Frank Baker, who formerly clerked for George Karst, is now behind the prescription counter at Laycamp's pharmacy at Seventh and Linn

streets.

Edwin Bode, one of the popular attaches of the Stein, Vogeler Drug Company, is out after an attack of the grip. He had a bad siege of sickness.

George Kylius is going to put an aquarium in the centre of his pretty Walnut Hills pharmacy. He promises to show some rare species of the finny tribe.

Louis Greenwald is now behind the prescription case at Hesier's pharmacy, at Seventh and Race streets. He formerly worked for H. H. Koehnken on Walnut Hills.

George Budde, the clever the manager of sundry department for the Stein, Vogeler Drug Company, has several assistants in his department. He is conducting a sort of a training school.

The Health Department has called attention to

trade, he also has a stenographer for their use. A large specially imported Japanese fan, wired up and lighted with colored electric lights, acts as a canopy for the whole office, and a big green Japanese "Frog god," flanked by Japanese swords and the firm's automatic "Strong man,' presides over the part not directly ruled over by Mr. Odbert himself. The drapings and rugs are Oriental, as is the Shriner's emblem, which is to be seen near his desk-for Mr. Odbert is a thirty-second degree Mason. A revolving bookcase at his hand demonstrates that his literary taste and judgment is of the best, as it not only contains rare old books, the latest and most popular novels, the usual and necessary reference books of the trade, but a well-handled copy of the AMERICAN DRUGGIST. Mr. Odbert took charge of the Chicago office August 1st, last. Previous to that time he represented the firm in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia for seven years.

MISSOURI.

ties covering practically all portions of the city. None of the schools have yet been closed, but any further spread of the disease will call for this action in at least a few localities. The Department is keeping close watch and will undoubtedly take prompt action if occasion requires.

The headquarters of the Dairy and Food Commissioner for the Southern District of Ohio are now in the Bell Building at Sixth and Vine street. Joseph Brown, the old marshal of Avondale, is now the Assistant Commissioner, who looks after things in this neck of the woods. At present there is little effort being made to suppress the sale of adulterations. There is talk, however, of several crusades in the near future.

CHICAGO NEWS NOTES.

Jacob & McQuaid succeed Whitney & Jacob, 425 South Clark street, Chicago.

Mr. G. A. Showers, manager of the cigar department of Morrisson, Plummer & Co., is East on a business trip.

J. W. Hayes, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; E. S. Holt, Iowa, and Dr. J. Campbell, of Denver, Colorado, were Chicago visitors this week.

The Robinson Drug Co., of Racine, placed an order with A. H. Revell March 2d for what they hope will be the finest, most modern drug store in the State of Wisconsin. The design is very smart, and of mahogany, with the liberal use of plate glass.

The State Board of Pharmacy meets here Monday, the 6th, and will probably be in session the entire week. After routine business has been disposed of the board will begin the examination for registered pharmacists and assistant pharmacists. There are already 210 candidates for these examinations-the largest number in the history of the examinations. It will probably take the entire week to dispose of the class.

The capital city, Springfield, is to have the finest drug store in the State, if not in the West. R. N. Dodds, who is the largest, as well as the oldest and best known druggist in that city, has just placed an order for fixtures running into the thousands of dollars. Mahogany, solid plate show-cases and cigar-cases, as well as the finest pier glasses and settees obtainable are only a few of the items of equipment. The Becker Company of this city is outfitting the establishment.

were

On the morning of February 23d fire broke out in the building occupied by the United States Pharmacal Co., at the corner of Randolph and Market streets, and destroyed the entire plant and the stock on hand. Only the books and nearly all of the most valuable papers saved. The loss was as nearly covered by insurance as a fire loss can be, though the concern will be greatly hampered in this the busy season by the stoppage of its business. The sales of the sixty days immediately preceding the fire were the largest in the company's history. Practically all of the orders received previous to the fire have been renewed with the privilege of shipment after April 1, on which date the company resumes.

J. H. Odbert, manager of the Chicago office of Hance Brothers & White, has an office that is a little gem. Mr. Odbert declares that as more than half of his life is spent in his office he has fitted it up to suit himself. Though the interior has a decidedly "Froggy" cast, out of deference for the firm's specialty, it nevertheless betokens the personality of a connoisseur in art and letters as well as of an all-around good fellow. In addition to cigars, Turkish or any other old pipe, for his Western visitors of the drug

Other Cities Not in It.

St. Louis, March 3.-This is the worst cut-rate city in the country, says Ed. Schall, in charge of the patent medicine department of the Meyer Bros. Drug Co. He has just returned from a trip through the North and East, where he carefully investigated the state of affairs as to prices at every opportunity. When in Chicago he entered the drug department of their leading department store and found them selling the leading patent medicines far above the cut prices of St. Louis. And for some of the principal ten-cent preparations they were getting full prices; and the prescription clerk was standing around with his hands in his pockets. Mr. Schall says he visited a number of cities, but did not find a place that would compare with St. Louis for cut prices on patent medicines.

The Alumni Annual Meeting. Once a year the members of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy Alumni Association assemble together to review the work of the past and to choose new officers for the current year. Tuesday, February 21, found about seventy-five members on hand at the college building, where the reports of the various officers were read, showing a very prosperous year. After the meeting they repaired to the time-honored Arabian Knights, where a little spread was heartily enjoyed, and during which Messrs. Lipps, Marquardt, Lamont, Wagner, Bernjus and Thumser contributed to the enjoyment of the occasion with a few special

ties.

The officers chosen were as follows: President, Dr. Otto F. Claus; first vicepresident, Dr. Louis Behrens; second vice-president, F. L. Whelpley; recording secretary, H. J. Tritschler: corresponding secretary, Carl G. Hinrichs; treasurer, Chas. Gietner; registerer, Chas. Stockhausen; Executive Board, Wm. C. Bolm, L. A. Seitz, O. F. Bausch, M. J. Noll and T. F. Hagenow.

ST. LOUIS NEWS.

Wm. C. Bolm has assumed charge of the Delmar avenue pharmacy at Delmar avenue and Sarah street.

The firm of Delkeskamp & Schneider has made an assignment. It is claimed that creditors will be paid in full.

Ed. May has moved his drug store from Garrison and Washington avenues to the corner of Twenty-ninth and Olive streets.

C. F. G. Mever and his son, Otto P. Meyer, of the Meyer Bros.' Drug Co., have just returned from their trip to Old Mexico.

P. C. Scholz will move his store from the corner of Fourteenth street and Washington avenue as soon as he finds a suitable location.

J. C. McFarland has leased the building at Fourteenth street and Washington avenue and will move his store to that corner in the near future.

The class of 1875 of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy will hold their annual reunion and banquet at the Planters' Hotel on the night of March 22.

A. Brandenberger, of Jefferson City, administrator for the estate of the late R. Sassman, has been in the city for the past few days looking after business.

The St. Louis Drug Clerks' Society has arranged for two evening boat excursions during the coming summer. The first will be held on June 8, and the second on August 10.

G. B. Murmann, Ph.G., is opening a new drug store at vandaventer avenue and Market street. He was for some time clerk at the Weinsberg Bros.' pharmacy, Eleventh street and Lafayette

avenue.

Fred Whitcomb, for many years head clerk at the M. W. Alexander pharmacy, is arranging to open a new drug store at Garrison and Washington avenues, in the building recently vacated by Ed. May.

Wm. Roepke, an old-time north side druggist, is in the detention ward at the City Hospital for observation as to his mental condition. For over forty years he was located at 2303 North Tenth street.

The following parties have purchased new drug store outfits in this city during the past few days: James L. Wright, Jefferson City, Mo.; C. G. Moore, Eufala, I. T., and Ruyle & Albright, Graydon Springs, Mo.

The regular weekly meeting of the Druggists' Cocked Hat League was held on Thursday night, March 2. The Junipers captured four out of five games from the Burdocks; while the Mustards succeeded in wrestling three out of five games from the Catnips.

The market for drugs and chemicals has never needed so much attention from buyers, who desire to purchase advantageously, as now. Study our Review of the Wholesale Drug Market if you wish to make and save money.

THE NORTHWEST.

Business Good.

Minneapolis, March 1.-Wholesalers report business first-rate and think it surprising the way it has kept up during the past month in view of the severe cold weather that prevailed the first half of February. The interest in the matter of making the manufacturer stand the war revenue is waning. The subject is getting to be threadbare and the dealers are be

coming reconciled to new conditions. As some of the manufacturers have yielded they can feel that their efforts were not useless, but those who still hold out are

likely to find the feeling wearing away.

D. R. Noyes, of Noyes Bros. & Cutler, St. Paul, has gone to California for the remainder of the winter. He left on the 8th inst.

To Stop Nose Bleed.

A. C. Smith (Buffalo Med. Jour.) advises the following: Grasp the nose between the thumb and forefinger and press backwards against the alveolar border of the maxilla and downward against the teeth. This compresses the lateralis nasi and septal arteries. Satisfactory results also follow the use of tannin and acetanilid.

The market for drugs and chemicals has never needed so much attention from buyers, who desire to purchase advantageously, as now. Study our Review of the Wholesale Drug Market if you wish to make and save money.

Powdered chalk is one of the best dentifrices known.

NORTHWESTERN HAPPENINGS.

The sheriff closed the doors of the Liebig Drug Co., of Portage, Wis., to satisfy a claim of $255 in favor of a Milwaukee firm having a chattel mortgage for $2,400 on the stock.

An early closing movement is appearing at a few places in Wisconsin. The Wausau druggists agree to close at 8 p. m., except 1uesdays and Saturdays. The Sparta druggists will close at the same hour, Saturday only excepted. A suggestion was made at Wausau which would seem to be practicable for small towns. It was to have an agreement to include all the druggists in the town. They should all close at 6 p. m., except one who would remain open until 10.30 p. m. and all day Sunday for one week. The next week another one would put in the long hours. And each store should have a card stating which one would be open that week in the evenings.

Montezuma, Ia., druggists close by agreement at 8.30 p. m.

The annual meeting of the Retail Druggists' Association of Minneapolis was held recently and the following officers were elected: Presi dent, A. D. Thompson; vice-president, M. H. Wittich; secretary, Henry Kauch; treasurer, G. A. Bongenheimer; Executive Committee, Inos. Voegeli, Stewart Gamble, J. F. Danek, Dr. J. W. Horrah and A. J. Kline.

J. O. Junkin's drug store in Kellogg, Minn., was burned out recently.

Gov. Lind, of Minnesota, has reappointed Geo. H. Goodrich on the State Board of Pharmacy. The Governor concluded to recognize the statute giving the State Pharmaceutical Association the right to dictate appointments on this board. In this matter his policy differs radically from that of Governor Clough. A bill is pending before the Legislature for changing the section quiring the Governor to make appointments from a list to be nominated by the State Association.

re

O. W. Phillips, an old employe of Noyes Bros. & Cutler, wholesale druggists of St. Paul, was stricken with apoplexy while at work and died in the store. He leaves a widow and a son.

N. R. Reed & Co., of Eldon, Ia., have moved into new quarters.

C. W. Moore, of Fairfield, Ia., was married recently to Miss Grace Pierson, of New London, Ia. The groom is a pharmacist.

It is understood Chas. Sifford, a druggist_of Lake View, Ia., may be a candidate for the Republican nomination for county treasurer.

The Curtis Stream Co., of Des Moines, Ia., has contracted with a patent medicine promoter to handle a cod liver oil and wine preparation of its own manufacture. The company will open a branch in New York.

The drug store of Holtschuherr & Ayers, of Ottumwa, Ia., has been refitted and improved in the interior.'

A settlement has been effected at Des Moines, of all the cases against the Hurlbut-Ward Drug Co., Hurlbut & Ward and the Des Moines Drug Co., growing out of the business troubles of the predecessors of the Des Moines Drug Co. The fatter secures complete control of the guaranteed stock issued in part payment for the business and stock when it took it from the Hurlbut-Ward Co.

Miss Nannie Olmstead, of Waterloo, Ia., has won a suit for breach of promise against A. W. Hoy, a young druggist of Marshalltown, Ia.

The jury gave her $3,000 as a balm for a heart broken over a taithless pharmacist.

Geo. J. Lorch's drug store in Hixton, Wis., was burned out.

H. Van der Ven, formerly a druggist of Pella, Ia., died recently of apoplexy at Ottumwa, la., aged 68.

Kenny Bros.' drug stock at Mayville, N. D., was ruined by fire recently; fully insured.

A. Swahn & Co., of Ellsworth, Wis., have moved into new quarters in the Swahn block, for their drug business.

A blaze broke out in the drug store of Sexton & O'Neill at Madison, Wis., and threatened to be serious but good work by the department extinguished it with light damage.

A new building is to be erected in De Smet, S. D., to be occupied by the Northwestern Drug Co.

Andrew P. Edlund, a druggist of Graceville, Minn., was shot and fatally wounded by H. W. Counter who was under the influence of liquor. Counter had threatened to kill Edlund several times, but Edlund always laughed at him.

A. L. Rogers, a druggist of Murray, Ia., was married to Miss Clara G. Weeters recently.

M. J. Olson's drug store in Des Moines, Ia., was slightly damaged by an explosion of chemicals recently.

NEW STORES AND CHANGES.

C. E. Norgren has opened a stock of drugs at Alpha, Minn.

R. C. Steele & Co., of Lake City, Minn., have dissolved. Mr. Steele continuing alone.

Dr. G. C. Nichols contemplates opening a new stock at the town of Ronneby, Minn.

C. H. Babcock has sold out at Waterville, Minn., to Richman & Dorn.

E. J. Carver & Co., of Colo., Ia., will dissolve, E. B. Carver retiring and E. J. Carver succeed. ing.

D. A. Jay and E. J. Moore have bought the drug stock of W. R. Beck & Co., at Eldon, Ia.

Walter Scott has closed up his drug business on Water street, in Eau Claire, Wis., and will go West in search of a new location.

Simpson Bros., of Swea City, Ia., have been succeeded by the Swea City Drug Co.

Greiner & Co., of Gowrie, Ia., have sold out to Catlin & Co.

Joseph Elerick will open a drug stock in Stockport, Ia.

Chas. Anderson has bought the interest of Mr. Evers in the drug firm of J. B. Atkinson & Co. in Litchfield, Minn.

Waters Bros., of Oskaloosa, Ia., have sold out to Mr. Moon, of Iowa Falls, Ia.

The Fisher Drug Co. succeeds A. F. Mitchell in Delta, Ia.

A. L. Belding has opened a drug stock in Van Wert, Ia.

J. S. Forrester & Co., of Indianola, Ia., have sold their drug stock to J. W. Slocum.

Ole Hansen has sold his drug store in Alexander, Ia., to Dr. Lehan and E. H. Crosby.

Mr. Carney has sold his drug stock in Earlville, Ia., to Mr. Holcomb, of Fredericksburg, Ia.

Thompson Bros. have sold their business in Newton, Ia., to Westbrook & Geise.

W. A. McClaran has sold his general stock in Mound City, S. D., and will devote his attention hereafter to his drug business.

Torgerson & Nelson, proprietors of the new drug store in St. Hilaire, Minn., contemplate opening a stock in Red Lake Falls, Minn., also.

The Gilmore Drug Co., of Rockwell, Ia., has been sold to Oscar Dick.

J. J. Schulte has sold out his stock of drugs in Kilkenny, Minn., to H. Piesinger, of Montgomery, Minn.

H. F. Kilgore has sold his drug stock at Luverne, Minn., to E. B. Doolittle.

Henry Klein, of Rock Rapids, Ia., has sold out to L. A. Minster & Co.

W. O. McKelvey has bought J. T. Taylor's interest in the Churdan Drug Co., of Churdan, Ia.

Sexton & O'Neil have opened for business in Madison, Wis.

M. S. Tague will engage in the drug business at Urbana, la.

F. M. Tilford & Co., of Windom, Minn., have bought the Lakefield pharmacy, of Lakefield, Minn.

G. B. Macomber has sold a half interest in his pharmacy in Arlington, la., to Chester Masters.

Dr. S. G. Nordstrum has sold his interests in the Lundvall & Co. stock of drugs and stationery, etc., to A. L. Ebersole, who will remove to Sioux Rapids, la., and devote his attention to the business there.

Ray Peet has bought the Dr. Sanders drug store at Swea City, la.

V. L. Olney has sold his interest in the drug firm of Olney & Storck at Sheffield, Ia., to his partner, H. Storck. Mr. Olney will remove to Shell Rock, La., where he has bought a drug stock.

S. H. Brownlee has bought a drug business at Sandstone, Minn.

Witting & Long have sold their stock of drugs and other goods at Black River Falls, Wis., to the Dr. Krohn Family Medicine Co.

Norman Lichty, a well known druggist of Des Moines, La., announces he will retire from the retail business and will hereafter manufacture medicines. He has been a hard pusher for busi ness in Des Moines and his retirement will mean the end of cut-rates. The other retailers have agreed with him that he shall have two months in which to dispose of his stock. At the end of that time the others will buy what stock he still has. They are thus removing a leader of cut-prices, and will also take steps to prevent a recurrence of such prices.

Charles Lyons has sold his business at Bussey, Ia., and will engage in business at Pleasantville, Ia., in company with Geo. W. Shadle.

Fred Haas, of Marengo, Ia., has bought the drug business of Dr. Whitacre, at Oxford, la.

A Chicago party contemplates engaging in the wholesale drug business at Dubuque, la.

Mr. McMackin has bought out Squire & Grieg at St. Ansgar, la.

John H. Bieser has sold an interest in his drug business at Odebolt, la., to B. F. Erb.

Wm. Borck has bought out Dr. McEachran a McIntosh, Minn.

Akam & Carr succeed Cady & Few at Flandreau, S. D.

Mrs. J. E. Stevenson, of Maiden Rock, Wis., will continue the drug business established by her husband, who died recently.

Cook & Kennedy will open a drug stock at Lake City, Ia., soon.

A. W. Gandrup has bought out Dr. Schwartzlander at Huxley, Ia.

C. F. Woodman and N. H. Miller have formed a partnership and embarked upon the drug business at Braddock, N. D., as Miller, Woodman & Co.

J. E. Haugan contemplates putting in a drug store at Oldham, S. D.

Loomis & Reidner, of Wells, Minn., will open a drug stock in Lamberton, Minn., at once. Dr. E. B. Daugherty has bought the Whitlock pharmacy in Chariton, Ia.

J. W. Needham is erecting a building at Finley, N. D., to be occupied by a drug store.

It is rumored Louis A. Lew, of Harvey, N: D., will open a drug stock in Fessenden, N. D.

Mr. Kellam, who has been running the Kinbrae, Minn., drug store, for some time, has sold out to E. M. Trenkley.

R. A. Oleshak has bought out J. M. Eunson at Merrill, Wis.

M. E. Hurlburt has opened a stock of drugs at Cameron, Wis.

Drummerdom

Our Portrait Gallery

CAPT. JACK HORNE, Traveling Representative of Allaire, Woodward & Co., Peoria, Ill., in Arkansas, Texas, Indian Territory and Oklahoma.

Some time ago we reprinted from an Arkansas newspaper an incident of the war between the States, in which Capt. Jack Horne, the subject of the present sketch, was the chief actor. Just before the close of the war Capt. Horne, who was a Confederate soldier, was confined in the Federal prison at Little Rock. The prison was visited one day by a crowd of Southern ladies, of which Mrs. Juliet H. Lackie, of Marianna, Ark., was a member. While in the prison Mrs. Lackie-then Juliet Langtree-secretly slipped a pistol to Capt. Horne, with which he and his companions were to escape, but unfortunately in some way they were betrayed and their plans foiled.

In

Capt. Horne was born in Ireland, but his parents moved to this country when he was two years old. They settled in the South, near Lexington, Ky., and here Capt. Horne received most of his schooling. He attended a drug store after school hours, and picked up in this way a good working knowledge of pharmacy. In 1858 his parents moved to Arkansas and young Jack clerked in a drug store until the war broke out, when he espoused the Confederate couse. April, 1861, immediately upon the organization of the Seventh Arkansas Regiment, he was elected second lieutenant, and was shortly afterward promoted adjutant of the regiment. The regiment was a fighting body in all that the name implies, and it soon earned the title which stuck to it throughout the war-"the bloody Seventh." The regiment formed part of Hindmans' Brigade, Clebourn's Division, Hardee's Corps, Johnson's Army. After the fall of Corinth Capt. Horne was detailed to accompany General Hindmans west of the Mississippi River to assist in organiz. ing the army of the Trans-Mississippi. He was successful in raising a company, which was at tached to Ganse's Regiment. While on detached service, he was captured and confined in the military prison at Little Rock, Ark., where he was held until the surrender, when he was paroled.

After his release Capt. Horne accepted a position as traveling_salesman for the wholesale drug firm of Peter Powers & Cooper, Louisville. which he kept for a year or two. Later we find him with A. A. Mellier, wholesale druggist, St. Louis, and in 1879 he commenced traveling for the Hopkins-Weller Drug Co., St. Louis, in whose employment he remained eighteen years. As told above, he now represents the firm of Allaire, Woodward & Co., in Arkansas, Texas, Indian Territory and Oklahoma.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that save for four and one-half years' experience in the army, Capt. Horne has been connected with

the wholesale and retail drug business all his life. He has seen life in many phases, and served his apprenticeship to the cruel side of it at a very early age. He had the honor of being one of the youngest commissioned officers in the army, being only 15 years 6 months old when elected to a lieutenancy. The portrait which accompanies this sketch is nearly 20 years old, but Capt. Horne has not changed much in that time. He is still the same genial, courteous gentleman, who makes friends to keep them wherever he travels.

will have equaled or surpassed his most sanguine hopes.

Solidified alcohol, besides many fancy goods and druggists' sundries, were called to the attention of the trade recently by Geo. E. Evans. It has been seventeen years since Mr. Evans Visited us, and accordingly he was quite a stranger. Nevertheless his fine manly appearance and his straightforward way of doing business soon won the admiration of our buyers, and when the gentleman from New York left he had an order from all the leading stores here. He was on his way to Chicago, where he intends to establish a branch office. With him business has been good, though he says the inclement weather throughout the month of February caused a noticeable lull in trade.

BOSTON. W. H. Lowe, a great favorite with his customers in this section, has just finished his rounds, with his usual good success.

W. S. Heineman, with Bauer & Black, of Chicago, gathered orders with a master hand on his recent trip, and plasters and O. C. suspensories of this firm received their share of attention.

F. H. Wiles, agent for Eskay's Food, went the rounds during the past week, and Smith, Kline & French Co. were well represented by this able salesman.

Rudolph Wirth, with his usual good humor and success, had a profitable trip on his last journey here, and E. Fougera & Co. have now only to send out the goods.

M. S. Ward, with W. R. Warner & Son, has many friends and orders awaiting his visits, and his recent calls on the trade were very gratifying.

F. L. Robbins, a member of the senior class, M. C. P., has commenced detail work in Boston Mr. and vicinity, with Parke, Davis & Co. Robbins hopes to complete his studies and graduate with his classmates of '99.

Wm. C. Pope, president of the Armstrong Granule Co., is pushing his goods with vigor in the Southwest. When last heard from he was in Fort Worth, Texas.

Robert W. Lampa will be missed by his many friends in New England, where he has made his name synonymous with that of Lehn & Fink. Mr. Lampa is to be located at headquarters of his firm, and is to have the supervision of the commercial travelers. It is understood that the New England business of Lehn & Fink will be looked after carefully by S. M. Felton and C. A. Loring, both of whom are known in this city. Mr. Felton used to drum for the old firm of Carter, Carter & Kilham, and Mr. Loring acted in the same capacity for West & Jenney. PHILADELPHIA.

Arthur E. Cole is looking after trade for the Thomas Manufacturing Co., of Baltimore.

J. Frankel is drumming up trade for Armour & Co.

L. G. Simmons is a new man in this territory for Bauer & Black, of Chicago, and he seems to be somewhat of a hustler.

H. Bartold has been looking after business for Magnus & Lauer, of New York, and reports he is doing a fine business.

Walter F. Ware, of Mizpah Nipple fame, has returned from a trip, and judging from his genial countenance, is well satisfied with it.

Robert C. Brodie, the efficient and faithful treasurer of the Philadelphia Drug Co., is also treasurer of St. Albans Lodge of Masons, a position which he has held continuously for twenty-five years. At the silver anniversary of his lodge, held March 2, a substantial token of recognition was presented to him in appreciation of his long and honorable service. Though Mr. Brodie has been in the retail drug business over fifty years, he is as active and alert as many men a score of years his junior.

J. H. Lascellas, of the Thompson & Norris Co., of Brooklyn, is here looking up trade.

Thos. R. Kerlin, of Rosengarten & Sons, who has been confined to his home by illness, is about again, and can be seen among the wholesalers every day.

Mr. Edward Mitchell, formerly with E. R. Gatchel, Tenth and Spring Garden, has secured a position with the Girard pharmacy, at Tenth and Poplar streets.

A. N. Hennicke, the popular traveling representative of McKesson & Robbins, had a narrow escape from being suffocated by smoke in the recent fire at the Sherwood Hotel fire. Mr. Hennicke was asleep on the third floor when the fire broke out, and only escaped by crawling on his hands and knees to the stairway. He, together with the majority of the guests, got out in very scanty attire. Fortunately the damage was nearly all by smoke, and he was able to secure his regular street attire, although in a thoroughly fumigated condition.

E. C. Bauer, Ph. G., has left the Leland-Miller Drug Co. and gone on the road for Parke, Davis & Co. He will make his headquarters in St. Louis.

E. Van Boemble, representing the Cleveland Rubber Co., has been circulating among local friends and customers for the past few days.

S. W. Wright, general traveling man for the Searle & Hereth Co., of Chicago, has been jollying the boys around the St. Louis office for the past week or so.

C. S. Wagner has recently been associated with the local office of Parke, Davis & Co.

Frank L. E. Gauss, in charge of the local office for The Searle & Hereth Co., is spending a week with the Chicago house.

THE KNIGHT OF THE GRIP.

THE SALESMAN AND THE OFFICE
MAN.
II.

The bookkeeper, as well as the office manager, comes in for a share of the average salesman's him ill-regard, for he holds accountable for many of the troubles with customers that arise from disputes over payments.

HOW FRICTION IS CAUSED.

A trifling discrepancy, or a series of them, that amount to very little in dollars and cents, will disturb his balance and cause a lengthening column of figures on the ledger without the red line across it which it seems the bookkeeper's ruling passion to draw. It causes him trouble and extra work in his statements and trial balances, and as it is usually left to him in the factory office to keep all tag ends straightened out -or at least to see that they are not forgottenit is small wonder if they form a constant source of irritation and are magnified into undue proportion. It is very easy for him to call the attention of the office manager to irregularities in such a manner as will put them in their worst light, and by his prompting infuse a tone into the, correspondence that will work more harm than the loss of many times the amount involved. Perhaps there is a freight deduction without a voucher, and hence not credited, or an unsettled claim for shortage, or an extra 5 in discount which the salesman neglected to report, and while trifling matters from a business view, they become increasingly important upon the books as the later entries extend along down below the disputed items until the bookkeeper feels that there must be a settlement reached, and gathering his facts in array, presents them to the office manager in the form of a great grievance and injustice. The manager writes the customer in a burst of virtuous indignation born of the tale he has heard, and the salesman is shown the letter upon his next visit, accompanied by the irate buyer's view of the matter, and inwardly invokes divine wrath upon the writer and his aide-de-camp.

VOLUMES OF WOE.

The new ledgers for 1899 were delivered here a week or so ago, and I stopped to look at them as they lay piled up upon the big truck that carries the books to and from the vaults, The store philosopher (one of the bookkeepers) came along at the moment.

"There, my boy," said he, "is a good subject for one of your trade letters. Just look at these books-fifteen hundred clean, white pages in each, and every page to be filled in the next two years with its tale of sorrow and trouble.

Woe unspeakable and kicks in every account, and he might have added, "and nine-tenths of it all will be poured like vials of wrath upon the heads of the devoted salesmen and result in increased odium for the credit man, the heavy villain of the aggregation."

GIVE THE DEVIL HIs due.

Frankly, I don't like and have no sympathy with the qualities that form the mental makeup of the simon-pure bookkeeper. I know a number of very pleasant fellows who live with their noses buried in ledgers, but I have never come across a man who had a real liking for this work with whom I cared to have anything to do. The very character of it is destructive to broadmindedness. The elevation of petty detail to paramount importance, the routine drudgery that is a foe to independent or original thought, the absence of any opportunity for a vantage ground whereon a legitimate ambition may find room to mount, all tend to sink a man of ordinary aims and attributes into a mere machine. So it is that there is no class of men more addicted to fads or that follow more eagerly private pursuits in seeking through other channels the growth and mental activity their work denies them. One toots the flute, another gets unto himself a camera, a third handles a billiard cue with expertness, a fourth devours fiction-and the lighter the better, he thinksanother works his garden and tinkers about the house, and still another joins a church choir. Notice the way in which they work-how they hurry through their posting, and the frequency with which they suspend work upon the busiest days for a chat about anything under the sun except their work. Four-fifths of the men who "bookkeep" for a living are not in harmony with their surroundings; and it is only natural if their distaste for the whole business adds to the exaggerated estimate they place upon trifles and injects additional venom into their com plaints concerning discrepancies.

The fifth man-the narrow-minded, egotistical, bigoted cuss who lives in his accounts and loves his desk as the newly wed man his home, who holds the proper entering and settling of transactions of greater importance than the achieving of them, and magnifies his office in season and out of season-it is he who is the bane of the

salesman, and egging on the office manager to do violence to his own better judgment is a positive injury to trade. I have seen his work in the factory office and have noted his baleful influence, and I never now see the credit man dictating a letter with a bookkeeper leaning over his shoulder, with mouth to his ear, supplying facts and making suggestions, that old memories do not prompt the fear that there is trouble in store for some one.

ACQUAINTANCE BEGETS CONFIDENCE.

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I wish that the office managers in the great manufacturing concerns could realize how much they would gain by an occasional trip to visit the men whose accounts they handle. Staying at home as they do, watching without cessation for leaks and irregularities, they are to be blamed if they grow in time to think that their customers are trying to "do" the house, and that the salesman is in league with them, or if the customer comes to look upon the man in the office as an unreasonable ass, unfit to transact business. It would pay him richly to go over the ground with a salesman, to exchange pleasant courtesies with the men he has known solely by name, and get an intelligent personal insight into operations in the field. No one would be better pleased than the salesman to give him a run over the course. Occasionally such a man comes here with the salesman, and I never saw one yet who did not appear to be having a good time and to be pleased with his visit. The buyers want to know him, the jobber's man of accounts is anxious for the personal touch that will make their relations in business more pleasant, and the salesman is at great pains to introduce him to the proper persons and give him a Roman holiday in general.-Iron Age.

Borrowers and Lenders.

This important matter is discussed by the "Knight of the Grip," who writes so entertainingly of the affairs of traveling men in "The Iron Age."

Of all the errors that a salesman can make the most fatal, he says, is to borrow money from his customers. The most dire necessity can hardly furnish an excuse for doing so. It is enough to ask a customer to cash a check received from the house, which can be added to the day's deposit at the bank and thus keep the cash balance intact; it is presuming upon good nature and putting a man in a position that may work harm to his interests to ask a customer to cash a draft upon the house, even though there is no danger of its being dishonored; it is busiMerness suicide to negotiate a straight loan. chants have no money to loan to their business associates, and, while probably the greater num

ber will help a salesman with whom their relations are particularly cordial with seeming willingness, they will remember very distinctly the date upon which payment was promised, and if the money is not forthcoming promptly, will have a growing feeling of uneasiness until they get it a feeling that returns when the sales. man calls thereafter and the possibility that he may want another favor of the kind presents itself.

PERSONAL CREDIT.

"To him that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath," reads the old law, and it nowhere finds better exemplification than in the matter of personal credit. It is the man who has money, whose manner and bearing indicate that he is in no need of favors, to whom they come most readily; but let him get into hard straits and once show himself to be in need of funds, his well fed and well groomed appearance avails him nothing. He is ever after a man in need, liable to call for assistance and to be kept at a distance. Better is it for a salesman to wire home or to friends not upon his list of customers, to borrow from a fellow salesman, to "stand off" the hotel-keeper and go out of town upon the bumpers of a freight train than to strain his relations with a customer whom he wants to sell in the future and to risk the loss of his friendly regard.

A BAD CASE.

I had not expected to write anything upon this subject, but I have just learned of so flagrant a breach of good business manners in this regard, by a salesman for another house whom I know and like, that I feel impelled to do so. The loan (a considerable amount) was made nearly six years ago, I am told, and the greater portion of it remains still unpaid. The occurrence has cost the man one position, and if the circumstances are as related to me he stands in a fair way to lose another should the facts reach his employer's ears. He is a bright fellow and a good salesman, and it would seem to the ordinary observer that he would realize the gravity of the situation and find some way to pay up this old score.

AS OTHERS SEE IT.

"There are three good friends," says Poor Richard, "An old wife, an old dog and ready money. An old traveler, now nearing the last inn on his journey, put it still stronger. "I will tell you one thing that you will do well to remember, said he, and that is that there is nothing that will stick by a man in his old age but ready money. It is his best friend at any time, but when he gets old there is nothing that will so befriend him. It insures him a home, no matter what happens; it keeps him from being a burden upon his children, enables him to be of use to them when he cannot aid them in any other way, and will procure him all the rational enjoyments and comforts to the end." He is probably worth $200,000, the result of his individual effort, and has earned the right to speak with authority. "I never spend money without trying to get its worth," he said. "I am not mean or stingy-I try not to be but whatever I get, whether it be pleasure, clothes or anything else, I see that it is worth what I pay for it, and unless it is something that I can afford I don't get it."

Our newest salesman is a man of the same kidney. He comes from a decaying house that are loose in their money matters. After he had been lectured by everybody else, I took him to the credit man for a final talk before starting out, and he came back to me after it. "I like the way things are done here, and the way men are paid," said he. "Where I came from the boys had open accounts and drew when they pleased, and some of them were always overdrawn. I like this business of paying once a month and the way credits are looked into before firms are sold. It don't pay to be loose in money matters, of all things.'

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ple of South America have never brought into play.

All-round business ability and the power to judge human nature are far more important in this sphere of work than linguistic accomplishments, for the reason that the foreign commercial traveler is often called upon, when thousands of miles away from home and out of cable reach, to bring his own judgment into play in cases where the promptest action is required. An interpreter may be hired at any time, but it is impossible to buy brains when matters of unusual import present themselves.

Expert Knowledge Required.

Next in order is the necessity of being an expert in one's own line of business, not only acquainted with every phase of the manufacturing, cost, disposition and possibilities of the line you represent; not only possessing a knowledge of the grades and styles of goods demanded by the classes of consumers you wish to reach, but also familiar with the nature of competition to be met with from other American and European manufacturers.

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We are handicapped to a certain extent in foreign markets to-day and an unfavorable impression exists, owing to the limited or poor representation our products have had during the past. The export commission firms, who are sponsible for a great proportion of our present foreign business, cannot and do not pretend to be familiar with every department of American manufactures. Their principal trade with South America and that which in the past offered the greatest incentives for business has been the disposition of staples; something which could be sold in quantities and for which there was always a steady demand. Their inexperience in specialty lines, the greater work and risk incurred in this class of trading in proportion to the profit made and the difficulty of having special orders correctly interpreted, has in the past greatly limited our representation. The commission houses have simply sold goods from the limited quantity of samples on hand, knowing little of the possibilities of a line, or how it might be better adapted to local needs.

Then, again, many men have secured positions as foreign travelers for American firms having only a superficial knowledge of the goods they were showing, but employed for the work solely on their ability to speak a foreign language.

A Command of the Language. Third in the order of importance, yet absolutely essential, is the necessity of dealing with a foreign buyer in his own language. A liberal knowledge of Portuguese for Brazil, and Spanish for the balance of South America, is really necessary in order to represent thoroughly a concern and do both it and the goods justice. This has been one of the greatest drawbacks in the enlargement of our foreign trade and the easiest one to overcome. One hour's study and exercise during each day continued for one year should give any young man of average intelligence a sufficient knowledge of the pronunciation and construction of the Spanish or Portuguese tongues to fit him to speak, read and write it with sufficient fluency to carry on a trade negotiation.

Now that our export trade has begun to increase, with a fair prospect of further extension, any young man who desires to make his services more valuable in the

business world cannot make a mistake in acquiring a knowledge of foreign languages, especially Spanish, Portuguese and French. I add French because it has been taught in all the higher grade schools in South America and because a large proportion of South American business men understand it.

The combination of requirements next in importance and very valuable to the foreign salesman is the possession of a refined, gentlemanly bearing, habitual politeness, and the patience to endure with complacency all kinds of delays and postponements.

A gentlemanly bearing and suave manners are two strong inherited characteristics of the Latin-American, and it is by these traits that foreigners are usually judged. Politeness costs nothing and brings fair returns in any country, but in no portion of the world are the returns greater than in South America. It is not only the means of saving many dollars in the course of a trip, but the exercise of this virtue invariably secures attentions and valuable services which money cannot buy.

Personal pride is a characteristic of the street porter, the hotel servant and the merchant's employe, as well as the merchant himself. Being a stranger in a strange country, there are occasions when any of these people may be of service to you, and in many such instances a previous kindly word or considerate manner will do more for you than a mere gratification could buy.

"Costly Thy Habit."

South Americans also give dress greater prominence in the make-up of the man than we do. They are prone to judge a man more by his clothes than we do, and it is, therefore, well worth while catering to these ideas. Flashy clothes of loud patterns, and in fact light colored clothing of any description, are considered bad taste. South American gentlemen dress in very subdued shades, black being the favorite color. The long frock coat and silk hat are, by the way, two indispensable articles of a South American merchant's wardrobe and are worn at any time during the day. This is a point to be remembered by every salesman who expects to travel there. To be dressed beyond the criticism of your customer is a point to your advantage.

The bluff, boisterous mannerisms of a fair proportion of our North American commercial travelers are not understood much farther south than the Rio Grande. In Latin-America it is falsely interpreted as an evidence of a limited education and a lack of refinement. This is also a fact worth remembering.

In South America you do not rush into a customer's office, slap him on the back, take him out for a drink, pull him up to your sample room, and then invite him and all his family to accompany you to the theatre, as is often done in the United States. If you wish your call to be conducive to best results, you will omit all of the above and act like a thoroughly dignified gentleman making a business call on another.

"Manana, Pasada Manana."

But by far the most trying phase of commercial traveling in South America to the American character is the slowness with which the results are accomplished and the excessive delays one has to put up with on every hand. The lethargy and