Frank Chodorov

Frank Chodorov was born Feburary 15, 1887-1966 on the lower east side of New York. He grew up on the west side of New York. His father, an immigrant, who like many others, took to peddling as a means of making a living, brought me a toy of some sort form one of his trips, maybe the fact that this was the only one i ever had, if memory serves me right, an indelible impression on me.

As a vocation, peddling has long since gone out of style in this country, and the image of the peddler that has remained is not a glamorous one. Yet, the peddler must be given credit for helping to build the great American economy. He began his enterprise by bringing to the hinterland a modest pack on his back, as much as he had capital for, selling the contents and returning to his distributing point as soon as possible. He lived frugally, saved much of the proceeds of his sales, and invested his savings in a larger pack. 


This is the story of most of the department stores, the merchandise marts, that dot the American landscape today; they began with a pack on some peddler's back. Indeed, it is the story in broad outline of many of the industries that make up the American economy, from steel to automobile; some pioneer, beginning in a small way, exercised industry and thrift and plowed back his savings into his business to serve the needs of the community. He might have, as conditions warranted, borrowed the savings of others to expand his enterprise, but until he had demonstrated his ability to render service, and the need for it, his capital consisted mainly of his own savings.


Now, the peddler, using the term figuratively, was the backbone of the American economic and social system. He was the middle-class man who prided himself on his initiative, self-reliance, independence and, above all, his integrity. He might be shrewd and even grasping, but he never asked for favors and certainly did not expect society to take care of him.