The sun. [volume], March 04, 1917, Section 5 Special Feature Supplement, Page 10, Image 56

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920

Image provided by: The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation

                
10
THE SUN, SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 1917.
MOST OF NEW YORK'S BUSINESS GIRLS JOIN THE CIRCUS
THERE lire something lllco 30,000 wcYo engaged on tho Twenty-sixth
to nr.,000 business girls In this alreot Wo of the Garden, telephones
JL
big town who nro Just now
quivering with morn excitement thun
has ever swung Into luilplUitliiK hope
of fume any corresponding nrmy of
Superlatively Skilful Stenographers,
, Tnmtiltiiuusly Transcendent Telephone
Opcratorn, Rlushliigly Itouutlful Rook
keepers, Correspondingly Cnto Cash
lrresscs, liy no menus forgetting bnt
tallniiH utiil regiments "f Sparkling,
Splciidlfuloiis Salesladies,
Ych.i gentlo reader, tho circus Is
coming to town, ami coming to Madi
son Square Harden but mark well tho
fact that It Is such u circus as never
before was conceived, planned, pro
jected or carried out so far as history
records. Them will be professionals
In It, of course, acres of 'em, for this
clicus Is to have all tho regular feat
ures of the regular, big. three ring
show. Itut it is to havo a lot In ad
dition -a whole lot, to contlnuo real
estate vernacular; for It Is a 10 to 1
certainty that the etllclcnt young per
son who takes your olllco dictation
and handles your correspondence gen
erally tsis very day Is In training to
be one of the 600 girl clowns; that tho
businesslike young person at your
telephone switchboard Is one of a
multitude of eharming girls under the
drill of Otlakar Hartll;, ballet master
of the Metropolitan, who proposes to
display such a soilos of wonderful
dances as New York never has seen;
and that the prompt and accurate
young lady who takes your dlilly lunch
cheek at your favorite restaurant and
hands back the change. Is working o
nights over the costume sho is to
wear In tho great pageant which, it is
promised, will far outdo anything In
tho way of pageants thus far at
tempted cither by professionals or
amateurs.
The reason why business girls In
crowded subway trains and during
crowded luncheon hours havo ceased
to talk about ordinary topics of super
abounding interest and have switched
onto discussion of those appertaining
to sawdust and such like I because u
group, Including some of tho best
known women of New York, are bend
ing every energy to carry out an en
tertainment which will help I" refill the
treasury of the Vacation Association,
of which tho 3.'.,000 business girls arc
metnlier.s. Among the leaders In this
unusual enterprise are MUs Koblnson
Smith, president of tho association;
Mrs. Wendell Raker, its secretary;
Miss Anno Morgan, treasurer, and a
number of directors, including Mrs.
Roger H. Racon, Miss Mabel Reards
ley. Sirs. August Relniont, Mrs. New
comb Carlton, 'Mrs. Daniel Guggen
heim. Mrs. Alexander Kohut, Mrs.
Vontgnmcry Hare, Miss Teresa O'Don
ohuc. Mrs. Fonsonby Oglo and Miss
Maud Wetmore. The executive seere
'tary is Miss Miriam K. Oliver, and the
Women havo associated with them an
advisory committee consisting of
Henry W. Taft. chairman: George
Barr Raker, John 15. Crimmins, Mon-
lirnor Lavclle, Ilalph Pulitzer, honls
Stewart and Arthur "Williams. It will
bo seen, therefore, that administrative
ability of tho highest order lias been
evoked to insuro the success of the
undertaking.
So-called "Society Circuses-' have
been many In town and at country
estates outsldo the city. They are
familiar, for the ni-ost part surcharged
with tho amateur "atmosphere, and
tatily Imaginable. Rut the projectors
If the present affair wish to emphasize
Ifcw fact that It is to be distinctly some
thing else than a "Society Circus." In
the first place. It is to bo an entertain
ment of magnitude In every direction.
Instead of being given for a limited
audience at Sherry's, for example, It is
to be held In tho big Garden: further
more, instead of a singlo performance,
there will bo eight, twico daily on
March 7, S, ! and 10. The decorations
of tho Garden are now being made
after original designs, and these alone,
It is said, will furnish not the least of
many surprises to New Yorkers, who
are supposed to bo familiar with every
color scheme, that could bo used In the
Garden. How much music there will lie
is not revealed as yet, for tho man
agers are not ready to make public, all
details of tho show, but sufllcient Is
promised to please even the most ap
preciative. Just about a year ago the girls of
the Vacation Association held a
"Shakespeare Circus and Hall," as they
termed It, for two nights at the ar
mory of tho Sevcnty-iirst Regiment,
and this proved so successful that
when tho question came up as to an
entertainment and benellt this present
year some one suggested that last ,ca-
"eon's experiment bo repeated on a
vastly larger scale. Tho idea was
' quickly developed, tho women of the
' Vacation Association talked it over
with somo of tho members, found
unanimous approval nnd commenced
active preliminary work. Realizing at
tho outset the enormous scope of put
ting on In New York a really big three
ring circus, they called Into consulta
tion Samuel McCrackin, for many
years general manager of the Rarnum
& Uuiley shows. Mr. McCrackin has
retired from active life, but when ho
heard of tho plan and learned that It
was to provide money for the associa
tion he entered Into It with enthusi
asm. That afternoon ho got busy. He
knew whero the freaks could bo found,
freaks of nil sizes, kinds unci dimen
sions; also the winter abiding places
of elephants, tigers, lions, hyenas and
such tlresldo pets. He know where
wero hundreds of trained ring horses
and thousands of costumes and circus
properties, acrobats, tumblers, Jug
glers, clowns, strong men, divers, liters,
giants, dwarfs all tho great company
of folks who go to make a real, simon
pure, bang up circus, ns bang up as
tho most enthusiastic small boy could
desire,
Would Mr. McCrackin act ns general
manager of this show? Ho would!
Tho idea of getting back to his old
Held, wherein ho reigned supreme, was
highly attractive, especially ns the get
ting back was for only six weeks of
preparation nnd four days and nights
of show, and all In ono town, with no
trekking from placo to place by train
nnd performances under canvas. In
fart Sam McCrackin leaped like a
husky, vigorous lark to what prom
ised to bo really and truly a lark.
Conferences with tho directors of tho
association followed, lines were cast In
a hundred places bidding expert per
formers nf professional reputation to
bo ready to move on Now York for re
hearsal; a part of tho executive staff
of the Rarnum & Ralley organization
was called lo the city by wire, offices
and typewriters were Installed, and
tilings began to hum.
First of nil Mr. McCrackin heartily
approved tho Idea that for novelty,
widespread interest nnd the salo of
tickets lo relatives and friends It
would bo a mighty good thing to en
list a large proportion of 'tho associ
ation's membership of .15,000 girls, ns
netu.il pet funncrs, rather than nsk
a comparatively few well known socl
ety women In take part. Ah the prin
cipal Idea of giving the show Is to,
make money for the Vacation Assoela- j
tlon, It wns highly necessary to pro- i
vide an entertainment that would give.
the general public Its full money's
worth and more, tho directors urged.
"Let us make this tho best, most
oittiioraic, most oilglntil circus that
New York has ever seen!"
Mr, McCruckln's last doubt disap
peared. A glow of delight spread
over him. That was Just the kind of
.. .1,1.,,- I, l,,1 I I. ,.,... r .,.l"l
ll,.ti 41.1.1 1IUMII; i"l , HUM
he made up his mind to see It through
to tho least and last tle'all. With a
lifetime of experience as to the effect !
of novelty on a public having cash In i
Its pocket and longing for something
new, he seized at once upon the sug
gestion that as miny business girls
as possible bo invited to take part.
Word was passed mound the associ
ation that clowns were wanted-girl
clowns, and amateur girl clowns at
that, who could do stunts, Merc willing
to wear clown costumes, anil who'
could be really funny ami amusing.
Just to inject a little spllit of com
petitive effort, a free Mii'utlou in Nova
Scotia, with all expenses paid both
ways, was promised to the girl clown
who should lc tho funniest of all : nnd
the fun really did commence. For a
day or so Mr. McCrackin spent most
of his time nnswojing telephone qalla,
then ho almost decided to take out his
.ollico telephone, hut tills would not do.
So ho cut the conversational knot by
deciding to stay avay from tho office i
altogether, leaving In charge there 1
his assistant Mr. Thompson, with
urusrs iu unawcr lau leiepuuiie, wiicii j
It's Their Very Own. Three Ring Show Given to Help Fill the Treasury
of the Vacation Association and To-day Only Hamilton's Vocab
ulary Could Describe Wonders That Are to Be
MRS
FOB1N:
SMITH .
PJfSStDBTTT OF TUB VAGAVIOt
association
called for, whether lie enjoyed conver-1
.section or not. Mr. McCrackin is now
doing his part as general manager In
another oltlce location and telephone
number not mentioned -while Mr.
Thompson sits at a desk surrounded
by receivers and transmitters, losing
In weight from endless anxiety to
please, but gaining in conviction that
the Vacation Circus Is going to be the
"biggest ever."
A few days ago Mr. McCrackin sent
word to the 35,000 that he could use
a few girl acrobats -say 700 or S00 -
provided they could qualify as ground
or lofty tumblers. Since then the girls
who aro really ambitious have tempo
rarily ceased dancing and going to
the' movies, and arc devoting their (
wmm iLMHV mm
Trtt t -v r- rr- i ur a- mmmimmmmjxyrC JccJX s f i , , . 1 1 , r y -a mti , i t
rWTO wpy CU3WAU WHO OUTSIDE wfWR'". 3k??tJ7J5jMC Mt K(TWtiAR VOCATION
i the jRirsa work row the westerh j&Fi's-l st. jMbw IS SCHOOL teaching 1
rv mm tm Ht ii wr u
lH ozvs or the ...Jjti jifcfe .-Mk BlB .
;:::';;HH ' cLowr stars -.srwSft JHI M iHH
DUN WORTH TJ? . T 4
sparo hours to studying tho art of
handsprings. Jumping through hoops,
and when they get the chaiu-o prac
tising on horizontal bars, with Hying
rings and trapezes. So hard havo they
been hit by tho progrnmmo for a vaca
tion clrcu.s that a wholo lot of 'em
havo written back homo to their
friends, nnd now applications aro
I pouring in from every point of tho
compass from sweet young tilings wno
feel sure of being nbln to make tbe
hardest kind of a hit with Now
Yorkers who cun appreciate high art
as displayed In the sawdust ring.
Kor example, there Is Miss Rheta
ho Saint, who writes from Philadelphia
offering to Join tho bevy of clowns;
she says she is funnier than any girl
In New York, and only wants a chanco
to prove it beforo competent Judges
also sho would thoroughly enjoy that
free trip to Nova Scotia. She is
quoted as averring that she Is "full
of emotion, kind, lender and gentle."
Her application is tiled. Then Miss
Elizabeth Kdelstclnof Somervllle.Mnss.,
fiends word that she "can 1111 thoitosltlon
to perfection. Everybody in Somervllle
knows that she Is "an nil around
funny girl," nnd she is funny In every
sense of tho word. When people hear
her name as taking part in nny kind
of an entertainment tiiey say as a
matter of course, "Well, here's where
wo get a good laugh!" Furthermore
1 she can "dlsllguio wonderfully."
Miss Nancy Stroussell of Haclne,
, Wis., freely admits that sho would
enjoy being Included In tho array of
girl clowns. It l.s "natural for her to
look funny" the Implication being
Unit she couldn't help looking funny
I If she tried. Krom tho nearby mctropo
l lis of Elizabeth. N. J., Miss Eva Es
l mond writes commending her attrl
I htitcs ns follows, according to the.
siaiumeiu or mv. jMecraoitin s assist
ant: "My arms are long and also my
legs, which will make mo very funny
to look at. I can do the comedy all
right, for that Is whore I shine. I am
IB- years old but not too old to bo
funny."
While Mr. Thompson did not dream
of the discourtesy of showing to the
representative of Tun Sunday Sun tho
correspondence In full from the young
OSEPHINE
STEVENS.
AS ants. AlVBAftS yS At
EKtPZ'OWE OF THE WHOtXSAZiK
j women from out of town, et he did
furnish tho alleged quotations from
1 their alleged letters. Therefore there
I Is no more reason to doubt their gen-
.lnHKri .. .1 I . ..
iiiiii-iit-oo iiihii hi uoiioc tile fjKt .La,
Mr. Thompson has received imn. ...Z
of training In lllppodronii. ami :,,rnil
& Ralley methods of puili, it .
.1 I-I . out
ciicsu iisiuriiiK ones wno want iJ
funny and can't help It aic ii.,,mw..i V.
disappointment. A goodly uumw .
New York members of t tir V.iriiu.
A -u.,,.1.1 I..., I...,. .....! I . "1
,,,,,,,,,,, Hiive rn c,
cepceci as ciowns, anil iiipv .up i,Clt
regularly Instructed by pinrcNMnr.jl
circus men, tho lnslruction iipum ,,,'
.., ii. i.... "
in mi? vtiiniiwii i.Miciaiioi s IihJ
quarters, 3 it West Thlrty-elgi.t Kr(,J
wnere cue nisi eucioratp Iimii .hkhI ot
certain acts was held a feu eintij,
ago. Other girls who iau cl.in..,
being taught elaborale spi i ,,,',
bers, which will lip a featim m HJ
oig Know in 1 1 it: Harden. Mil i,i,r
ami inaiiy ot iiiciii, are prai'M ifi..
pans in mo pageant rioii.ii.K ,t f,,
score, or a lew nuiulriMl. i r!(l(
horses In gorgeous costume d irmfth
grand mnrcli, which nlw.im 1Pn,
every well regulated circus. ,uni t,Wl)
tiro certain aspiring ones, espi-i-uHy t
tiny mlto of pink and white imtnan.tj
with blue eyes nnd golden ii.ilr. hj
thinks It would bo "perfectly lovely
to sit all alone atop the biggest dc.
pliant waving a shining sceptre, anl
bowing and smiling right ami left ti
appia lining tnoiisauils.
Judging from present eondlHnn? rm
overlooking supeiaiiiiinl.ii.t umliitlnt
on tno Kirt or some Jio.uno im"im
girls of New York nnd urinity. ,
seems to havo lljcen a wlsn piei'.iutin:
to place tho wliolo affair undrr lli-a
rectlon or so expetlenced a genera!
manager lis Sam .Mri'ne l.l lb s tS,
to details, and lies likeli I, utn
quainted with more det.i K mi i
courso oi me ne.i lew n i. man ,
ever Imagined were In isistrnco
Meanwhile If your stenographer Ms.
phones that she can't come t i Hie
llco becauso she's accldiMit.il y frac
tured her arm or spraineil ii" aiikV
Just remember that In all prole ilnl.tj
she s been training for tills cuviis
Tno vacation Association, ns t.i
constituted, was a gradual ilcvtl'
mcnt from a special vacation cutiuu.i,
tee In the women's department cf tin
National Civic Federation. At llrst th
plan was merely that of establishing t'
savings fund for self supporting younjl
women, wuej euiem p.iie iiieieicrac
sums during the winter months, r.ci
lay tliem aslelo for use during tlx
summer vacations ftotn work Tin1
savings runu was suciteii semic m
years ngo by about forty girls, nr.el a1
1 1 in t time their total ele-posits .im,.un: i
lo JJC.iiT. As an Indicatiien or lim
the h.iblt of thrift inaj be tie emu'
It Is worth while nolUing thai ei mi,:
as stations were opened i varum'
localities where s;iings migbl he ch i'r
oiiel conveniently deposit' ,1. the me"!!!
bership grew with leaps iiieel Imune!-
To-elay the vacation fund start'sl "r.k
In 1011, lias incie.cseil in iiii'iiilecr0' j
from the original forty-lwn ,er fm
tliree girls to an ainiy of !!., imo m
siipiiiirting joiing women. : i J Hie,'
total di'iiosics have hit rc.T-i'il fieMii tre
original $l'ii.07 to more than t,oiinn
Si'Ver.il far-seeing women smiie t:rrl
ago provided, rent free, two lT'ir
stone dwellings In West Tlitrl -ninth
stieet, as headquarters of the usocii
tion, nnel heie lifty of the gal mem-
I bers hac tlie,r homes. Esper em tim
'shown tile Vaeatioii Asocliili' tn
I one of tbe most successful e mppr.clH
I efforts New York has seen
BOWERY JEWELRY MARKET
R
ANNA
OIVZ OF TJ-TS
MISS ANNE "MORGAN .
TREl.TUHER OF TE
VSLCSiTJOW ASSOCIATION.
INGS on every finger and golel
watch chains and neckl.ibe;
hanging from his bands. In-
stands dally, a human show window on , remembered the liowi n
the Rowi'iy opposite the Manhattan be in tho d.e.s wli n
Rrielse Plaza. All about him aro other
merchants like him, with similar dls-
end p"lllr.i
LEMUEL DISCOVERS VALUE OF SELF-ADVERTISING IN NEW YORK
By ROY K. MOULTON.
New York, March 2.
Dear Runnr Anybody who Just
naturally hatc-n himself and Is
backward about texitlng his
own trombone has got about as much
of a chnnce to sell his services In this
village as ho would havo if ho were
trying to sell lemonade at an Elks'
picnic.
They aro going to think Just about
No Place for Shrinking Violets, He Writes Home, but He Finds There
. Must Be Something Worth While Behind the Boast
you In this town. It's no good, hot
housu for a sensitive plant, believe me.
WJieu you reach the point where
your hide Is so thick that they can
land on your neck with splkcel shoes
and not jiggle the ashes off your cigar
you have got 'em whipped and they
will like joic ever after. When they
t k1:iii i in III llm f;irr Cnuf llnn-ln, flint
nait as mucu or you a you tiunit or tllpy .. liUtlll, yoll on Ul0 lmck aml
yourself, Buddy: so when you got here,
Rudely, carry your own bass drum and
hit it so hard that they will give you
what you want Just to stop tho noise.
If you can get on their nerves that
way you will havo solved the metro
politan problem, provided, of course,
you can deliver tho goods you have
advertised so deafenlngly.
When you walk Into the office and
tho man asks you tf you consider
yourself tho best paperhanger In tho
United States, don't blush and fidget
around nnd draw patterns on the
carpet with the too of your shoe, but
brlstlo up and get Insulted. Comeback
at him like this:
"Huh! I havo never made any such
claim. I do not hold that 1 am the
beet paperhanger In the United States.
I am the best paperhnnger In
world. l.'nlted States? Huh! Tho
very Idea!"
As soein as you have rejehed the
point whero you can do this without
smile like a June morning.
Credo quod babes, et babes.
Meaning, my dear Ruddy, that If you
think you have succeeded nobody on
earth can put a dent in your aspira
tions, provided you keep on think
ing so.
Tho man who has the real Idea can
generally put it over. Ho doesn't havo
to put it over In New York neces
sarily. The wholo American public Is
eager to back up something new.
Occasionally tho Idea may llrst ap
pear as a humbug, that great Amer
ican hug which lias helped make this
country famous.
Old P. T. Rarnum onco whitewashed
an elephant and said, "The American
people love to bo humbugged,"
It Is just as truo now as it was then,
because the people havo seen a gooel
many so-called "humbugs" pan out
well. Millions of them have turned
into wonderful inventions. You may
eomo hero with something that looks
like a humbug at llrst glance, hut if
you luve got tho punch you will put
your iilea over.
l.lko tho voiaclous carp, the Amer
ican public, or a healthy section of It,
possible performance, there were
enough credulous boobs iu tills coun
try to back the inventors up. The
result Is the present telephono system,
which allows a husband in San Fran
cisco to call up his wife in New York
and tell her he Is having a perfectly
miserable time away from her, which
ho Isn't.
American credulity mado possible
tho aeroplane, tho wireless telegraph
anil the submarine. They were all liu
poxi'lhip when tlrst mentioned, hut the
American citizens who love to lie hum
bugged got behind all of them, betting
on a short horse, ns It were, in every
Instance. The average American loves
to try to do the tiling that can't be
done.
If the chances are SO to 20 that U
cards nro stfickcd against him. tbe
averago American will take u hand In
tho game, whether it bo draw poker, a
salted silver mine or awlldc.ct scheme
to make genuine emeralds out of old
pop bottles. Ho always feels Jbat
some day he may win and tho joy of
one winning is certain to tnako up for
a hundred cases of misplaced con
fidence. For Instance, to use an unimportant
but eloquent example, tho American
people, have for forty years ben buy
iig patent glass cutters, In nearly
every household tliero are enough of
them to cut nil the glass that has been
manufactured In this country iu ten
years If they would only cut glass, but
they won't. They may be used for al
most ever household purpose except
hnvltirr vollr ceinspleiiCR lion nosiele
L-iifiii lfrlnn lli.it if k t , l.f. h,u.
down and dtearratw a number of d()ps not (R,t a'H ft elfrrPnti
other Important ortrnrn you have but merelv adds snlco to the excitement
struck tho metropolitan strlelo. It may ! which our very adventurous public de-
bo a sad commentary, but, when you manus in every pint.o or us me
eomo tu think it over. mow. commen
taries are sad thc3e tlm
will bite on almost anything nnd will i the one for which they weie alleged lo
swallow the hook, lino and sinker. The ! have been designed,
The man who has fio punch nnd
doesn't know how to put It over might
better not have tho punch, for ho
would he spared a lot of mental
anguish.
If you think a job In New York Is
worth two In tho bush, do quite a bit
ot Judicious advertising. Did you ever
hco a good press ugeni in the bread
Hue? Think It over.
I havo seen a good nuuy modest
violets come hero to shed their fra
grance upon the desert air. Some of
them luve gtmo back homo on the
buuipors and some havo lundeil in tho
hospital with nervous prostration, A
nervoun sybtem Is something that you
will not need very much. If you can
Eet rid of It entirely they can't stop
I It Is probable that P T. didn't bam
boozle ns many people ns he supposed.
Very likely tho majoiity of those
who bought tickets didn't really ex
pect to see n genuine white elephant.
They know that the chances wero a
thousand to ono that they would not
seo one, but If by n miracle tho one
shot should win and It should be dis
covered later that It really was a
white elephant, they wanted to bo able
to say that they bad seen It,
That is tho American spirit. Tho
AuiTlran people, will wado through
forty acres of husks to llnd one small
kernel of truth, ami that is the spirit
which has been lespemslblo for our
national progress.
When somo supposedly balmy In
ventors announced that they would
talk from Philadelphia to Raltlmnre
by means of a string, an absurdly Im-
iip the back and tear off the tail, hilt
the fabric remained iineleaiiscd.
Every man Knew ho could tear up
bis shirt ns well by climbing through
a b.irlx'il wite fence as he could by
purchasing a washing machine, but ho
had faith ill the theory that some in
cntoi would eventually come through
with a good washing machine, and
some iuvenlor did. Now every house
hold that needs a ghoel washing ma
chine has one. The money spent by
the American public in Iwiug hum
bugge'el made the I'lllcie'iit washing ma
chine possible. Somebody has got to
buy th experiments if tho etllclcnt
product is eer to lie realized.
It would lie Interesting to know just
how ninny biiniheils of thousands of
dollars the nodulous automobile own
ers of tills ceiiiniry havo spent upon
gasolene savers. For a time the gaso
lene savers multiplied as rapidly as
Ellis Parker Rutlcr's guinea pigs nnd
neai ly every automobile owner bought
several of them.
Eery owner at that time knew right
down In his In-art that tho only way
to save gasolene was to leave tho old
tin wagon in the garage, but he kept
on liuylng the patent gasolene savers.
When tbe right ono came along, nf
course lie bought that, too. If he
hadn't bnve fallen for all of them lie
J might hate missed the good one.
Every honky-tonk show at every
county and Stato fair In the United
State's eliirlng tho past thirty years
has hud a mermaid. Now tins people
mi' very familiar with this sort of tllm
ll.'iin, but the incrnialel Is one of the
forms of luiinliiiggery that thpy icallv
love, i'hey don't lwlicvo In mermaids
any moio than tiny believe in fairies.
In Sanio (Mans or in any promise of n
reduction In tho cost of living. Rut
when the average' American strikes a
For forty years ploui frauds who
havo lookeel like mrporntmunted minis
ters have been going from door to door
selling the. things. They bnve snipped
on tne corners or panes anil ii:ivf;,r,,,,, ,,,, i, i,.rhi,i,. an,,,.,t.
drawn wavy lines and broken tho glass . hllM,f r, om Ills 10 cents In record
neatly along said lines. They can cut ....... ..,, ,,;lKU,n4 iMtn ,ent.
Ho sees tho same llttlo old elrled up
glass with tho -glass cutters, but no
other human being can do so. And al
though tho average American has fifty
glass cutters In the house ho is always
ready to buy another.
Ho Is backing his American luck
against n stiro thing game, If lie ever
llnds a glass cutter with which he can
really cut glass all th varied disap
pointments of n misspent life will fade
uway Ui one bc.ison of delirious tri
umph. For many ear.si the people allows!
themselves to bo humbugged Into buy
ing experimental washing machines
which would removo everything- from
clothing except the dirt. The early
washing machines of both tho cradle
and rotary types would strip a shirt of
Its buttons, neckband and cuffs, rip It
combination of wax head mid codlish
tail, the same being enclosed In a glass
case, which rests In a dim, religious
light. Ho Is kept about fifteen feet
away from tho eu.so by means of n
rope harrier. After taking ono glaneo
nt the mermaid ho chuckles to himself:
"Fooled again, but while there's life
there's hope'. I'll see a real cine yet."
Poor edit Fit I'onsunier has Invested
a iion-puncturable; tire, a substltuto
for gasolene or an odoiless oil stove,
but It Is only the- Jiuno old bug iu a
new dress.
A generation ago the average Amer
ican had enough fake silver mine sttnek
certilii'ates to paper a nii'dlnm sized
bedroom. The man who didn't iron
anv worthless silver mine stock was
considered mi old fogy. It was peis-!
sllile tei sell stock iu visionary mines i
locatid Iu Alaska, Iceland, Zanzibar.'
t'liiam, Venezuela or I leizi'gnvina.
The pi'oUo bought all kinds, one r
alter nnotlier. The imestor would j
look at Ills silver timepiece ami rcallz- j
lug that it w.i.s made of silver, be.
would say: " I hero must lie some
silver somewhere iu tile worlel or I
wouldn't have' this watch." Then he
would go and buy stock In a mine
that -was presumably be.ing sunk iu
some new location.
Then camo tho Joyous season of
green gooiK Rohemlan oats and gold
bricks. Tho merchant In a small town
would get a letter ndviaiug him tlue,t
be could tako $1,000 In real money to
New .York nnel receive In oxchango
$:'.".,000 of money that would look Just
as good, (icucially the merchant would
niortgago his delivi'iy horse, harness
and wagon and every other chattel In
sight except Ins wife and hlo for the
green golden East
Ho would get hack hoiive with a bun
dle of money wiili ii was about as vulu
itblo as Villa ciirienev of the pii'sent
day. Tho onlv way ho coulil ge't ml
ot It was to put it In tho collection
plate and thereby pass It on lo the un
suspecting pastor of his church. Pas
tors In small towns seldom havo an
opportunity to herome expert In cur
leney. If the merchant tried to pass
one of his green goods bills on a blind
man --I'lllng lead pencils the latter
would lu nlno cases nut of ten refuse
It. No person ovit bought green goods
more than once, but It was not so with
gold bricks,
The gold Inii'k for a time performed
an Impoitant function in tho process
of strengthening tho moral llbro of our
American body politic.
There was a wise old bird named
Plumper In our low u w ho had nccimiiu
lated iv enusiilorablo fortunn by being
quicker cm the tliianelal trigger than
any of Ins neighbors. fTivId Hicrutn
plays, engngeil in buung
al! sorts of Jowi'lr
The sight amazed an
1 list , '
pruiler
visitor ke'pl his coat itioticd list
and his weather en- upe", for pie'l
pockets. Rut like tin "lei , , .t'i.n tv
on Raxter street th it pli.ese ..r
Rowery's existence hi p.f-eel int.
history.
Jewelry l.s bought and 1 ,i fpf'.'
on the Rowery now.cd.os - .' et:
was on Maiden lane, and a sitfii). loo
The Rowery jewelry market " I'
existence to tho aiie tion .i s '
havo long been a fe.itiin of t .-me
business. A large amount of ! w '
consisting of unreel"' an l 1
sold dally at these auction.- I'.eu'
brokers. Dealers I i v jewe ly ,i! II
sales With the piirio.-., of re-el ir
their bargains to ri't ei! lewe-'ets
private purclia.-i i s.
The growth In tl.e
the establishment e,
Jewellers Exchange
and when he found out it was worth
a little less than a brick of ice cream
ho waxeel philosophical.
"Servos mo light," s-aid he. "I need
something llko that onco in awhile
to keep mo from getting chesty and
tailing in iovo with myself. When I
found out that the golel brick was no
good I had a real good look at myself
for tbe tit -t timo in twenty years. I
called myself all tho names I coulil
think of. It docs a man good to call
lunuself on the carpet onco In awhile.
H infuses Into him a thorough un
derstaniling of tho fieet that ho is not
o,..t, ,.,,. ,.,,. lyecom,., r iiiuiit'i' ,,,! their bil-l'irss
as felt that his spirit was growing too; ,.,,.,,.. As m,,v ,o,c
"WIIJ ,i iii i , ""v- , human show windows
niiov; ill no- oni uiltlt Itlltf JUNL l",in
ciiiisiiso tup oueniung spn it. it is tnns
that the uses of adversity are Illus
trateel. IT can't buy gold bricks any
more, Ii.u o can always buv
thing Just as gooel. When be begin.- to
feel as though ho needs clmstl-emeni i
ho buys a few noiseless motorcvclcs en ;
a block of stoc k In somo plant that i
golng to manufacture a self-starting
furnace.
It may seem old fashioned to talk of
gold bricks, green goods and glass cut
ters, for the American people are blase
and know what's what and who's who.
Wo tako conslilerablo pride, in the lie
llef that we aro several degrees ad
vanceel over our Immedlato ancestors
in tho matter or separating truth ftoni
bunk.
Rut the hokum artist still wields tho
sheep shears. Just the other day ono
eif our advanced citizens complained
that a man bad sold him a worthless
process for the manufacture
gold out of old cupper wash boilers.
l,iis,n- s1
tin V
it ... I,
lie nil"
hi-i I. '
j,h t
cm b or in neai by
Iiwieli, the excliane-e i
busy. When an flm ti n
j progress tin- meuilirs m
I lug w iii their cio.iomi'i -
some- ,i,,., .. ii,,,,,,i ,,.,
enough room for a small '
phone and small comb i
i'iiM and counter. Tu i
at ono of the.-o . 1 1 -
Iiehmer, tho lnqii,sitie
eliesseel himself ami it in
Rowery jewelry exeii i
With the) exception f ,m
lot from a bankrupti v - e
ler disposing of h - -through
tho auction nni
ele-alt hi at the i', Ii m."
deemed pawilbinkpr'- ,l' i
teile! Ill hi nig lit tlie -i- .i
dealers have mi .uU.mi1 u
outside' buj er. E ei . el' il,
", per cent oil' cm eel',
makes by I ho am I iiun i w
fe-el eif S per c 111 1 1 e-tie
of pure I This lieriiuts a eh il, r t..
agent at the .m, t on- t'
M ti
i it.
wV
'e PI
i.' !"!
Hi
ei-J
Mnrti
, t ac
i it'
1 I i
in.ihi
en-l .
I'l
lei
I -
millions in mermaids and said maids j never h.iei a thing on lilmmer, No
uro Just as appealing to the old yam j body coulil get the start of him, and
wound poii.etbeiok as they were thlityjho held morUages on tc third ot the
years ago. , larnis In our tow nshlp
Tho great American bug has ex-1 Ono day Pllnimer came to New York
hlbited itself In various forms since I and iNiuglit a gulil brick. Yes, the gold
the foundation of the republic, Nowa
days It comes to us In the shape of
brick was no myth, Several persons
lnmght them. Pllmmer took his honte,
'"'ii at tnai. iiiiotiy, u m!ly n q,,,,,, j tlm,,., nll(
some time. When I noto somo of the I i-hnrglng hi
tilings that are getting by 1 am morn keriii'p.-. Ile :iln ofti'ti
111 inly convinced than ever that noth-i self. Then when I
i ing is impossible. i0 makes in inlelii.on ..
I p.ilel $ to hear n voiceless tenor 1 cent. another 10 per ceir
I the other night. He gets n lot of Just bee IlllSe it is I'll
money tor ii. i o near lilm on would i must not be imagii i-i
say that ho ought to bo back workliM I "welry alone is dealt in
at his trade ns a subway hustler, but from It. Single articles
muybo Rill Nye was right when ho and J.I.OOO aro otca-lanalK
said that nil musjc Is not as bad as It j sold. Diamonds rang i
sounds. half carat to the cm it
C'omo across with something that has always to bo had.
got tho charm of originality nnd the j The yearly total or ti e
public will buy It. Ro suro In your ness done on the How, i .
own mind that you hao got some
thing, even thuiigh it sounds and looks
llko a humbug, and then ndve-rtiso it
llkn a circ us.
Nothing succeeds like success. Ruddv.
unless of courso a man can clean up, business j.r
about per cent by having a failuie. the ex
If anybody back homo asks how I extent of t I
am getting along llo like a ginto
maii. Tell 'em I am making so much
money that I can afford an egg for
breakfast. Yours sincerely, Rem
in'"
I,
.mo
ir 1 1
Tho torty-live
change do em I "
business of $Mi lino e
business of '.' 'eiii.niiii
business toei I . i. I v ,
soiie I
ll inge i v e i ei
cabinet be ,i- ei t in i et
for the New Yen k Je w -1 jc i
are sulllclent to show the
of the Rowery as a Jew-i
ti ni
rfti
,ir,'
n'mo'
bus
i "at
. a'
I Jl