and the ‘‘there you are’’ had been realized and now then for the ‘‘work up trade’’ part. It took three good days to clean. The one thing to cheer them was an occas- ional ‘‘find,’ which saved them a little money. One of these was a show case, with glass unbroken, which had been placed under a back counter. With the dirt out of the way and_ everything washed and dried, they painted every bit of woodwork a cream white; and when a certain inquisitive intruder wanted to know what under the sun— with heavy stress on the under—they wanted to do that foolish thing for Sid Ramond answered with a good deal of earnestness, ‘‘Because we are going to begin clean and keep clean. White paint shows dirt and that’s one thing this grocery store is going to do: sell clean goods if it doesn’t do anything else.”’ In due time the goods came, were put in order and then one Monday morn- ing the store was opened and the two young fellows, Sidney Ramond and Gaylord Bennett, were ready for cus- tomers. They both had served an ap- prenticeship, both knew the value of a dollar and were well aware that what money came to them was not to come without a struggle. Satisfied that the only way to avoid loss was by cash sales, they announced that fact in prom- inent places about. the store and watched the effect it had upon the customers. The first to come in was an Irish woman and her numerous progeny, as light-fingered as they were dirty, and of course the ‘‘No Credit’’ announcement had no effect on a woman who couldn't read. Sid took care of her and Gayl of the young ones and both had their hands full. Anticipating what was com- ing, Sid took good care to keep his merchandise where he could control it and when the order was made out and the ‘‘Anything more?’’ was replied to by ‘‘Not to-day,’’ he said, ‘‘That amounts to $2.50.’"’ ‘*Yees kin jist cha-arge it an’ Pat’ll mek it squaare wid ye,’’ announced Bridget as she reached for the goods. ‘*We trade only for cash,’’ replied Sid with his hand where it would do the most good. ‘*Cash is it!’’ exclaimed the woman derisively. ‘*Cash,’’ answered Sid firmly and de- cidedly. ‘*Be dommed to yees an’ yees’ll git no trade iv me.’’ For the first time in her life Mrs. O’Leary and her brood left a trading es- tablishment empty handed, for not one of the ‘‘b’ys’’ was nimble enough to evade the eye and the hand of Gaylord, who emphasized his indignation so sharply on the oldest, who was deter- piel a mined to capture some choice apples, that he left with a howl. Curiosity brought many in to see the ‘*White Grocery’’ as it soon began to be called, and the ‘‘No Credit’’ played an important part in the first day’s sales, Some who were evidently used to the business tried to ‘‘open an account,’”’ but there was the same answer to all: ‘*We have paid cash for our goods and we can sell them for cash only. We are not charging a credit price for them and we are doing that only for cash custom- ers.’’ So a great many came, looked around and passed out, sometimes making a trifling purchase but oftener not. They did go away and say that they never went into a neater grocery store nor had seen better looking goods, but that it was a mistake to try to trade for cash in that neighborhood. The boys, however, were not discour- aged. All this had entered into their calculations and after a few days of dull trade Sid concluded to get out and do something. A block away there was a neighborhood of thrifty people and thither he went. The houses’ were small, but his experience had taught him that that class generally pay for what they buy, and that was the kind of customers he wanted. So he made out a list of his best goods, with their prices, gave an extra brush to his hair and his coat, saw to it that his necktie was nice and on straight and with con- fidence rang the front doorbell. The woman who opened the door was evidently ‘‘in a frame of mind.’’ She expected to see anybody except the handsome young man who stood on the doorstep bowing like a Chesterfield. Her frown vanished before the pleas- antest smile she had seen for many a day and in her surprise she asked him to come in. He did not refuse and, once inside, he made such good use of his opportunity that the ten minutes ended with a good order and a promise from the lady that she would come to the store and give her next order. The best thing about the call was his secur- ing the names of the best people in the block and, armed with this, the young grocer departed. The round of that street brought in more trade than the entire preceding week had given them and Gayl, ‘‘to even things up,’’ went out in the afternoon to see what Fortune had in store for him. To begin with, he wasn’t handsome ; but he knew the commercial value of clothes and he knew how to wear them. He was born with an appreciation of women, admired them and saw no ad- vantage in keeping his admiration and appreciation to himself. Luck had fa- vored him by giving hima chance ac- quaintance in uppertendem and he de- termined to turn it to good account. Sid had furnished the hint in his first call and he ‘‘sailed in.’’ He found Mrs. Lordly at home, who not only received him with kindness, but, learning the ob- ject of his call, became much interested and promised to help him all she could. To his surprise and delight she offered to take him in her carriage toa few friends and, these calls finished, took him back to the store, where she left him, with her own order for the morrow. That was the beginning and there was a lot that followed if there were space to tell it. It can be pretty fairly summed up in this: Thrift likes thrift and makes the most of it wherever found. To the women a block away, as soon as they knew that the white paint never got dirty and that only good goods at a rea- sonable price were to be bought there, the cash part was only an inducement. The boys prospered because that policy kept away from them the class that only trade on time. Then, too, human na- ture is human nature and when Mrs. Lordly’s pair of spanking grays drew up to the curb in front of the ‘‘ White Grocery’’ and that magnificent woman actually left her carriage and entered the establishment(!) the fate of Ramond & Bennett was settled and prosperity was theirs. Then the last condition was car- ried out. They ‘‘worked up trade;’’ and ‘‘there they are.’’ Richard Malcolm Strong. 2.6. Hot Air in Boston. Little Emerson—Mamma, I find no marginal note in elucidation of this expression, which I observe frequently to occur in my volume of Fairly-Tale Classics—‘**With bated breath.’’ What is the proper interpretation of the phrase? Mamma—‘‘With bated breath,’’ my son, commonly occurs in_ fairy tales; your father often returns from piscatorial excursions with bated breath. The phrase in such instances, however, has no significance as applying to the bait employed to allure fish, but is merely an elastic term of dubious meaning and suspicious origin, utilized, as I already have intimated, simply because of the sanction which it has gained by custom- ary usage in fairy tales generally. Do you comprehend, Emerson? Little Emerson—Perfectly, mamma. Se Catch-on-as-catch-can, is the old maid's matrimonial motto, LIGHT! = LIGRT! Long nights are coming. Send in your order for some good lights. The Pentone kind will please you. See that Generator. Never fails to generate. Pentone Gas Lamp.Co., 141 Canal St. Grand Rapids, Mich. Imported In cotton pockets. Packed 33 pockets to the bale. Japan Rice Retails for 25 cents For sale by all jobbers. samples on application. Four Kinds of Coupon BOOKS are manufactured by us and all sold on the same basis, irrespective of size, shape or denomination. TRADESMAN COMPANY, Grand Rapids, Mich. THE “Ann Arbor’’ Quick Lighting Gasoline Lamps Are the best in the market, neatest in design and best in workmanship. Approved by insurance underwriters; every lamp guaranteed for one year. The “Ann Arbor’? Lamps are giving the best of satisfaction and the nee for them is growing rap Dees rn to-day for our special introduction offer and get into the trade. All styles. Superior Mfg. Co. Ann Arbor Michigan Free MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 23 DIRTY CLERKS. Serious Mistakes Made by Too Many Grocerymen. It is generally considered, at least by men, that a man’s ability is superior in all things to a woman's, but since it is suggested that a woman could make some improvements on the system practiced by the average groceryman, I am tempted to put on paper the mis- takes I see made, and, as a natural con- sequence, the alterations. I would insti- tute on taking up the business of the ‘“average gruceryman,’’ having drawn my conclusions from observances made in every-day life, as well as from com- ing in contact with the business of a groceryman who, in the larger matters of business, is thoroughly capable, yet can, with the majority, be addicted to faults and wrong practices not generally considered of much value. Taking a bird’s-eye view of the av- erage grocery store, let us note that the qualities of system and cleanliness are generally the important factors lacking. By system is meant system in every- thing—in book-keeping, which is so often bad; in getting up orders; in waiting on trade; in the general routine of the day. If better system were prac- ticed we would not be disappointed by having kraut delivered ten mintues be- fore meal time, and coffee not ground, instead of ground, as ordered. System should be foremost in a grocery store as well as in any large department store, but it seldom is. Under system might come alertness and promptness. When a _ customer comes in some clerks appear as though they had just awakened from a long sleep when they come shuffling from the rear of the store to wait on him. Cleanliness, however, is so very often missing, perhaps not so much the clean- liness of floor, nor the neglect to dust a can of corn, or a show case, but clean- liness of the clerks. Their hands are not clean, or their general appearance is untidy, and that selfsame clerk will wait on the most fastidious woman, and try to neatly place her purchase of cheese or dried beef in a piece of fine wax paper, while within her she is re- pulsed at the sight of those hands, and will most probably never patronize that store again. Then, too, all the clerks and the pro- prietor should wear aprons—clean aprons —and in all their handling of goods be perfectly neat and precise. There are many ways in which nine grocerymen out of ten violate the laws of cleanliness. For instance, they have an idea that flour and coal oil form a happy combination, as they so often have them in close proximity, and sometimes the butter and crackers as well are flavored. A friend of mine was unfortunate enough to receive three sacks of flour from different grocery stores all flavored with kerosene, which fact was certainly caused by careless- ness in placing the two articles either at the store or on the wagon. Another mistake made by a great many grocerymen is that the grocer himself—and_ of course his customers, too—are under the impression that a grocery store is the place to sit down and enjoy a good cigar. I have gone into a store when the air was polluted with cigar smoke, and the proprietor was making the most of it. This seems to me to be a great mistake, and should be entirely prohibited. In matters of great importance—in buying goods, in turning goods to ad- vantage, in the general manipulation of a good grocery business—a man usually supersedes a woman in ability, as he is by nature more venturesome, risking more, thereby gaining more, but in the little things, which women always no- tice, and who are the customers ata grocery store, they often lack, and the store and business would be much im- proved if they would observe these little things. Another fact, and to me it is the most important in carrying on a business suc- cessfully: a groceryman should keep well informed on the doings of the gro- cery world. This he can do by keeping constantly alert,and by being a good ob- server, but to be the best informed he should take a grocery journal of some kind, a good paper which would keep him well informed; yet there are grocerymen whom it seems impossible to induce to subscribe for such a paper. To sum it up, the average grocery store is comparatively well managed, and to a great many the flaws herein depicted may seem very trivial, but to make some of the improvements men- tioned would help matters very mate- rially.—Grocery World. ——_—__—~>-2 > Still Room For the Old Men in Business. There is a great deal said and written these days about the need of young men of ‘‘brains, honesty and thrift,’’ and there undoubtedly is a great demand in this direction, but there is danger that this tendency of crowding forward the young men and trying to relegate the middle-aged and old ones to the rear is being badly overdone. This is an age when hustle counts for much, and young men usually are possessed of a larger modicum of push than are those who have been engaged in the struggle of life a greater number of years. There is a good old saying, however, worthy of some attention in this connection, that you can’t put old heads on young shoulders, and the middle-aged man who has kept abreast of the times is better equipped to fight the battle of life successfully than is the young man who is just starting out and who natur- ally lacks experience. The fact that every now and then young men attempt to carry on a_ business turned over to them by their fathers or older persons, and make a mess of it is proof of the truth of the foregoing assertion. The very audacity of youth will sometimes win where conservatism would fail, but it must not be forgotten that conserva- tism is in most instances the result of experience which points out the pitfalls and dangers liable to be encountered in adopting a too progressive course. Im- portant as is the sphere which young men can successfully occupy, in most cases they are not fitted by temperament or experience to occupy the responsible position in any manufacturing or mer- cantile enterprise. What real advantage is to be gained by filling responsible po- sitions with inexperienced young men, even although they can be employed at small wages, it is hard to see. The great need is for men of contented minds and steady habits, of matured in- telligence and of civic and domestic re- sponsibility. In every community may be found men of middle age fully able in a mental and physical sense to per- form responsible work who have had careers of honor and who have been faithful to their trust in all ways; men whose lives have fallen in hard places perforce of unfortunate circumstances ; who have reached the stage when age’s indelible traces are marked upon them; men who are in many instances the fathers of the progressive young hustlers of the present. These men often pos- sess the qualifications of brains, honesty and thrift, and can be depended upon to take an interest in their employer’s welfare beyond the pecuniary one, be- cause employment is the anchor which fixes them to fidelity, to duty, to tenure of service and to a revival of a contin- uance of their usefulness in life. Men who have been in active life can not rust out from inaction, although they often can not start up again and succeed under the changed conditions without the consequence of shortened life, but they possess at least most of the quali- fications which are calculated to give them great usefulness as assistants in almost any sphere of business enter- prise. Much, of course, depends upon these men themselves, because some who keep abreast with the progressive age never become anything beyond young men. They indicate as much by their geniality and their striving to please, while others become antiquated in their views and methods even while the years of youth are yet passing over their heads. Some people are younger at seventy-five than others are at twenty- five. It is questionable whether the forcing of boys and girls who ought to be at school or at home assisting their parents into positions of responsibility isn’t being sadly overdone. The public tolerates youth in these spheres because it is compelled to,not because it prefers it to more mature years and greater dis- cretion. Most people who go to make purchases like to ask the opinion of salesmen and are apt to place great _ re- liance upon it if it is given by a person of mature years, but they hesitate to confer with persons who have not as yet reached the years of sound judgment and mature thought; who have not learned by coming in contact with the world at its worst as well as its best phases. Give the older men a chance !— Shoe and Leather Facts. ———_> 4. __ Some marriages are like jug handles— one sided affairs. Removal Notice Studley & Barclay, dealers in Mill Supplies and Rubber Goods, have removed from No.4 Monroe Street to 66 and 68 Pearl Street, opposite the Furniture Exposition Building. For Sale Cheap 2 Boilers 44 inches by 17 feet. 1 Engine 16x22. 1 Heavy Benjamin Planer will dress 2 sides 28 inches, 1 Cornell & Dayler Box Printer, 1 Nichols Segment Resaw. Several small Cut-off and Rip Saws. F. C. Miller. 223 Widdicomb Building, Grand Rapids 2 Michigan Fire and Marine Insurance Co. Organized 1881. Detroit, Michigan. Cash Capital, $400,000. Net Surplus, $200,000. Cash Assets, $800,000. D. WHITNEY, JR., Pres. DM. FERRY, Vice Pres. FE. Warrney, Secretary. M. W. O’B RIEN, Treas. E.. ie Boots, Asst. Sec’y. DIRECTORS. D. Whitney, Jr., D. M. Ferry, F. J. Hecker, M. W. O’Brien, ‘Hoyt Post, Christian Mack, Allan Sheldon, "Simon J. Murphy, Wm. L. Smith, A. H. a ee Edgar, H. Kirke White, H. P. Baldwin, Hugo Scherer, F. A. Schulte, ah V. Brace, James McMillan, F. E. Driggs, Henry Hayden, Collins’ B. Hubbard, James D. Standish, Theodore D. Buhl, M. B. Mills, ae x. Chapoton, Jr., Geo. rH. Barbour, S. a. Chas. Stinchfield, Francis F. py Wm. C. Yawkey, David C. Whit- ney, Dr. J. B. Book, Eugene Harbeck, Chas. F. Peltier, Richard P. oy, Chas. C. "Jenks. aes @ © @ @ @ @ @ @) @ @ @ @ @ @ © ® ® © @) @ @ @ @ @ © (oe) VAPOR GAS Absolutely safe. Ht NULITE For Home, Store and Street. The Nearest Approach to Sunlight and Almost as Cheap. ARC ILLUMINATORS #300c3S"HF PoE @ HOURS TWO CENTS, Make your stores light as day. A Hardware house writes us: We like your lamps so well we are now working nights instead of days.’”” We also manufacture TABLE LAMPS, WALL LAMPS, CHANDELIERS, STREET LAMPS, Ete. Power seven hours ONE CENT. No wicks. THEY SELL AT SIGHT. Exclusive ter- ritory to goodagents. ("Write for catalogue and prices. CHICAGO SOLAR LIGHT CO., 100 Candle No Smoke. No Odor. DEPT. L, CHICANO. COFFEES LLCS a eae Me gaat “ ee aa eae Se a ios s CaS. ener A ee ENS NT ATE eR ih wd Toba ohh 24 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN BEYOND HIS MEANS. Experience of a Man Who Was Too Ex- travagant. Written for the Tradesman. I had been invited out to Sunday din- ner and had boarded the South Division street car to meet my engagement. The car was comfortably full and the only chance for a seat was at the farther end, which I reached after considerable effort by making the most of existing circumstances, a vigorous lurch, fol- lowed by a_ vigorous clutch, succeeded by a vigorous knee-rubbing and the ex- clamation that ‘‘the darn savage be- longed to the Pawnee tribe!’’ The good natured laugh at my ex- pense might have made me _ uncomfort- able had not a familiar face at the end of the long car looked kindly on me and whose charitable owner gladly made a vacancy for me at his side by taking upon his lap his little handsome five- year-old daughter. I think she was the prettiest child at that winsome age that I have ever seen, and both hemispheres have shown me their best. 1 shall not try to describe her except ina general way; and as 1 think of her now, Aldrich’s ‘‘ Baby Belle,’’ a little older grown, precludes the need of description. We were not long in becoming acquainted and after I transferred her to my knee she had some delightful things to tell me that we old folks know are found only in baby- land, and so just outside of heaven. **Hope Avenue,’’ called the conductor and I left the car thinking only of my realized Baby Belle. Chance and circumstance, that have much to do with the fortunes of us all, a few days after brought Jim Dudley and me together, and, declining the fragrant Havana which he offered, I made the most of my privilege of age and asked him about business. ° **Oh, so so—it might be worse and it might be a darn sight better. Business is lively ; but somehow a lively business makes lively expenses and the reserve fund isn’t growing as rapidly as I wish it was. You see, the hard times came and stayed so long that about every- thing we had was worn out and when things began to pick up it was like be- ginning life all over again. Poverty drove us into an undesirable neighbor- hood. After a while we got out of that. Then, in a decent house in a decent neighborhood, the demand came for de- cent things to put into it. Of course that brought the necessity of decent things to wear; and so things have gone on. My wife’’—alas, poor Eve !— ‘“has got the notion into her head that Lulu must have the best that money can buy and a man’’—alas, Adam !—‘‘can’t be much of a father to put a veto on that. So it goes. We're going to pull through; but when the big bills come in it does seem to be an almost hope- less job."”. The remark ended by a puff of the richest blue from his twenty-five- cent cigar and a doubtful shake of the head. I looked at the man and wondered. There he sat, in the very prime of life, handsome, well-groomed—the adjective doesn’t belong always to horses—-know- ing that he was running behind and laying all to his little wife—a lovely woman—except the blame he put upon his baby! I have no fault to find with a man well dressed. Jim Dudley’s clothes were handsome and costly. They fitted him and he knew how to wear them—a rare gift—and I am willing to go so far as to say that a man who can afford to dress well and does not is not true to himself nor to the opportunity afforded him; but when he does this at the ex- pense of ‘‘the other fellow’’ he isa pretty bad specimen of aman. Sol looked him over. Stovepipe, ten dol- lars; overcoat, an even hundred if a penny ; suit, eighty—Fitem & Co. make no clothes for less than seventy a suit; shoes, eight; hosiery —silk—a dollar and a half; underwear—more silk—twenty dollars a suit—'‘friend of mine on the inside track got ’em for me;’’ sleeve buttons,- twenty-five—‘‘m’ wife bought ?em in London on her last trip ;’’ watch, chain and charm, three hundred fifty— and ‘‘my wife has got the notion into her head that Lulu must have the best that money can buy!’’ The opportunity was too good to be lost. The chairs of both were comfort- able. I saw a brace of cigars peeping out of the man’s vest and, presuming a little, I announced I'd changed my mind and would ask the favor of burn- ing one of them. It was promptly granted and, pressing the button near at hand, Dudley gave his order to the at- tendant. Then I started in. ‘*That’s a charming child that sat on my knee the other day in the street car the very picture of her mother, with just enough of the Jim in her to keep her out of Paradise for years, I hope. Bright as a dollar, too—mighty nice thing to have a mother to inherit such fine qualities from !’’ ‘*Y-e-e—s’’ drawled Jim, ‘‘there’s where she has the advantage of many another child.’’ ‘‘I’ve been thinking a good deal of that little girl of yours Dudley, ever since I saw you and I’m curious to know what your plans are in regard to her. I believe that a first-class woman has to be trained as well as born and since, thanks to her mother, she has been well born’’—honors were now easy, confound him !—‘‘I’d like to know what you have decided on in regard to her. Of course, you’re going to begin with the kindergarten—I hope you've already —and, because she is one of the kind that calls for the best, I hope you're planning to give her just that.’’ ‘“Well—er, those afe our plans, but we're waiting for things to even up a bit before we startin. Our kindergar- ten teacher is first class, but her terms are extravagantly high and—er, so we haven't started in yet. I was telling m’ wife a day or two ago that she’d better put more into the child's head and less on her body, but somehow I can't make her believe it—Waiter, bring us a bot- tle of that brandy that I like so well— women, when once they get a notion into their heads—well, it’s the old story of the farmer's trouble in getting the pig to market. The devil can’t move "em.’’ “*So you’ ve tried it, then!’’ ‘*That’s a good one! It'll tickle Susie half to death and 1’l! tell her the minute I get home. Here, le’ me have that cigar —it isn’t worthy of you. Waiter’’—he had just come with the brandy—‘‘bring on a box of ‘Bang ups.’ There, old man, now sail in.’’ He passed me the box. They were not the costliest that are smoked, but I leave it to the reader if a dollar-straight cigar isn’t too much fora man to pay for whose business isn’t growing as rap- idly as he wishes it did. They were soon burning and then I felt that my in- nings had come. “*The only little girl that I ever knew who came within gunshot of your little baby was ‘Jack Crowningshield’s, I could think only of her as I held the charming child on my knee that Sun- day in the street car. Good blood, good brains, good everything ; and yet, with that material to work with and for, that man absolutely beggared that child —her own father!—and she is this day keeping the wolf from the door for that man who would spend the price of their dinner, if she would give him the money, for a drink of his favorite wine.’ “*The devil!’’ ‘*She’s about twenty now, I should say, and as lovely a specimen of Amer- ican -young womanhood as | know. Quick to learn, she made the most of her school chances—Jack cou!dn't afford (! ) to go in for what he calls the frills’—but tough times came, his busi- ness went to the dogs and that girl is to-day a typewriter for the firm in Jack's old quarters. You've heard of Coal Oil Johnny’s lighting his cigar with a ten dollar bill—I’ve seen Jack do it with a twenty dollar bill, and that lovely daughter of his is this day suffering for her father’s—’’ **Cold blooded villainy! Do you know that to my mind a man that'll do that sort of thing deserves, well, nothing much short of damnation ; and that’s what he’d get if I could have my way. That makes me think of Joe Snyder. He’s taken his boys and set 'em to work ‘because he can’t afford to send 'em to school,’ and on top of that he’s gone and bought himself a nine hundred dollar automobile! I hope it'll whirl him to kingdom come! That’s the sort of man I hate!’’ I had just three words to say, but 1 was in no haste to say them. I looked Jim Dudley all over twice. I lifted the brandy he. had poured for me, in- haled its costly breath and put it down untasted. I put on my overcoat, but- toned it to the throat—the night was cold—drew on my gloves, settled my hat into place, looked the man squarely in the face and said, with as much feel- ing as I could put into it: ‘*So doI!’’ Then | left him, gnawing his moustache. My wife told me day before yesterday that little Lulu Dudley is going to Miss Drake's kindergarten. Richard Malcolm Strong. —__+ 2» ____ What John Barleycorn Did For a Clerk. From the Lansing Republican. E. C. Murphy, who is the proprietor of a grocery store on Michigan avenue, came home hurriedly last night from Charlotte to prevent the removal of his stock in trade from its proper place. Murphy went to Charlotte yesterday morning, leaving a clerk in charge of his store. The clerk’s conduct was ex- emplary, so far as Murphy knows, dur- ing the working hours of the day. After the laying aside of his routine duties and, incidentally, his white apron, how- ever, the young man repaired to a grog shop and acquired impractical ideas. The main one, and the one which caused Murphy’s return, was that it was his (the clerk’s) duty to inventory the stock of the store and remove it. | This extraordinary thought was acted upon—the clerk first chartering a dray, which was, according to the arrange- ment, to appear later in the evening. This step taken, the young man entered the store, lighted up and proceeded to stack things in the middle of the floor, Some of the goods were carried out into the street preparatory to transportation— whither is a problem. The police, becoming suspicious of the singular procedure, took a hand in. the game at this point. Communication with Murphy confirmed their suspicions and the injunction was made permanent. The clerk was not arrested, his actions being obviously those of a person in an abnormal state of mind. >. RQ n n R R a Q R R Rg g aS S S SS SS ~~ SS S SS SS ~~ SS S SS ~ S OO Se ss -s Z | AXLE ! | GREASE |: has become known on account of its good qualities, Mica because their customers want the best axle grease they can get for their money. Mica is the best because it is made especially to reduce ~ = Merchants handle 4 friction, and friction is the greatest destroyer of axles and axle boxes. 4 It is becoming a common saying that “Only one-half as much Mica is y, required for satisfactory lubrication as of any other axle grease,” so that @ and blue tin packages. Mica is not only the best axle grease on the market but the most eco- nomical as well, Ask your dealer to show you Mica in the new white ILLUMINATING AND ; : LUBRICATING OILS f ——— | » PERFECTION OIL IS THE STANDARD 32 " THE WORLD OVER ¢ HIGHEST PRICE PAID FOR EMPTY CARBON AND GASOLINE BARRELS S92 --- Do -- ee OAS) EESTI a , STANDARD OIL Co. aa i S >= .—-4 >> $4 Sees MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 25 Commercial Travelers Michigan Knights of the Grip President, JOHN A. WESTON, Lansing; Sec- retary, M. S. BRown, Safiinaw; Treasurer, JOHN W. SCHRAM, Detroit. United Commercial Travelers of Michigan Grand Counselor, H. E. BARTLETT, Flint; Grand Secretary, A. KENDALL, Hillsdale; Grand Treasurer, C. M. EDELMAN, Saginaw. Grand Rapids Council No. 131, U. C. T. Senior Counselor, W R. Compron; Secretary- Treasurer, L. F. Baker. SUCCESSFUL SALESMEN. Otto Weber, Representing Peerless Man- ufacturing Co. Otto Weber was born at Gross Schwarz- losen, Germany, Jan. 15, 1854. He re- mained there until 14 years of age, when he entered the high schocl at Stendal, from which he graduated at the age of 18. He then went to Arendsee, where he served a three years’ apprenticeship in the dry goods business. Arriving at the age of 21, he served a year in the German army and then went to Berlin, where he entered the employ of Rudolph Herzog, the proprietor of the greatest dry goods emporium in Germany, tak- ing a position in the dry goods depart- ment. He remained there three and one-half years, when he came to Amer- ica, locating in Detroit. His first em- ployment was in the dry goods depart- ment of Jos. Noeker. Six months later he went to work for Lachman & Huck- stein, dry goods dealers, with whom he remained three years. He then returned to Germany, expecting to remain there, but things had changed since he left the Fatherland, less than four years before, and within six weeks he faced the Land of the Setting Sun, returning to Amer- ica for good. Landing in Detroit, his first position was with Herman Weis, jobber of fancy goods, for whom he went on the road, covering Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, He remained with this house four years and, on the organ- ization of the new house of Kuttnauer, Rosenfield & Co., he identified himself with that establishment, remaining un- til the house retired from business seven years later. He claims the distinction of having booked the first and last bills of goods sold by that house. Six years ago he entered the employ of the Peer- less Manufacturing Co., being accorded Michigan as his territory. He has re- cently been promoted to the charge of the Grand Rapids branch, with head- quarters in the Wm. Alden Smith block on South Ionia street, and resides with his family in his own home at 239 Woodmere court. Mr. Weber is a Lutheran in religion. He is alsoa member of the Michigan Knights of the Grip, the A. O. U. W., the German Salesmen’s Association of Detroit and the Utica Accident Asso- ciation. He attributes his success to hard work and to a thorough under- standing of the details and generalities of his business and to his ability to make and keep friends. —_>_4~___ Gripsack Brigade. M. A. Millard has resigned his _posi- tion with the Washtenaw Telephone Co, to take one as traveling salesman for the Ypsilanti Reed Furniture Co. Ann Arbor Argus: Clarence J. Sweet, formerly with the Moebs Cigar Co., of Detroit, has engaged to cover Northern Ohio for the Woolson Spice Co., of Toledo. Owosso Press: W. D. Royce has taken a position on the road for the Mc- Cormick Harvester Co. He will travel in the district of which G. M. Graham is manager. Barton Hough, formerly with the Sanitarium Health Food Co., of Battle Creek, has engaged to cover the East- ern States for the Lambert Food Co., of Marshall. Lansing Republican: F. M. Alsdorf, who resigned his position with the Michigan Drug Co., is now in charge of his retail drug store, on the corner of Kalamazoo street and Washington avenue. Petoskey Record: Arthur Cox, who has been representing the Petoskey Gro- cery Co. at the Soo, now has charge of the Upper Peninsula for that house. Mr. and Mrs. Cox have moved to the Soo, much to the regret of their many Petoskey friends. C, J. Wormnest, of Grand Rapids, has been appointed general agent for Mich- igan for the Quincy Stove Manufactur- ing Co., Quincy, Ill. Mr. Wormnest is an experienced and energetic stove man and was formerly representative of the Enterprise Stove Co., Vincennes, Ind. The proposed trip of the members of Grand Rapids Council No. 131 to Kala- mazoo Saturday evening, Jan. 18, has been postponed until some other time, owing to many members being busily engaged just at this time in the furni- ture season, this fact being forgotten when the trip was first talked about and arrangements started. The visit will be made later in the season. Petoskey Independent-Democrat: R. T. Phillips is taking a much needed rest from business after serving the Champion Harvester Co, for over twenty years, Mr. Phillips entered this terri- tory when agricultural interests were in their infancy and by diligent effort suc- ceeded in establishing a lucrative busi- ness. For the past number of years he has been general agent for the concern, baving charge of all Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. A Battle Creek correspondent writes: The decision of the Michigan Knights of the Grip to hold their next annual meeting in this city, December 26-27, has aroused the traveling men of this city to the necessity of organizing a post in Battle Creek, which was done at Post Tavern Sunday evening. The following officers were elected: Presi- dent, Crawford S. Kelsey; Secretary, George C. Sterling; Treasurer, S. A. Howes. There are now 100 traveling men who make their home in this city. They have decided to begin this early to make arrangements for the meeting in order that everything may be per- fected for the greatest time that the traveling men ever had in the State, and show them what Battle Creek hospital- ity is. THE UPS AND DOWNS. One Extreme Follows Another in the Bean Market. A little ancient history in regard to beans may not be uninteresting at the beginning of the year. We are now well along in the third year of the highest average prices of any three years, we believe, in the history of the crop, since war prices prevailed. We have in a large measure gotten used to high prices. The history of the bean crop has been a few years of abnormally high prices, to be followed just as surely by a period of equally low values. Along in the sixties, when the writer was a kid in New York State, he remembers one of his neighbors taking two loads of beans —about 100 bushels—to town and bring- ing back $600, or $6 per bushel. Those were great times for the bean raisers. When they afterward sold down to $2, the farmer said he could not possibly raise them; but he could, and did raise so many that in 1876 they sold at 70 to 75 cents per bushel. That was very low for those times. They have had their ups and downs ever since, selling at $2 the year following, and later up to $3 or a little more. In Michigan, from 1891 to 1895, they brought good prices, ranging from $1.50 to $1.75 for handpicked stock. In the latter part of 1895 and during all of 1896, 1897 and 1898, prices were again low, selling several times as low as 55 to 60 cents for choice handpicked. Dur- ing 1899 prices again advanced and have held nearly at the highest range of values. We have no very accurate esti- mate of the production in the United States up to 1895, but it is safe to say that it had increased very rapidly from 1890 and that in 1895 Michigan alone raised more than the whole United States did in 1890. The result was an over production and decline in prices. This was repeated in 1896 and a still heavier decline came. This resulted in reducing the acreage and crop during 1897, 1898 and 1899, but not until 1899 was the surplus consumed and then a rapid advance in price began. We give the estimated production of New York and Michigan the past six years. These are the only States, except California, which raise any large amounts: Re Git 4, 200, 000 De EN 4, 800, 000 ee 3, 100, 000 Ee 2, 100, 000 OE I, 900, 000 LO 3, 600, 0co Ca 5, 700, 000 California probably added an average of 700,000 bushels per year of other va- rieties than limas and other states 400, - ooo bushels, making our total domestic production in 1901 about 7,000,000 bush- els. It will be seen that prices follow production very closely, although the effects are not immediate. We believe the consumption varies very little ex- cept that there is a steady increase year by vear. We estimate the production for the “United States during the four years, 1895 to 1898, inclusive, to be 18,600,000 bushels. Imports, which dur- ing this period were almost entirely from Canada, were about equal to our exports. This was practically the consumption for the four years, as the crop of 1895, like Old Mother Hubbard, found the cupboard bare. The same occurred witb the 1899 crop, thus making the esti- mated actual amount required each year slightly under 5,000,000 bushels. If we get a quarter million from our Canadian friends this season and our foreign im- ports should reach half a million more— we have already received about 300,000] —we will have a supply before us of about 7,500,000 bushels, as against an average consumption of 5,000,000 to 5,500,000 bushels, We would estimate the amount in farmers’ and dealers’ hands in Michi- gan, January I, at 55 per cent. of the crop, or 2,255,000 bushels. This esti- mate would be approximately correct for New York State and Canada. From a summary of enquiries sent out recently to Michigan dealers we would estimate about Io per cent. less beans were shipped since Sept. 1 than last season at the same time. This we account for from the fact that during the crop scares and high prices in July and August large amounts of old beans were bought. We estimate that 1,000 to 1,500 cars were scattered about among jobbers and retailers that were not needed for con- sumption at that time. This has cut some figure with the demand for the new crop. Well, there are 80,000,000 of us now, and if each one will do his _ share, we can get away with them. However, it is probably a question of who will carry the surplus over. The retailers and jobbers could, no doubt, absorb quite a proportion and the speculators could take care of a good many; but, if they should, it is not likely they would care to load themselves up with them at near the present prices. Then the farm- er is up against it. He can carry them if he chooses to doso. Wiil he do it or will he cut prices and let some one else do the philanthropic act? The writer has stuck to it that he would cut. Maybe he is wrong. We believe this is the key. Can you unlock the door? C. E. Barns, SIRE: aaiik ciien one An Even Dozen Knocking at the Door. Grand Rapids, Jan. 13—The _ first meeting for the year 1902 of Grand Rap- ids Council No. 131, held in their new Council Chamber on Pearl street, was ““a rouser,’’ both in attendance and the number of invitations. When the Sen- tinel went to see if any traveling men were in waiting, he brought back the report that there were seven. After all arrangements were made for the recep- tion of the strangers at the door, Past Senior Counsellor John D. Martin, on request of Senior Counselor W. R. Compton, took charge of the seven can- didates, Conductor W. B. Holden, on account of sickness, not being able to do the work. After taking the work and becoming members of our order, not one of the seven would accept ten times the amount it cost him and again be a traveler on the outside. ‘‘Once a T., always aU. C.:T.,"” ts the sentiment of all. The work of the evening was gotten through with as quickly as possible, for a large crowd was waiting in the parlors for the doors to be opened and the merry dance to begin. These monthly socials are eager- ly looked forward to by many, not only by the members but by their friends, for our friends are always welcome. We wish to state right here that a report has been going around to the effect that the socials are exclusively for members. This is not so. Every member is re- quested to bring some of his friends and help swell the merry throng. Music for dancing was furnished by Prof. Wilbur Force and Mrs. Maud Randolph and, as usual, was very fine. All present en- joyed themselves until the hour for closing, when good nights were ex- changed and all promised to meet again at the next traveling men’s party, which will occur in February, announcement of which will be made later. We wish to state that our membership at the close of the January meeting was 147, with twelve applications passed upon and ready for initiation at the February meeting. JaDee. The Warwick Strictly first class. Rates $2 per day. Central location. Trade of visiting merchants and travel ing men solicited. A. B. GARDNER, Manager. 26 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN Drugs--Chemicals Michigan State Board of Pharmacy Term expires HENRY Heim, Saginaw - - Dec. 31, 1902 Wirt P. Dory, Detroit - - Dee. 31, 1903 ‘Ann Arbor - Dec 81, 1904 CG. SCHUMACHER, JOHN D. Moutr, Grand Rapids ' ARTHUR H. WEBBER, Cadillac Dec. 31, 1906 President, A. OC. SCHUMACHER, _ Arbor. Y Herm Ww. Treasurer, W. P. ‘Dory, | Detroit. Examination ation Sessions. Detroit, January 14 and 15. ae Rapids, arch 4 and 5. tar Island. June 16 and 17. Sault Ste- Marie, August 2 and 28. Lansing, November 5 and 6 Mich. State Pharmaceutical Association. President—JoHN D. MUIR, —— Rapids. Secretary—J. W. SEELEY, Detroi Treasurer—D. A. HAGENS, cere. Suggestions Relative to Different Methods of Filtration. In all the finer operations of filtration in which paper is the filtering medium used, it is essential to proper results that a perfect filtering paper be em- ployed, a paper free from salts soluble in the ordinary solvents, iron (a com- mon defect), greasy matter or alkaline earths. It is advisable to test the paper through which filtration is to be con- ducted. The suggestion to be so criti- cal may seem to some as ultra elabo- rate, but if the contender takes a less _ superficial view of the matter, he will agree with the chemist when the latter advises putting the filter paper to a cru- cial test before it be relied upon. Distilled water passed through filter- ing paper should leave no residue on evaporation—the presence or absence of a residue determining whether or not the paper contains soluble salts. Ifa Io per cent. solution of hydrochloric acid passed through the paper be colored yellow, the presence of iron is proved.: Dilute alkalies passed through the paper should not become milky when neu- tralized with acids; and the ‘‘degree’’ of milkiness decides the extent of greasy matter in the paper. Dilute acids passed through the paper and sat- urated with alkali carbonates: must not show a milkiness; should the latter ap- pear, alkaline earths are present. Filter-paper kept in an upper drawer of the dispensing counter or laboratory work-table is always handy to reach in a moment, but there is a disadvantage in keeping it in such a compartment. To overtip a vessel containing a liquid, or to spill something over the work-table is not an infrequent oecurrence, partic- ularly where the available space is small and several operators are at work. The spilled fluid flows over the top of the table at such a time and seeks every crack and crevice through which it can descend. Should there be an aperture of any description in the table-top through which the fluid can reach the upper drawers, it is more than probable that the filtering paper will be ruined. Should the drawer happen to be partly open at the moment, there are many more chances for the ruin of the paper, as the latter imbibing moisture with avidity, a small volume of a fluid suffices to quicky impregnate most of the paper. When filtering into a vessel of any de- scription which must be rested a dis- tance below the funnel, it is advisable to always lead ‘the filtrate into the re- ceiver by means of a funnel. This not only nicely delivers the filtrate into the vessel, but it also acts as a safeguard against the ingress of ,dust, insects or any object that might otherwise enter the container. It is well to protect the mouth of the receiving vessel in this way, even when the container be en- closed by a closet. If the filtrate re- ceiver is set aside to wait the accumu- lation of sufficient filtrate for bottling, the smail funnel is left in the neck of each and every receiver. To obviate the possibility of foreign matter enter- ing the container, a common marble is dropped into the funnel. If syrup has been filtering into the bottle, very often sufficient of the fluid adheres to the fun- nel to effect a perfect seal with the mar- ble. We think this better than to replace the funnel by a stopper or cover. Es- sentially the funnel must be washed after use, hence why replace it by an ex- pedient that would also need cleansing, and which in many instances would not prove as efficient as the funnel? A fun- nel is not easily displaced from the neck of a bottle, especially in wide- mouthed containers. The marbles will cleanse themselves if cast into a vessel containing water. Every filtering medium has a limit of efficiency beyond which it should not be trusted. For this reason, if for no other, filters that are to operate for some time should have affixed to them a label bearing the date when started. Then there will be no danger of overtaxing the filtering medium. The fact that an old filter is delivering an apparently sat- isfactory product is no criterion of its efficiency as a perfect filter. A perfect filter is not one in which the fluid must percolate through an accumulation of organic matter. Decomposition in the latter begins in a comparatively brief time and just as soon as the deposit be- gins to decompose, the filter is useless. Clean or renew filters frequently. Memory will sometimes play one false if filters are not explicitly labeled. This is particularly unfortunate when it dis- turbs a train of calculations. It is like- ly to occur when many operations are being conducted at the same time. An operator should not let haste or an un- due dependence upon memory occasion neglect to label. Better to be over care- ful and label in what might be consid- ered excess, than to trust ton much to remembering important conditions of the processes. Paste the label to the funnel, not to its cover or to the receiv- ing vessel; covers may become. ex- changed, and receivers may be renewed and fresh labels forgotten. Sometimes after an operator has washed a filter, he will pour the liquid to be filtered into the filter without sub- Stituting an empty vessel for the one holding the washings, thinking to let the liquid force the wash-fluid out. In do- ing this one takes many chances of los- ing some of the product; the filter may break, or some portion of it become dis- lodged, so that the fluid within may run out quickly into the container beneath and mingle with the washings intended to be discarded. Particularly is there occasion for care when a heavy prepara- tion is to be filtered, as then the filter paper is more likely to be ruptured. When charging a large filter, the writer frequently follows a method sug- gested some time since by a co-worker. An agateware skimming or straining ladle, having a long handle, is held within the filter close to the bed, and the fluid to be filtered is poured gently into this perforated cup. As the filter fills, the ladle is slowly lifted while the liquid to be filtered is poured into it. In this manner the fluid is delivered into the filter in a gentle way that does not disturb the filter bed. Very often a folded filter will not fit a certain funnel. The strip that is cut away to make the filter and funnel jus- tify should be preserved. These bands of paper when crumpled into a wad can be used to put the ‘‘finishing touches’’ on an ointment tile from which the greater quantity of the ointment has been removed with common paper waste or excelsior. Joseph F. Hostelley. ———>_2.—__ Employers’ Responsibility to Juniors. While the abandonment of the appren- ticeship system has relieved the drug- gist of the immediate sense of responsi- bility for the progress of the young men under his care, he is stili morally bound to see that they so dispose of their time as to gain some knowledge of the voca- tion which they have elected to follow. Furthermore, an intelligent degree of interest shown by the employer in the intellectual progress of his younger em- ployes not only wins for the employer a better kind of service, but is a duty which he owes to his calling. Granting the existence of such a duty, and we feel that all broad-minded pharmacists must admit the obligation, it becomes highly important that the youth who is taken into the drug store as a begin- ners should possess those natural quali- ties of mind which will give some as- surance that the efforts of the pharma- cist to encourage and direct the youth in his pharmaceutical studies will meet with due appreciation and bring about adequate returns. Therefore, in selecting the junior em- ployes from among the annual outpour- ing of grammar and high school gradu- ates, the druggist should exercise the greatest possible care both as to the moral and intellectual and even as to the social qualities of the applicant, bearing in mind that he must be brought into intimate personal contact with the youth, and in a large measure his own comfort, as well as the welfare of his business, must depend upon the charac- ter of his help. It is not only for his own sake, however, that the druggist should exercise care in the selection of beginners in pharmacy, but as well for the sake of the future of his calling, which will some day depend upon the men whom he has first initiated into the art and mystery of the apothecary as drug store boys. The boy who is bright, well informed for his age, industrious and reliable will not only make the best employe, but will develop into the best kind of pharmacist. >_< The Drug Market. Opium—Is firmer, on account of higher prices in the primary markets. Morphine—Is unchanged. Quinine—Is in fair demand at un- changed prices. Lithia Salts—Have all been reduced in price, on account of competition be- tween manufacturers. Wild Cherry Bark—lIs very scarce and has been again advanced. Select Elm Bark—Is in very small supply and has advanced. Oil Hemlock—Is scarce and has ad- vanced. Oil Spruce—Is higher. Linseed Oil—Has advanced twice in the last week, on account of higher price for seed. ee Most Heavenly Hour. **Say!’* the girl’ s father called from above stairs, ‘‘this is an unearthly hour for that young man to be here, Mary,’ ‘* You're right,’’ responded the young man, who had just been accepted ; ‘‘the hour is unearthly, sure enough—it's sim- ply heavenly.’’ ———_+>22>___ It is a wise woman that knows her own husband at a masquerade ball. Formula For a Good Laundry Blue. Dissolve 217 parts of potassium ferro- cyanide in 750 parts of distilled water and to the solution add sufficient water to make in all 1,000 parts. In another vessel dissolve 100 parts of ferric chlo- ride in sufficient distilled water and bring the solution up to 1,000 parts as before. Make a cold saturated solution of sodium sulphate in distilled water, and of the solution add 2,000 parts to each of the two iron solutions (making 3,000 parts of each). Now add the chloride solution to the ferrocyanide lit- tle by little under constant stirring. After the last of the ferric chloride is added continue the stirring for some- time. Filter off tbe liquid and wash the residue on the filter with distilled water until the wash water comes off a deep blue. color. After washing, spread the mass out to dry, either at ordinary temperature or by artificial heat. When dry, a lump of this substance breaks with a fine bronze colored fracture. It is completely and easily soluble in hot or cold water, and asa laundry bluing leaves nothing to be desired either in cost or quality. For a liquid blue take 1 ounce of the Prussian blue to 1 quart of distilled water acidulated by % ounce oxalic acid. John Morley, > 0. ___- An Assistant’s Costly Lesson. An assistant in a drug store in Wis- consin recently learned a lesson which he is not likely to forget in some time. The proprietor closed his store for the night, leaving init the assistant, who was not yet qualified, and who had con- sequently been forbidden to dispense prescriptions. Soon after, a party of young people came by in carriages and a physician who was one of the party applied at the store for five grains of antipyrin for a lady with them who was suffering from headache. Although the assistant had no right to attempt dis- pensing, the matter looked so simple he concluded to undertake it. What he did was to weigh out five grains of atropine and give it to the physician who admin. istered it to the lady. It was of course not long before its deadly action was manifest; other medical aid was called and happily the treatment instituted proved successful, although the patient's escape was narrow. It seems surprising that such an error could occur, especially since the bottle containing the atropine was taken out ofa poison closet. The very slight sim- ilarity of names proved sufficient, how- ever, to set the uninformed young man astray. —_—_>2+.___ Some husbands are so indulgent that they can never come home sober. Valentines for 1902 Complete new line now ready. The Best assortment we have ever shown. Wait for Traveler or send for Catalogue. FRED BRUNDAGE, Muskegon, [ich. Wholesale Drugs and Stationery SEE OUR WALL PAPERS before you buy. We show the best patterns that the fifteen lead- ing factories make. Our showing is not equaled. Prices lower than ever. A card will bring salesman or samples, HFYSTEK & CANFIELD Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. The Michigan Wall Paper Jobbers. MICHIGAN TRADESMAN D RUG PRICE CURRENT Menthol. Advanced—Cherry Bark, El Morphia SP. é @ 5 56 5 See m Bark, Oil H , 8., P.& W. 2 25@ 2 50 | Sina @ 22| Linseed, pure raw.. eclined emlock, Linseed Oil, Turpentine. Morphia, 8N-Y. Q: 2 15@ 2 40 Sinapts a ee @ 18| Linseed, boiled = 2S Moschus a. 2 15@ 2 40 | Snuff, Maccaboy, De 30 | Neatsfoot, winterstr 43 70 Acidum cinciaasts as Myristica, No. 1. an mau ane Ace gate 8: ux Vomica... iB eotch, De Vo's een. erin.” 700° ri a =": a. |< oO 1 5 an seeee e @ 50 mes Sepia....... = 35 a7 Soda, Boras ie ag i ee racic. @ 7 Recht * 1 30@ 1 35 | Prunus virg: 00°... Bo] eB cc Sa, = a. SS 8 ee oe ox es Oe — “a. 2 Cees 100g 110 Tinctures Pie awe Nz gai, 2 | Sodd Card... = me % | Ce eer met es Se ee A : -Carb....... ; a : Hydrochior.. <2... 30 ee oe y poe sence eluant ae @ 2 00| Soda; Ash oe 2 2403 Nitro oe : sO 10 Gossippit Se sem. ‘ei oan 7 Reo 56 Picis ae = g 1 = Soda, Suiphas — ] eee vag Hm 2% 2%@3 ween ween ween a 0. 80 : . Phosphorian, aii = = sae. . 160@ 1 75 _—! and Myrrh.. 60 = ag -po. 80 @ wo opts oe @ 2 60| American . =o 13@ 15 oe . 5G 55| Laven OF neesseeseee ID O@ 2 00 AIMICA = o- ooo +++ 50| Piber Alter”. 8. s @ 18 | Spts. Myreia Dom “— wa Vermilion, Engiish. 70@ 75 = eS ' , a Sulphuricom : xo : s Cimon on cee 1 1d 2 93 | Atrope aiken. = Pi x Bur a 3 Sete Vint oot bbl. @ Green, see. 130 16 Tartaricum ..... 38@ 40| Mentha a = 2 20 — Cortex...... 50 oe cee Se 10@ 12 Spts. Vini Rect. oa ¢ ea 3 @ 6% Ammonia Morr, gal..-°.°. 1 10g 1 0 Benzoln G6... so putes leg sk 1 50 1 60 | Spis: Vint Rect. Deal @ Lead. wi in 2 a a 6 | Oliva i “tg 3 0 ee so| Gr. D.Con doz... @ 75) Sulphur, Subl...... 24g | Whiting: gilders' | —— oe oe Picls ® Liguida 10@ > 12 | Capsicum... = scene’ 25 $0 | Sulphur, Roll.. ao 286 34 we tae Amer. @12 Chioridum.. * 190 = oo ee wal. @ 35 | Cardamon. 2.0220... a Wil oe 39 coda Venice... elif... oe Coccrccccce 2 — Ricina .;. ... "1 00@ 1 06 ln Co. = = Tho romans Be 3 a0 Universal Prepared. 1 109 i = —-. . —-- Roaw, ounce.. ressese | @ 100 cas 4001 Ranta Phe Van a c 9 00g Brown 80@ = apna 6 6 | Cin = zinel Sip.” ciate eee r ~ base Red .. 45@ > Sabina 1222222220027 a = Gnakens C = : Yellow.........-+. 50@ 3 00 a: Se end "2 B@ ; = Columba oT 80 Oils Bxira Tarp. Coach... 1 10g 1 20 55@ 60 Ree pce ioe ve - BBL. GAL. | Coach Body. 00 Cubebe........ po,25 2 Tait ess., ounce. @ 65| Cassia Acutifol...... . = — 70 =. 70 | No. 1 -7 op 110 a eru: , 24 - 150@ 1 60 Cassia Acutifol Co. » Oxtra..... «+» 60 70 | Extra Turk Sa a i OED ei ; aa ee here = (Ss Digitails ts. 50 Lard, No.1..... 45 Bold Damar.. 1 55@ 1 60 oxylum ....... 1 70@ 1 75| Thyme, opt....... @1 Roe a = Se Balsamum Theobromas ........ 15@ = Fert Chioridum.. = 50@ 55 Potassium tian oes @ 2 00| Bi-Carb............ as a Ce = 60@ 65| Bichromate ......... 13@ 15} Gul Tae = 45@ 50| Bromide ....0.....:. 52@ 57| H aca ammon...... 80 emilee OB s 18 | Cy, lorate... po. 17@19 16@ 18 Iodine, colorless... ss 7 Cassia woes: Sia. ae ee 50 Cine ona Flava..... #5 | pedeaen, liad aes 30@ 2 40 | Lobelia .............. 50 Euonymus atropurp. 30 | Potassa’ Bitart, ‘com. = 3 50 ca Cerlfera, Po 20 | Potass Nitras, opt.. 3a Bo prom “ = oe 18| Potass Nitras.. 16) Ope 75 ,erd........ 12] Pru 6s@ 8 Opi comphorated.. Sassafras...... po. 20 15 Sulph — sees 23@ 26| Opil, deodorized. = Uimus...po. 18, gr’d is ao 15@ 18| Quassia ............. 6 Extractum A Radix mage Bo Giyeyerhiza Giabra. “4@ 2% Soee..--~--<--- 20@ 25 Sangiina 5o a oe bes 8@ 30) Anchusa ............ 33 | Serpentaria . . 8 Heematox, 15 b. bor 11@ 12| Arum po -- I 12 — i 5o nee 13@ 14| Calamus. 25| Tolutan ...........2. 89 Haematox, AS... 14@ 15| Gentiana. 5 ib 40 | Valerian -. - 80 zematox, *4S. :. 16@ 17| Glychrrhiza.. pv. 15 16 ef ea ‘erie Do Ferru Hydrastis Canaden. 18 | Zingiber ...........+- Pf Jarbonate Precip... 15 a Can., po.. 3 0 anaes * Citrate and Quinia.. + Alba, pe. we Atther, Spts. Nit.? F Citrate Soluble...... 75 | Hula, po.. 18@ 22 | Ather, Spts. Nit.4F a Ferrocyanidum Sol.. 40 Ipecac, po........... 13 60@ 3 75 Alumen . 7 Ho * Solut. Chloride, ... io SS Alumen, gro’d..po. 7 “ 4 We are Import Sulphate, count, by 4 ea = Ss dhl , per cwt...... 80 oe yllum, po i aa 0 sist espe 20 12 Antiptrn Potiss 10@ 60 Chemicals and Patent Medicines. Flora SO @ 1 25 | Antife : gaa Antifebrin «--...0.. @ 2 in... a =e laa naar 75@ 1 35 rgentl Nitra, O21, @ BO Ww ; : Anthemis.........--- 22@ 25 Sansuinaria.. “po. 15 “a Balm Giles a Buds.. = = oe — Matricaria......-..-- 30@ 35 aoe ee > ae =. V ish an SO ee :. 1 65@ 1 70 arnishes. olia co sfc 4 2 & Calcium Chior., is... @ 9 es Baros 36@ 38 | Smilax. M s @ 40| Calcium Chior., \s. @ 10 Cassia, Acti ‘Tin- Scilla ...... $ 2 25 Calcium Chior. 48. @ 12 Weh f 2) 20 25 12 arides, R' avea i i cassia, Acie “Aix. ao 30 Symplocarpes, > Capsicl pan, a ¢ = ull line of Staple Druggists’ as “ieee 8 Bcearuaie Sf Sundries 7 i aR Ee 8@ 10 a 15@ 20 = — po 15 12@ 14 Gummi al el We are th Aetna Bigot” | antoum.__.po Germ Flava ee ee Acacia, 3d picked.. 35 - Po. @ 15| Ca: ae @ 4 ’ - 1: Acacia, si wifted sorts. g = A plum (giavéieons). 13g 15 Centraria-. @ 35 erly’s Michigan Catarrh Remedy. po. 45@ 65/C ; Cetaceum...... Aloe, Barb. 1 ‘po. i8@26 12@ 14 Se oe a? aie a la We al ms . Aloe. Soeotrl “0. _ $ a Coriandrum.. --- _8&@ 10 Seeeereead squibbs @ 110 = = stock a full line of Ammoniac 55@ 60 —_ Sativa... 4%@ 5 = Hyd Crst.... 1 40@ 1 65 Whiski Assafoetida....po. 40° 25@ 40 jum........... 75@ 1 00| Cinchonidine,P. & W 20@ 2 iskies, Brandi i ; feet 2 aes sii ae emu ee ee 3 | Fooni tee eee an 1 Gatch, ia. @ 13| Fron ware, — 7@ 19 | Corks, waa’ = , Rums for medical purposes ’ a ie a eae ‘eosotum........ Camphore .......--- ad 69 | Lini, rd. 7 eae 3%@_—s5 || Creta........-. bbl. 75 ee only. Eupl norbium.. “PO. 35 @ 40 | Lobelia ...... = tae 1 po] Grote prep.... g ; oe 1 00 reta, precip........ Gamboge.......-- “po 65@ 70 Pharlars Canarian. 4%@ 5 | Creta, Rubra.) a 3 8 We giv i ian 2 = ain ae Crocus --.. s+ se0ece ss 25@ 30 give our personal attention to mail Sinapis Ni UGDEAL..... 2.2.20. Masthe -o. : u@ 12 > A Cigar Clippings, per Ib..... 26 Fine Cut ae DORR. ooo ess cane 54 Ojibwa. se oaes ccccascleee Forest Gian 34 Swees SPAY... ,.... 2.656.055. 38 oo ee ee 57 PMCOG DAMIR ooo. | 38 Golden — bas ccetceles cagmes 26 Hiawatha.. I aot ee 26 Pay Car Setedicees vena —_ Prairioa Rose... Leese eese coud seme PWORCCHOM,. 60c5 ccc cees tcc ce 38 SWGGE ERICIOW 8. ce cote ae 40 Sweet Loma. ....... 002.0520: 38 NOP oc 39 Plug Wee PPO 33 Creme de Menthe.. < > SSssasses 88 BSS SRS SF OU ON ON GO OF Go BS i et © 922 i OU Co i z - COwNI SSER SBISRRS = bO No. 0, %-inch wide, per gross or rol 18 No. 1, 56- -iInch wide, per gross or roll. . 24 No. 2,1 inch wide, per gross or roll... 31 No. 3, 1% inch wide, per gross or roll.. 53 COUPON BOOKS 50 books, any denomination.............. 1 50 100 books, any denomination. . a 500 books, any denomination.... . ne 1,000 books, any denomination..........-.-. 20 00 Above quotations are for either Tradesman, Superior, Economic or Universal grades. Where 1,000 books are ordered at a time customers re- en specially printed cover without extra charge. Coupon Pass Books Can be made to represent any denomination from $10 down. Be oe ee aon ie neo cine 1 100 DOOKS .... 2.00. cece cc ees co cece ceceee 2 Me rE , sin sci aves seeene 11 50 BO civ eee one aoa 20 00 Credit Checks 500, any one denomination...........-...- 2 00 1,000, any one denomination................ 3 00 3: “000, any one ee: co eee as Oe NE II 5 poses ass sors = nanos cee 75 Te NEE MORE Se NR a a a a Brown & Sehler Wholesale Manufacturers of Harness for the Trade Jobbers of Saddlery Hard- ware Horse Collars Robes and Blankets Send for Catalogue. new complete We have at pres- ent some bargains in Robes and Blankets. Ask for list. West Bridge and Front Sts. Grand Rapids, Michigan WE ARE HEADQUARTERS FOR AUTOMOBILES AND MOTOR CYCLES. ike ee a Oldsmobile, $600.00 This handsome little gasoline carriage is made by one of the oldest and most successful mak- ers of gasoline engines in the world. It is sim- ple, safe, compact, reliable, always ready to go any distance. It is the best Auto on the market for the money. We also sell the famous ‘‘White’’ steam car- riage and the ‘‘Thomas” line of Motor Bicycles and Tricycles. Catalogues on ‘application. Cor- respondence solicited. ADAMS & HART, aes pee is Mich. a Simple Account File Simplest and Most Economical Method of Keeping Petit Accounts File and 1,000 printed blank bill Beads... oss $2 75 File and 1,000 specially printed bill heads...... 3 00 Printed blank bill heads, per thousand...... Seige: a Specially printed bill heads, per thousand............ 1 50 Tradesman Company, Grand Rapids. OD GRU GV VG OV VVUV VV UV VU VUE EEE VEE VV VV GO 9OO0990S 00000900 00000606 00900060900600000 DA»D db, A, L,A Abd hdbbhb bbb bb bb bbb bb bbb bbb GOGO ee Res : > aeons. NE Ren SE a es: MICHIGAN TRADESMAN 31 How to Increase Trade When It Lags. I would advise you to secure the serv- ices of a bright, snappy, up-to-date young shoeman. Turn your store over to him and allow him to make radical changes, as they are evidently necessary to make it a success. Be sure to get hold of a young fellow who knows his business and is not afraid to work. After you secure one of this character, do not cross him in everything he at- tempts to undertake. Let him go right along, and at the end of three months you will surely find that he has in- creased your business for you. He will undoubtedly want to make many changes in the interior, do a little judi- cious advertising, chop out a whole lot of odds and ends, make room for bright, snappy, up-to-date styles, etc. Do not hamper him, as this is your one salva- tion ; $3,000 worth of stock should be turned over at least two and one-half or three times. When it gets below that there issomething wrong. If you make up your mind to do these things, let me write a letter to the man you employ; 1 might be able to help him. Should you desire to undertake this reformation in your store yourself 1 would suggest that you start as follows: Take an itemized inventory of every- thing you have in stock. Clean out one section and place in it every pair of odds and ends that you can do without; add all unsalable goods, and after sort- ing,slaughter them at any price. Do not give your store a junk shop appearance in order to do this, but rather get out a little circular advising the public of same. Also get up some neat window displays, with large cards, so as to at- tract the attention of the passersby. P. T. Barnum once said: ‘‘Get your name before the public if you have to knock a man down.’’ I would advise you in the same respect. If you expect to have good trade, make up your mind to give them just a little better value than they have been receiving in the past. Make an inducement for them to stay and buy in the locality in which they are living. I would advise you to distribute your calendars among your holiday trade. Send out a neat circular announcing that all people buying at your store will be the recipients of a handsome calen- dar. lf possible, have a cut made of same, or at least have a description an- nounced in the circular. Put some in your windows and _ show cases, and if they are as you say, they will undoubt- edly attract attention.—Shoe Retailer. 24 Mark Shoes Plainly. There is nothing in the line of men’s apparel the sizes of which are marked with such studiously misleading jum- bling of figures as shoes. And why is it?) This work of mystifying customers certainly can not but be detrimental to the welfare of a shoe department—espe- cially so upon rush days when many customers would facilitate sales by pick- ing out themselves what they wanted if they had some means of knowing what size and width the shoe was. The attention of the writer was called to this puzzling marking of shoes during a visit to a recent sale of water damaged stock. The shoes had been taken from the boxes and heaped upon tables. In this manner twenty-five to forty people could surround each table and handle the shoes without any inconvenience to each other. A clerk was in charge of two tables. Trying on was prohibited, it being an impossibility to do so with the shoes still wet. Returning goods was also barred, as the prices were suffi- ciently low to chance a fit—if you got the size and width. The shoes were from a general stock and were the product of half a dozen factories. The first pair of shoes the writer picked up was marked: ‘‘6336.’’ Upon enquiry the clerk gave out the informa- tion that they were size 7, D width. He made that out by dividing the number(in couples) by 9—making 7, 4, four being the fourth letter in the alpha- bet. The same size and width from another factory was marked ‘‘8574.’’ In this case only the last two figures of the number were taken into considera- tion—size 7, D width. The sale was successful on account of the extremely low prices, but the trouble to get sizes was something frightful and retarded the sale to such an extent that it re- quired six or seven days to accomplish what could readily have been done in three had it been possible for customers to read the sizes and widths without ap- pealing to the clerk in charge of the table. Several shoe men have been asked why it was done and not one could give an intelligent reason for it. Shelf boxes are not marked in this puzzling way. The marks on them are plain and to the point. Inasmuch as every other article of one’s apparel is marked in plain figures to indicate its size, why are shoes marked to keep the buyers in absolute ignorance? ee Have a Good Leader. Retailers wishing to build upa steady trade will find it to their advantage to select up-to-date styles of shoes, such as will appeal to the local trade. If in men’s, and your trade is among the working or medium class, select a firm shoe, suitable for policemen or letter- carriers. See that the style is not on the regular lasts, but make some improve- ment which will attract attention, such as a flat last or an extra wide toe and sole. Also see that instead of the shoe being lined with sheepskin it is lined with calf. This is a point to makea note of, as it is important. Select good, plump stock. See that the wearing qualities are to be found in the shoe. Get a good name and have the price fixed at such a low figure as to defy competition. Advertise the fact to every person within ten miles of your place of business that at your store can be found just the article suitable for any man needing a serviceable and comfort- able shoe ata price. A customer who wears a pair of these shoes and finds them satisfactory will recommend them to his friends, and you will find this ‘*special’’ will act as a magnet to draw customers to your store. In making your selection for a leader in women’s shoes it will be necessary to see that the price of the shoe is the attraction. It will be difficult to select any particular style in women’s and make a success of it unless the price is right. Ifthe call for a $3 shoe is in the majority, see that your line at this price is the best the market affords. The loss in profits sus- tained on your ‘‘specials’’ can be re- couped on the regular goods you sell, after once attracting customers to your store by means of leaders; that is, if you have used the same judgment in buying your regular stock that you evinced in selecting your specials, —_>_ +. It is better to strew the flowers in the pathway of those we love to-day. The dead can not enjoy their perfume and color, Hardware Price Current Ammunition nose G. D., full count, per m. 40 Hicks’ Waterproof, per m. aes 50 MOSKOS POEM i le 75 Ely’s Waterproof, per m.. Sceees 60 Cartridges No. 22 short, per m. ‘. 2 50 No. 22 long, per m. 3 00 No. 32 short, per m.. ge ete case 4 5 00 Ne: 22 losie, PGE Wi se oo. 5 75 Primers No. 2 U. M. C., boxes 250, per m...... 1 20 No. 2 Winchester, boxes 250, per m... 1 20 Gun Wads Black edge, Nos. 11 and 12 U. M.C.. 60 Black edge, Nos. 9 and 10, per m...... 70 Black edge, No. 7, per m.............. 80 Loaded Shells New Rival—For Shotguns Drs.of oz.of Size Per No. Powder Shot Shot Gauge 100 120 4 1% 10 10 $2 90 129 4 1% 9 10 2 90 128 4 1% 8 10 2 90 126 4 1% 6 10 2 90 135 4 14% 5 10 2 95 154 4% 1% 4 10 3 00 200 3 1 10 12 2 50 208 3 1 8 12 2 50 236 3% 1% 6 12 2 65 265 3% 1% 5 12 270 264 3% 14% 4 12 2 70 Discount 40 per cent. Paper Shells—Not Loaded No. 10, pasteboard boxes 100, per 100. . 72 No. 12; pasteboard boxes 100, per 100.. 64 Gunpowder Hogs, 25 lbs.. per Heg....... ..... .... 4 00 \% Kegs, 12% ibs., oo 0 22 14 kegs, 6% lbs., ‘per ae Weg oc. ot. 1 2 Shot In sacks oumanies 25 Ibs. Drop, all sizes smaller than B........ 165 nape and _— Snell’s..... cece 60 Jennings enuine. . : 25 Jennings’ imitation.. eee 50 ‘Aue First Quality, a + Bronze.. 68 00 First Quality, D B. Bronze. . a 3 00 First Quality, S. . Steel. .... 6 50 First Quality, b. 7 Sstoul 10 50 Barrows Se 12 00 Garden.... Sete ccdseccamcidas con | 20 ON Bolts Stove a 70 tances wae ict” ebee ees ee ccceaces se 60 FIOW oo... eee ciclael ae cine dle obec ee 50 Buckets Wel, Oe $4 00 Butts, Cast Cast Loose Pin, Sone auee ae Seeeenoue 70 Wrought Narrow . oe sees ce 60 ‘Chain. in. 6-16in. % In. % in. Com... ... |... 7G... 6G... 6 ¢.... ge. Pe, Se ae ll ae Le BBB) om ... Se ... Ge - 6% Crowbars Cast Steel, por WW. o0:... os 6 _— Socket Firmer . = eee oes cous 65 Socket Framing. a 65 Socket Corner.. Sees Ocleece dee cece es 65 POC RICG 65 Elbows Com. 4 piece, 6 _ i —- sous eHGe 75 oe » Per doz. eee ene 1 25 Adjusta) --.--dis 40810 ‘Expansive Bits Clark’s a, $18; large, $26 .......... 40 Ives’ 1, $18; 2, $24; 3, $30 .. Geleg eels 25 Files—New ‘List NeW Ameren 8 70&10 Nicholson’s.. Boece ee 70 Heller’s Horse Rasps. ee 70 Galvanized Iron Nos. 16 to 20; _——_ 24; 25 and 26; 27, 28 List 12 13 15 16. 17 Discount, 65 Gauges Stanley Rule and Level Co.’s.......... 60&10 Glass Single Strength, by box.. cece Ge «6S Double Strength, by box.. oo ---.is 85&20 By the Ligh’ i. Lcpiaa sn NE Maydole & a new 7. Seevccacuccc Gee 33% Yerkes & Plumb’s.. -dis 40810 Mason’s Solid Cast Steel...........30e list 70 Hinges Gate, Clark’s 1, 2,3 see. -Gis 60810 Hollow ‘Ware Ot ooo ooo aac eee 50&10 Oe 50&10 Ns 50&10 Horse Nails Au Sable . -dis 40810 House Furnishing: Goods Stamped ee! new =. JES Ee 70 Japanned Tinware...... eee emcee 20810 a ON Tce ce a as 225 crates We ee 3 c rates Knobs—New List Door, mineral, jap. trimmings........ 75 Door, porcelain, ap. trimmings....... 85 Lanterns Regular 0 Tubular, Doz..............0. 5 08 Warren, Galvanized Fount........... 6 00 Levels Stanley Rule and Level Co.’s......... dis 70 Mattocks AGzG Gos cece cone ccse ee Ghe COL 65 nactane ania G00 Hound CHBRB. o. o.oo. ces oo ccc 7% em BO ce 8 dtoniiamdeaia Bird Cages ...... seus oe 40 Pumps, Cistern.... “ 758&10 Screws, New List ..... “ 85 &20 Casters, Bed and Plate -. 50&10a10 Dampers, American..............0...- 50 Molasses Gates Stepuine Pattern................. joao 60810 Enterprise, self-measuring............ 30 Pans Re, AOM cece 60810810 jaa polished Siesal e la cia isles cla 7085 Patent Planished Iron “A” Wood’s patent planished, Nos. 24 to 27 10 80 “B” Wood’s patent planished, Nos. 25to27 9 80 Broken packages %c per pound extra. Planes Ohio ~_— Co.’s, fancy. . 40 Sciota Bench.. 50 Sandusky Tool ‘Co.'s, fancy. 40 Bench, first yuality............ 45 Nails Advance over base, on both Steel and Wire. SORE EAS, DAM. ccs ene 2 Wire malig, base... .. .......5 0. scuse 2 35 eto G0 aavanes. oo... ow cua Base 10 to 16 advance.............. eisai ecelmea ce 5 8 advance... ... - Coed odes Ccascuae soues 10 6 advance.... Sea iu 4advance....... 3 advance.... 2 advance...... Casing 6 advance. Finish 10 advance Finish 8 advance.. Finish 6 advance... saee aalecoees Eoaerel % BEVAMGG.. 6 nn. hee coca Rivets Reon and Tinned... 8.8, Copper Rivets and Burs.............. Roofing Plates 14x20 IC, Charcoal, Dean.. .... 2... 0. 14x20 Ix’, Charcoal, Dean.. sagas 20x28 IC, Charcoal, Dean.. ies 14x20 IC; Charcoal, Allaway Grade... 14x20 Ix’, Charcoal, Allaway Grade... 20x28 Ic; Charcoal, Allaway Grade... 20x28 IX, Charcoal, Allaway Grade... Ropes -_ SOAornaons 88SS3s8S S&S RERRRKASSRSS bat —_ % —_ -_ ar Slee oa eel eae ce 10 on waiteae List acct. 19, ’86.. ne aes 50 Sash Weights Motte Eyes, por tom.... .... 1... 25 00 Sheet Iron com. smooth. com. Neos 10tat 8. $3 60 CS ee 870 Nee S800 fe 3 90 eT 3 90 es: 260 26... oe 4 00 ee 4 30 410 All Sheets No. 18 and lighter, over 30 inches wide, not less than 2-10 extra. Shovels and Spades First Grade, Doz..... Seccccdee sete cece necomd Grade, Pog... oo... Solder NOG oe The prices of the many other qualities of pow. in the market indicated by private brands vary according to composition. Squares ROG GEG FO ee 60—10—5 Tin—Melyn Grade Gute 10, Chaveese... oo. ot ooo. $10 50 iauae iC, Chareeeh.. 8c 10 50 Sorte TX. Chareems........... . 12 00 Each additional X on this grade, $1.25. Tin—Allaway Grade Berta UC), Cliareoms. oo 9 00 Terme 10, ORasoogl... 2. 8 00 pi ee 10 50 poy 1 a ee 10 50 Each additional X on this grade, $1.50 Boiler Size Tin Plate 14x56 IX, for No.8 Boilers, 14x56 LX, for No.9 Boilers, i per pound.. 13 Traps Steel, Gam si 75 Oneida paseo “Newhouse’s...... 40810 Oneida Community, Hawley & Nor- ee, ee 65 Mouse, choker per Ch ee 15 Mouse, delusion, per doz.. dues 1 26 Wire Briont Market... ..............- eece ee 60 Annealed Market.. Secccecesccaars 60 oe TO eo cos sceca cece 50&10 joe ed — fee eesiiecc hace data ecoune ~~ ) e r Barbed Ponce, ae 3 25 Barbed Fence, OO sac oc os cece cade 2 95 Wire Goods 1 Se eae dn edad vend aces wea 80 a cede dg cena cua aemdeaaa 80 ooks.. . os 30 Gate Hooks and Eyes.. eeeuciens 80 aeeeeaiilies Baxter’s Adjustable, Nickeled....... Fe] Oo Oe 30 Coe’s Patent Agricuiturai, JWrought..70 82 MICHIGAN TRADESMAN The Grocery Market. Sugar—The market on refined sus- tained a decline Tuesday—5 points on 6s to IIs and Io points on the remainder. Tea—Practically all of the tea now in this country will be wanted for actual consumption before the new crop comes in. The Tea Duty Repeal Association is keeping up its fight for a return to free tea, but it has not yet developed what the result will be. A hearing is to be given by the Ways and Means Com- mittee during the current month. Coffee—The speculative market in New York has shown some fluctuations during the week, but these have not been of sufficient importance to have any influence on the spot situation. Package roasted and bulk roasted are @represented by the same quotations as a week ago. West India growths in the mild grade list are quiet, with East India growths firmly held, but a light business transacted. Canned Goods—Tomatoes are firm, and full standards can not now be gotten under $1.25 in the country. Some goods are offered at $1.20, but they are not full standards. Unless the market is pushed up, it seems likely that some cessation will come when the market is solidly at $1.25. A little active demand at that figure, however, would speedily cause higher prices. The demand for tomatoes is not very active, but would be at concessions. Corn is fairly steady for good grades, but the demand is light. Peas are dull and weak, with no general demand. Peas will surely be- gin to sell, however, in a few weeks, and prices will probably advance then, as there is a fairly strong undertone to the marketeven now. Peachesare dull, except for the usual every-day demand. The tone of the market is weak. Dried Fruits—Prunes are being con- siderably reduced in stock, owing to the heavy export demand and the fair movement for domestic consumption. Raisins are on an unchanged basis. There was to have been a meeting last Saturday at Fresno at which it was hoped to settle differences between the growers and arrive at an amicable un- derstanding. Such an _ arrangement would undoubtedly have its influence on the price situation sooner or later, but late advices as to what was actually accomplished have not been received. Eastern advices report a firmer tendency on currants of the best grades. This is largely due to light stocks in this coun- try and a light carry-over at the turn of the year at primary points, reports from Greece indicating that the turn-over was not ahove 27,000 tons, which is below the normal quantity carried over. Val- encia layer raisins are showing increased firmness, and are in comparatively light supply. Apricots show no important features Peaches are steady and in moderate request. Evaporated apples are heing firmly held by holders, but jobbing demand is of light proportions and prices have shown no important change. Small fruits continue steady at former values. Rice—A fair amount of business is reported from the South with values on a steady to strong basis. Grocery grades of Japan are reported as in fairly good stock, but Honduras grades are in com- paratively limited supply. Export grades are steady. Syrups and Molasses—-—Compound syrup is unchanged, and the demand is fair. Practically the only demand for sugar syrup is the export demand, which is taking up all available stock as fast as offered. Molasses is unchanged, as iG ci EBA HERR a EEG BEETLE AE NEIL as PRE LETAEES far as the finer grades are concerned, but poorer grades are weaker, as their keep- ing qualities have not been good. The demand for molasses seems good. ——___~-2 > ____ The Boys Behind the Counter. Alma—Henry Miner has taken a posi- tion.in the clothing department of H. J. Vermeulen. Cadillac—Rolf Wheaton, formerly of Chicago, has taken a position in Dun- ham & Cassler’s furniture store, suc- ceeding George Webber. The latter re- signed to take a position in the drug store of his brother, Arthur H. Webber. Hastings—A. H. Nobles, who has been salesman for Goodyear Bros. for seven years, has resigned to take a posi- tion with the McCormick Harvester Co. Carson City--Krohn & Netzorg have a new clerk in the person of Carl Las- celle, formerly with Hamilton & Steffey, general dealers at Crystal. ——_>2>—____ It is now said that Denmark will sell the Danish West Indies and that despite what anybody else may think or say. These islands are likely to become United States possessions, materially increasing our holdings in the West In- dies. They will have their uses and are presumably worth the price. The change is very likely to make them popular as winter residences for Ameri- cans. There are quite as many attrac- tions and of the same character at Char- lotte Amelia in St. Thomas-as at any port either of Cuba or Puerto Rico. A marked advantage is that English is the prevailing tongue with blacks and whites alike at St. Thomas, whereas a knowledge of Spanish is necessary to talk with the natives of Cuba and Puerto Rico. A good American hotel at Char- lotte Amelia properly conducted would have large patronage. Three Rivers—W. J. Willetts, Presi- dent of the Sheffield Car Co. and Sheffield Electric Works, has disposed of his interest in the two concerns and will retire from business on account of poor health. The transfer was made to Mr. Morse, of Fairbanks, Morse & Co., of Chicago, who for several years have been the selling agents of the firm so far as the car works are concerned. >. Pontiac—The Pontiac Turning Co. has been organized with a capital stock of $12,000. A site has been purchased for the erection of a factory building, and it is expected that the manufacture of handles will he begun within ninety days. The plants of the Lapeer Handle Co. and the Rochester Handle Co. have been purchased and will be removed to this city. —__>-4>__ The Liberty Rell has been taken from its home in Independence Hall in the custody of four Philadelphia policemen, who will guard it day and night while it forms one of the attractions at the Charleston exposition. There is only one Liberty Bell. It is getting old and must be constantly watched and pro- tected from patriotic vandals. Lusinas Means Advertisements will be inserted under this head for two cents a word the first insertion and one cent a word for each subsequent insertion. No advertisements taken for less than 25 cents. Advance payments. BUSINESS CHANCES. re SALE—OWING TO POOR HEALTH, I have decided to sell my stock of dry goods; a fine chance for anyone who wishes to go into business here; good location; a large store at reasonable rent. B. W. Stark, Petoskey, — RUG STORE FOR SALE—IN BEST TOWN in Copper Country; stock invoices about — Address W. B. Minthorn, — ich. E VOR SALE—DRUG STORE; LARGE TRADE; best location; Main street; owner sick, mus sell, Address Druggist, Box 255, Madison, — OR SALE—A GOOD, CLEAN STOCK OF general merchandise and fixtures. Reason for selling, other business. Liberal terms to buyer. Address Bert Wood, Newark, Mich. 236 SOR SALE—COUNTRY STORE AND dwelling combined; general merchandise stock, barn, custom saw miil and feed mill, with good ape Citizens local and long distance telephone and postoffice in store; bargain for cash. Reason for selling, must retire. For par- — call on or address Eli Runnels, Corp ng, ch. 23 ues SALE—STOCK OF MILLINERY amounting, with fixtures, to about $500; only one other millinery store in a town of 800, be- sides good country trade; location excellent; no old goods; brick building, with large plate glass show windows; would give immediate possession, provided sale is made before March Address M. A. Hance, Agent, Olivet, Mich. 230 ASH AND OTHER PROPERTY TO EX- change for lumber, 50,000 to 500,000 feet. J. A. Hawley, Leslie, Mich. 229 )OR SALE—COMPLETE STOCK OF DRUGS, groceries and hardware. Will sell all three stocks or hardware separately. Will sell or rent double store. Stocks will inventory about $6,000. Sales last year were $27,000. Lo- cated in center of good farming country. Kea- son for selling, other business. Address J. L. Norris, Casnovia, Mich. 228 OR SALE OR TRADE FOR FARM—HOUSE and lot and store building and $1,500 stock of general merchandise, located at West Olive, Mich. Address Ed. Maynard. 227 XCEPTIONAL OPENING FOR A LIVE jeweler in a growing Southern Michigan city, surrounded by a thrifty farming community; splendid location on best side of best street in city. Address No. 235,care Michigan Trades- man. 235 t= SALE—$3,500 TO $4,000 STOCK OF LA- dies’ furnishings and crockery; best city of 7,000 in Southern Michigan; good location; busi- ness in good shape; new stock; exceptionally good opening; best of reasons for selling. If you mean business, address at once No. 208, care Michigan Tradesman. 208 OR SALE—ONE OF THE NEWEST, NEAT- est, cleanest and best arranged small gen- eral stocks in Northern Indiana. Stock and fix- tu:es will inventory about $2,500. Can be re- duced if necessary. Business strictly cash. Will sell or rent store building with dwelling con- — Address No. 224, care Michigan Trades- mad. 224 OR SALE—DRUG STORE WITHIN 20 miles of Detroit: no cutting; cheap rent; stock invoices about $800; good reasons for sell- ing. Address No. 223, care Michigan Trades- man. i 23 OR SALE—$5,000 STOCK OF GENERAL merchandise, consisting of groceries, $2,500; dry —— $1,500; boots and shoes, $1,000. Lo- cated in good Southern Michigan town of 1,500 eople. Nice town; large country trade; sales ast year, $25,000; best opening in the State; owner has other interests that require attention. Full particulars on application. Address No. 222, care Michigan Tradesman. 222 OR SALE—RARE COLLECTION OF OLD coins, including nearly 100 flying eagle pen- nies. Geo. Springer, Montague, Mich 221 XPERIENCED BOOK-KEEPER AND TEL- egraph operator wants position. Good pen- man; age, 23; unquestionable references. Box 27, Marcellus, Mich. 219 OR SALE—2,000,000 FEET HARDWOOD timber, 160 acres cedar and pine. Saw and shingle mill ready for business. Cutting of 1,250,000 shingles to let on contract. J. J. Rob- bins, Boyne Falls, Mich. 217 OR SALE—DRUG STOCK, FIXTURES and building; — drug store in one of the best locations in Northern Michigan; doing fine business. Reason for selling, other business. For particulars address No. 187, care Michigan Tradesman. 187 OR SALE—HARDWARE AND IMPLE- ment stock in Northern Michigan; doing a “sat business; stock invoices about $2,500; can e reduced to suit purchaser; store building to rent or for sale; it will aay you to correspond. Address No. 209, care Michigan Tradesman “i OR SALE—OLD-ESTABLISHED BUSI- ness of general merchandise in one of the best country towns of Central New York, with the very best of farming country around. Ob- ect of selling, wish to attend to my shoe manu- eT Theo. Jorolemon, Cato, —— e 1 NOR SALE—STOCK OF DRY GOODS, GRO- ceries, shoes and hardware. Will sell all or retain hardware. Can reduce stock. oing eash business. Yearly sales, $23,000. Wish to retire. Correspondence solicited, Address X. P., care Michigan Tradesman. OR EXCHANGE—FINE FARM IN SOUTH- ern Michigan, excellent buildings, for prop- erty in any live town. Would take small drug stock as part payment. Address No. 195, care Michigan Tradesman. 195 OR SALE—5S0-BARREL ROLLER PROCESS water power mill; one of the oldest and best locations in Southwestern Michi ; every- thing in fine repair; doing a big business; w bear close investigation. Address B. J. Robert- son, Breedsville, Mich. 234 OR SALE—DRUG STOCK, WITH OR without building, with Se” stock in- cluded. Inventories about $2,000. A paying business. Investigate. Reasons for selling, other business elsewhere. Address No. 206, care Michigan Tradesman. * 206