Litchfield enquirer., 1831-08-18
GIDEON GRINDER

get wisdom" But he, like most men. be- ing satisfied with his acquisitions on this score. changed the phraseology of tic max i'm istle-mOney is the principal thing, therefore get mOney-was his motto: and he went to work in that kind of earnest which singleness of object produces.
 He had some of the essential qualifications too, which are necessary for success. He was industrious and economical. No doubt the reader anticipates the issue: sees him emerge from obscurity, and rise rapidly to afiuence aud thinks it unnecessary to travel through the story. So common is the opinion--so often does it indeed hap pen--that such beginning ends favorabIy. But let us proceed.
 Industry is a good thing very good thing; iiil essential requisite but then i; is not the only essenlialre requisite necessary to enable a man 10 get along in the world. Observation proves that some very steady,
 hard-working men are always behind hand m life, and that others, who are apparently far more indolent in their habits, make money and thrive. Economy, too. is a very common road td wealth but we see some trying to save, all their lives long. and actually saving nothing while others, who are comparatively prodigal, do we'll in. the end. The secret is all hcre-itrequires a head as we'll as hands to get along wisdom to plan, as well as energy to execute:
 A scil to abour, and a head to pian---
 These conssie the money.making man.
 Gideon had been educated shop-keep- CT in his fathers store; and when the old man died, he stepped at onco into his busi- ness. Old Mir. Grinder was not one of your all or nothing" sort of men, who make or break at dash. He went on stow and sure ; swept clean as he went paid his debts 1; and did an honest business on a small scale. Nobody was further from being mean, and yet he was a frugal liver; not afraid of spending penny, and yet looking well to the out-goes too. In short, he was not one of chose who turn all their attention to saving the drops from the spiggot, while, at the same time, quarts are escaping from the bung. He might, on the strength of his credit, have dashed out largely in business, and done as many peo- pie now do but he preferred the certainty of small business, to the changes of a large one. He might have told large sto- ries; and professed to accommodate cus- toners at a sacrifice to sell for less than cost and set hundred traps, common in his day, to catch custom. But he had grown up hand in hand with honesty and used to say he would not quarrel with so good friend in his old age. Gideon therefore had worthy example, but the fa- ther's mantle does not always fall on the son
 The young man, indeed, came out into the world with many of his fathers good babits and opinions. He disliked credit guarded against waste and had no disposi- tion to show of. But, in avoiding these dangers, he fell into the opposite extreme, narrow, contracted. selfish way of doing business, which followed him, and frittcred him down, till he had no more heart than herring.
 The first rule he established was to do what he called snug business; that was, to keep no articles on hand which were not ready sale !; he had no idea that there was any advantage in having great variety it only numbered the store was dead capi- tai 1; and attended with more or less waste. Standing by itself, this was a good argu- ment; but as many people prefer calling where every thing, ordinary and extraordi- nary, may be had, whether they want an uncommon article or not, ihe rule opera- ted badly.
 Again, it seemed to him perfectly plain, that nothing was made on many articles, which were customarily sold for near about first cost and that no sensible man would take labour in profitlcss business. He consequently reduced his assortment some-. what, under this head, and reduced tho custom of the store just in proportion. Thus his two first rules, though at first they appeared founded in good sense, proved in practice worthless, and even worse.
 He held to exact dealing and took great care never to weigh or measure grain too much. He was very nice calculator in these things; but was honest honest to himself; and his customers could never charge him with dishonesty to them. In | the matter of change too, hc was a scrupu- lous man took thirteen cents to the eleven pence, and seven to the fivepence, conceiv- ing the halfpence and farthings to be his just due: and in such matters saved little as he went priding himself much on his dexterity in these matters being superior to that of his father, who always gave the odds against himself, and, as Gideon used to say, lost pretty penny in ihat way. Generally, as be did not particularly aim ct. 60 he did not of course obtain, the char acsnr nf a very accumModafing dealer.