THE JUMBLE SALE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 112, 17 November 1928, Page 17

THE JUMBLE SALE

SOMEBODY'S BRIGHT IDEA , LITTLE OUTLAY; GOOD RETURNS A HELP TO, CHARITY (By "X.Y.Z.") ... "Men may come md men may go, but I go on forever," may have been written about a brook, but it can also refer to a jumble sale. The person who first suggested that a sale of second-hand articles run on amateur: lines might bring in a little for charity may.not.have had his (or was it her?) j idea received with much enthusiasm at the time, but it is to be hoped that tho kudos was not afterwards -with- ■ held,' for . that first sale must have been a' marked success se«ing that a never-ending chain of similar juinblo sales aro still being held to help along every kind of good cause. Indeed, .charity (usin^'it in its widest sense) is greatly indebted ti_ the originator of jumble sales. One can imagine, the birth of' the "bright idea." A parish meeting perhaps. The vicar and his Vestrymen-have- decided that tho dept on the schoolroom must positively bo paid off within tho next few months. How to get the money' The vicar hesitatingly suggests to his wife that the Ladles' Guild might possibly have a bazaar. With no hesitancy whatever she rcplibs that the ladies have already had two bazaars this year and aro working for a third in order to remedy some gross inaccuracy -within tho harmonium. Impossible to.even think of another! If only old John Jones would put down £100 —he could easily afford it —miser--3y Mary Smith might be induced to do •likewise. : -Why hot call on John Jones and ask. But the vicar has called on John Jones on several similar occasions . before, only to find that, he is a strong believer in the valuo of community' effort and thQ Lord helping those who help themselves. Mary Smith has equally strong faith in faking care of tho pennies—and the pounds also. So tho vicar and his wife compromise, and a parish meeting is called "to decide what steps shall be taken to raise funds to pay off the debt on the school- ' loom." EUREKA! The meeting meets from 8 until 9.30 p.m., by which time the suggestions to hold a concert, a bazaar, a carnival, euchre parties, and a children's fancy dress ball have all been discussed and discarded. And then, just as a dull pall of silence is descending, it happens. Somebody (what a pity no one knows who it was) suggests rather diffidently that" "Perhaps wo might get a lot of old clothes and things and sell them." It is easy to imagine the rest —the doubtful silence, the one' optimist "who gradually enthuses the rest, tho lure of something "different," and tho decision to "try it and see," the general canvassing for goods, a successful sale, the debt removed, and the jumble sale .voted tho easiest and best method of raising money. And that opinion has spread and still holds. ■ COLLECTING THE GOODS. '• True, organisers somotinies find that it .is not a very attractive method. Tho collecting is not all joy. ■ Some people have an idea that a jumble sale is a good place to get rid of what .legitimately, belongs to tho dustbin): '-arid -so .there--is; oftdn'.a certain' amount of quite .unsaleable .junk, collected from stuffy lumber rooms. There are, of course, generous souls who would find something for the sale if it meant ..taking their, coats from their backs, tiut the most common reply to a request for old garments is, "My dear, 'old clothes'?' why, how silly; I haven't any except what I'm wearing. But I'll have- * look round,'" and she may add musingly, "Perhaps Jack's got something." But : Jack can't have a great deal either, because there are rarely quantities of men's clothes sent to the sales. PLENTY PAPER WANTED. Then the organisers have some solid work to do arranging the stalls accord. ing to price; shilling articles in one batch, 2s in another, 6d value elsewhere, and so on. And vast quantities of paper must bo provided because ono of tho things one does not do, if* possible, at well-regulated jumble sales is to hand out purchases unwrapped. 'The customer who makes for the door with a pair of trousers over one arm, quite innocent of wrapping, is apt to be asked why? It is one of those little strictures, unfortunately necessary, imposed'to .prevent thieving at such functions. There is a case on record of a lady who surreptitiously siiipped.a- waistcoat out of the window to a.confederate, and then asked for a roductipn hi price of the rest of the suit, "because- it-had only two-pieces." "DOORS OPEN 7 P.IVf." '•' The opening 0f.,,a jumblo .■ sale is a feature in itself. There are ho speeches, no ..bouquets. ..., The promoters stand behind'"thfeir counters ' giving a last hurried count to their small, change, while murmurs without fell of the .queue, that: has been slowly forming for some .time." past.. :Then, .the signal given, doors open, and in bursts the crowd, mostly women—a .few. ' men. 'Ifhey ' rush 'to the different counters. 'Chattering,' pushing,;' demanding,, lifting .and replacing the goods in bewildering ■fasjiion, Weight :begins to tell, and the 'stallholder finds .herself.' being slowly but surely jammed against the wall. This is no timo to think of discomfort, however, so she carries on, advising, persuading (hpw much there is in the art- of . selling!), wrapping, answering questions, wrapping, giving change, feverishly : and/without pause, until suddenly there is a lull. Tho rush is over. The buyers arc rather aimless now that the best bargains have been made, and 'thoy .turnover the goods iv more re-' flectivo and critical mood. One by 6no they drift away, and only a few odd .articles remain to bo sent away to feome; charitable institution. The sale fcais been.a success/ Who can say it has not, with £18 raised in an.hour for somfc special charity, and only slight «sxpcnses to offset that sum. Hot and J-ather weary workers gather up their possessions -(if thoy havo not been sold in the rush, as sometimes happens) and depart, a-feeling of satisfaction strong within them, and a blessing for whoever thought of jumble sales on their lips. "Well, I am tiled," one hears, "but really there is less worry and expense attached to a jumble sale than • xnost ventures, and, if the' goods are well.conditioned, you generally get a good'return." ,:'. It is hard to place .exactly the.types ,of persons who attend a jumble "sale '•to buy.. It is easier to classify them according to their temperaments. There is* the insistent lady, possibly a dealer, who knows exactly what she wants, and will have every one of that particular article' on the stall if she possibly can. There is tho timid soul whose reluctance to fight her way for : ward may be duo to sensitiveness and WOtinded pride at haying to attend the. pale at all, and the hard bargainer who will beat the seller down from Is to !.d, and then offer Sd, refusing the ar. tide when, she cannot get it at that jjriee. Children, too, often attend,'with t^eir parents, or. alone. Tho girls will 'Imitate the adults, pulling tho goods

this way and,that with a cleverly_mimicked air of appraisement.. Little boys are more likely to make the hall their playground and romp undisturbed among generously forbearing ■ grownups. WHERE TACT IS APPRECIATED. Of course, jumble sales aro not always separate affairs. A jumble, stall is nearly always run in conjunction with any large bazaar or carnival. Sometimes the stall is away from the others on account of its unsightly appearance, and so those who help on it do not always get as much of tho fun of tiie fair as the other workers. But if tho lady or gentleman who opens tho function is very kind and tactful he or she will not miss that booth when a. tour of tho stalls is being made, and iv turn the ladies will not forget the remembrance. And so the work goes on —asking, collecting, selling. Surely there was never a more helpful suggestion put forward than. tha*t which embodied the | idea of a jumble sale!