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Show AIM IS TO PLEASE OBLIGINGNESS 18 CHARACTERISTIC CHARACTERIS-TIC OF LONDON SHOPKEEPERS. Merchants Will Go to Any Length to Please a Customer All Seems Like Survival of Medieval Times. Obligingness scorns to bo character Istlc of the London shopkeepers; they will go to nny length to pleaso a customer. At a batter's In Jormyn streot I tried one derby nftor another "bowler" Is tho English designation nnd thon they offered to make ono for mo to tho mcanura of my head nnd with suitable crown nnd brim. Tho Idea of having n derby hat mndo to order was so novel nn to bo startling, nnd would havo been nccupted were It not that I had knocked around In n straw hat until the 8th of October. Tbo flhoemnkers habitually mako spo- cini inHts to the contour or cacn toot; tho tnilorB take no end af pains; after aft-er n habcrdnsher has tnado shirts to monsuro ho takes It for granted that ho Ib to mako collars aluo to monsuro mons-uro that sit properly on tho shirts. A young man nt the Jewolor's took tho troublo to carnry tv watch that pleased me In his own pocket for threo weeks to tost Its accuracy, nnd then frankly told mo that as It had varied as much ns 20 seconds n day, ho could not recommend IL To tho tobacconist I returned a box of cigars, saying that thoy wero too strong. Uo asked mo to como In tn n day or two, when ho thought he would havo somo cigars Just to my taste. I ncccpted tho Invitation, but on returning to my apartment noticed no-ticed tbo snme slight defect, nnd thnt tho Inbol was that of tho box returned; tho clgnrs, however, were mild nnd ngroeable. At tho tlmo of tho next purchnflo I was told that It was thn Enmo box and the snme cigars, but they had been subjected to a cortaln nerntlnn thnt allayed tholr high flavor. It Is easy to understand why London Lon-don speaks of shops nnd shopkeepors. Thero nro not many of tho retail establishments es-tablishments which wo designate as stores, nnd tho principal ono of theso Is n recent American enterprise. Many of tho Bhops In which goods nro rotnlled havo n depth of no moro thnn 20 or 30 feet, and tho stocks are not Inrgo. The Hhopkcoper makes what tho customer wnnts to order for htm from tho manufacturer. Tho furnish-r furnish-r hnd but threo suits of woolens of tho required bIzo, but tolcgrnpbcd to tho mill In Scotlnnd for the remain-dor remain-dor of tho order. Tho stntloner hnd but ono box of tho desired typewriting paper, but said thnt ho would have tho two other boxes tho next dny. Thin all seems to be n curvivnl of the mediaeval period whon artisans mado the things used In a community ns thoy wero needed. In tho Uulted Stntos wo began nt a nonrly dny to mako things lu lnrgo quantities by machinery, ma-chinery, nnd nil over tho country we Hnd nrttcles of nil sorts ready mndo. ready to use and ready to wear. In many of tho London shops no nttempt Is mndo nt nttrnctlvo display, elthor In tho windows or on tho counters. This docs not apply to tho moro pretentious pre-tentious fronts in Hegent street nnd Bond street, but even hero window dressing la soldom dono with tho cnro tho produces such artistic results ns In tho show windows of the better establishments es-tablishments In tho United States. |