Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1915 — GENIUS OF THE TOY DEPARTMENT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GENIUS OF THE TOY DEPARTMENT

Inspiration and Skillful Work Have Made Him a Success. STORY OF HIS FLAG CORNER Quickly Anticipated the Demand Following Death of President McKinley—Gets Valuable Ideas From His Little Daughter.

By OSBORN MARSHALL.

(Copyright, ISIS, by the McClure Newapapaper Syndicate.) .’ During the Spanish-American war there was a big boom in the flag business. People who had never thought Y of being patriotic before suddenly discovered their fondness for “Old Glory.” Everywhere you went, you saw flags. Children waved them at school entertainments, picnics and on every holiday. They covered pulpits and festooned barrooms and waved from the windows of offices, stores and homes. This made good business for the people who sold flags. One of the biggest New York department stores of those days had made an especially good thing of its flag sales. Flags, you may know or you may not know, are part of the merchandise for tjie toy department in department stores. The toy buyer of this particular department store was at that time A. B. Feder, Jr. He was a live wire in the toy business and he had managed to keep his store supplied with the best flags at the lowest retail price, with the result that he

made a neat profit from the wartime patriotism of the Americans. One evening Mr. Feder and an associate in the buying business were walking in the gloaming after work In the store was done, when Mr. Feder happened to open a conversation he never forgot “There is one sure thing about the toy business,” he said to his companion. “We may make good sales in some -things, but we will neVer make such good money again on flags.” “No,” said his companion. “The war is over and the big demand for flags with it That is, of course, unless another war should break out” “Yes,” mused Mr. Feder, “a war or some other national calamity—say the assassination of a president or something like that—would remind the people again that they are American citizens.” “It is an ill wind that brings no one any good,” commented his companion. Quick to Seo the Opportunity. This was in the spring of 1899, just * few months after the end of the Spanish war. Two years and a half later, on the morning of September 14, 1901, Mr. Feder was dressing leisurely in his home in upper New York. He was still employed as a toy buyer for one of the biggest New York department stores. His mother woke early and, like hosts of newspaper readers all oyer the United States that morning, learned that President McKinley had died at Buffalo. She hastened to her son - and told him the alarming news. After the first shock of it the buyer recalled, as if it had happened but yesterday, the words he had spoken to his friend on Broadway two years before. Mr. Feder didn’t wait to finish his breakfast He grasped his hat and hurried to the nearest elevated railroad station. By eight o’clock he was at the Battery, six or eight miles from home, In the neighborhood of the wholesale flag dealers. It was before the days of taxis, so he hailed a cab that was standing near the Battery place sta

tioa. He jumped In and told the sleepy driver that he wanted him for the next hour or two. He dnwe first to the biggest wholesale dealer in flags. He was recognised as one of the leading department store buyers, and no one thought anything about his presence except that it was rather an early hour to be doing business. “I want all the flags you have in your house,” Mr. Feder said. After due deliberation and tn consideration of the large order the flag dealer decided to let him have his entire stock at a very reasonable figure. Mr. Feder stayed in this wareroom long enough to close up the deal and then dashed to the cab waiting for him and hurried to the next wholesale flag dealer. "Good morning,” he said cheerfully. "I am looking for some flags. If I take all you have on hand what terms will you let me have on them?” “Well," mused the dealer, '’seeing it is you and seeing you want all I have, and seeing that your house pays promptly, and seeing that there isn’t much demand for flags nowadays—now that the war is over—-I’ll let them go at fifty and ten off the list." Feder finished the deal, hurried to his dab and went to the next flag dealer’s.

“I Want All the Flags You Have.”