190 THE ITINERANT HORSE PHYSICIAN 



examples of wisdom and enlightenment. This 

 trick is "pulled off" about as follows, and has 

 been pulled off just that way for fifty years. 



A good appearing fellow "blows into" a town 

 on County Fair day or some other big occasion; 

 he drives a fine horse and buggy and by giving a 

 talk gets a gathering of farmers. He tells them 

 he is selling the only soap on earth capable of re- 

 moving grease from clothes or hands by merely 

 washing with it in cold water. To prove it he 

 jumps out of his buggy, takes a wrench and 

 removes a wheel and with his nice, white pocket 

 handkerchief wipes the grease out of the box and 

 axle. He then rubs some of his soap on the hand- 

 kerchief, washes it in a basin of cold water and 

 the handkerchief comes out white as snow. 



The farmers can't get their money out quick 

 enough, and the fellow sells a couple gross of 

 two-cent soap at ten cents a bar in a few minutes. 



Everything is all right about this stunt; only 

 the buggy was "greased" with black tar soap. 



I am just mentioning a few of these things, not 

 because I am down on the "poor" farmer; I do 

 business with the farmer every day, and I get 

 along fine with him; but, because this constant 

 noise about the farmer being so much brighter 

 and having better brains than he used to have is 

 sickening to a fellow who has seen them as I 

 have. Sure, some farmers are a little "smarter" 

 than their grandfathers were; but most of their 

 knowledge they got out of Spears- Sawbuck or 

 Jontmomery-Board's catalogues. 



To the man who knows, the man who has seen 

 farmer after farmer and town after town with an 

 observing eye and an open mind, this talk of 



