Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-11-18
Select Gales.
MAKING HASTE TO BE RICH.
ny T. 3. ARTHUR.

the man to walk in it, Enterprise is the word
Yes, enterprise, enterprise, enterprise Moth
ing venture, nothing GAIN is my motto"
"Slow and sure is the safer motto, my yonn!
friend and if you will take my advice, you vii
be content to creep before you walk, and to wall
before you run. The cent to cent and dollar Il
dollar system is the only sure one"
This was the language of an old merchant
who had made his fortune by the system he re
commended, and was addressed to young mar
lust entering business with capital of ten thons
and dollars, the joint property of himself and AT
only sister.
Sidney Lawrence had been raised in large
mecantiIe establishment, that was doing an i'm
mense business and making heavy profits. But
all its operations were made upon adequate cap
ital and enlarged experience. When he com
menced business for himself, he could not brook
the idea of keeping near the shore, like little
boat. and follow its safe windngs-he felt like
launching out boldly into the ocean aud reaching
the desired haven by the quickest course. He
wished to accumulate money rapidly, and beev-
ed that on the capital he possessed, five or six
thousand dollars year might as easily be made
as one if man only had sufficient enterprise
TO push business vigorously. The careful, plod-
ding course pursued by some, and recommended
to him, he despised, 1t was beneath man of
true business capacity.
GAS said before, nothing venture, nothing
gain" replied Lawrence to the old merchants
1 .l,;o m nlyn a
thousand or two dollars every year, and at the
age of fifty or sixty retire from business on a
paItry twenty or thirty thousand dollars. must
ge, rich fast or not at all"
"Remember the words of Solomon, my young
friend" returned the merchant. "'IIe that ma
keith haste to be rich shall not be innocent A
mong ali the sayings of the wise man, there is
not one truer than that have been in business
for thirty years, and have seen the rise and fall
of good many 'enteprsiug' men, who were in a
hurry to get rich Their history is an instruct
i've lesson to all who will read it. Some got
rich, or at least appeared to get rich, in very
short space of time They grew up like mush-
rooms in a night But they we're gone as quick
ly can point you to at least twenty elegant
mansions, built by such men in their heydey Of
prosperity, that SOON passed into other hands
And can name to you half dozen and more
who when reverses came were subjected to trials
for alleged fraudulent practices, resorted to in
extremity as a means Of sustaining their totter
ing credit and escaping the ruin that threatened
to engulf them. One of these in particular was
young man whom | raised, and had always
acted with the most scrupuous honesty while in
nv store But he was ardent, ambitious, anx-
ious to get rich His father started him in bus
mess with ten thousand dollars capital. In a
lille while he was trading high, and pushing his
business to the utmost capacity. AT the end of
a couple Of years his father had to advance him
ten thousand dollars to deep from failing. Dn-
wing the next five yeais he expanded with won
derfu rapidly, built himself a splendid house,
and took his place at the court end of the town
as one of our wealthy citizens. 1t was said Of
him that he had made hundred thousand dol
lars. But the downfall came at last, as come |
knew it must He toppled over and fell down
headIone. Then it was discovered he had been
making fictitious notes purportlng to be the bills
payable of country merchants, which his own
credit had carried through number of the
banks as we'll as made pass freely to the money
brokers He had to stand a long and painful
trial for forgery, and came within an of being
sent to the states prison. As soon as the trial
closed he left the city, and have never heard
of him since"
"But you don't mean to insinuate," said Law
renee, rather stcrnly, ''that / would be guilty o
forgery in any extremity %
"Sidney Lawrence !" replied the merchant
speaking in firm, serious voice, 81 am a plair
spoken man, and always tell my real mind wher
l feel it my duty to do so, whether give offence
or not. That Solomon spoke truly when he said
He that makcth haste to be rich ShaN not be in
nocent,' fully believe, because | am satisfied
from what have seen and know ofbusiness that
whoever follows It with an eager desire to make
money rapidly will be subjected to daily tempta
tons and it will be almost impossible for hin
not to seek advantages over his neighbor i'll trade
and trample under foot the interests of others tc
gain his own If this is done in little matters
unscrupulously, it will in the end be done II
great matters. What is the real difference,
should like to know, between taking advantage
ola man in bargaining, and getting his money BY
passing upon him forged note! The principle
is undoubtedly the same, only one is a legal of
fence and the other is not Aud therefore say
he who takes an undue advantage of his fellow
man in trade will not in the end hesitate abou
committing greater wrong, if he have a fail
chance of escape from penalty. In my young
days the motto Of most business men, who were
not very nice about the interests of others, was
'Evcry man far himself, and the Lord for us alL
But the motto has become slightly changed il
these times. 1t now reads, 'Evcry man foJ
himself, and the ID take the hindmOSt.' hea
this too often unblushingly avoNed, but see
much oftener acted out all around me. My youn
friend, if you wish to keep clear conscenc
adopt neither Of these mottos, but regard in eve
ny transaction the good of others as we'll as you
good. And let me most seriously and earnest
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