Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 June 1877 — Drugs and Enterprise. [ARTICLE]

Drugs and Enterprise.

It is a solemn fact that the average drug§ist is a solemn man, and that the average rugstore is so arranged as to make itself form the happy medium between an undertaker’s office and a fortune-teller’s back room. Solemn old signs of “ poison ” are pasted on bottles and drawers, sad-look-ing sponges hang in strings, and the boy who calls for five cents’ worth of paregoric, gets five dollars’ worth of awe and odors. An old newspaper man from Ohio started in the drug business in this city, a few days ago, ana from the innovations he is making, there can be no doubt that he will either be a millionaire during the next three years or “bust” in less than six months. His store is very cheerful. Skulls, crutches, forceps, chromos, bones, false teeth, almanacs, parrots and sticks of licorice are scattered around in delight, ful profusion, and there isn’t a drawer or bottle without an original label. On one draw’er he lias: “ Glue —She sticks right by you, no matter what the weather.” On another: “Copperas—Eat slowly and chew fine.” On another: “ Paris green —Sure in its operation—lasting in its effects.” The label on one of the bottles reads: “Buy some of me and stop that blamed cough.” On another: “I’m salt petre—who are you?” On another: “ Prussic acid—Don’t fool around with a revolver.” Hanging against the wall is a beautiful sign, which reads: “If you don’t want to ask for a fine comb, just point your finger at me!” At the back end of the store is a still larger sign, and it bears the tender sentiment : “ There is no flock without its missing lamb. Sometimes you And him in the bedstead. I keep the stuff to make him weary of life. Don’t ask for bed-bug poison, but call it ‘ The Lost Lamb Restorative.’ I shall know what you mean.” The front of the store bears several happy thoughts. Among them is one reading: “Walk right in here if you had buckwheat for breakfast last winter.” Another says: “I can cure that red nose in just fourteen days.” A third reads: “ You man with the catarrh—please step this way.” As hinted at the outset, the thing is an experiment as yet, but from the way the arsenic, sulphur, fine combs and pimple cures have gone off during the past week the ex-journalist believes there is a healthy reward in store for him. He hasn’t finished his designs yet, but was yesterday planning the largest sign of all, which will read; “Walk inhere for vour nice spruce Sm, clean, tidy strychnine, magnificent ttles of Croton oil, superbly-decorated cod-liver oil, and all the various other dainties usually kept in a foundry of this sort."—Detroit Free Press.