The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-06-27
From the June number OF the Lady's Book
Anything Over To-Day.
BY T. s. ARTHUR.

little up TO the ways OF The world. being
without capital, and having a salary, as clerk
in mercantile house, only sufficient for the
support Of himself and those dependent on
him. no thought of going into business en-
tered his mind. A clerk he was, and clerk
he expected to remain. One after another of
lns fellow quill drvers had broken through
their cerements, and arisen into the station
and dignity of merchants; but he was still at
the desk, and anticipated no such change for
himself One day. a young man named
Tompkins. who had started out in life two or
three years before, said to HIM
Jenkins, my old friend, why don't you go
into business? You are wasting the best
years of your existence"
Jenkins shrugged his shoulders, and half
sighed the word
Capital"
''Y GU don't need any capital, ''repled Temp
kins.
Jenkins elevated his eyebrows with look
of wonder.
"Credit is capital said Tompkns.
"Ok But where's the credit to come
from go
There are plenty of men who will sell
you goods. Eve never found any difficulty.
started without hundred dollars, and am
now doing business to the amount of fifty
thousand dollars year."
$50 much 2"
eyes, every dollar of it; and, if my good
luck goes on, I'll do seventy thousand dollars
worth next year."
"And your only capital was your credit ?n
Il hadn't dollar in hard cash."
"Possible ?''
"Its TRUTH"
you bought on four and six months 2"
Eyes"
But a stock of goods can't be turned in six
months. That's admitted on all hands"
ga good deal can be turned, if man push
es his business.''
"Suppcse sixteen thousand out of twenty
are turned-and that's liberal calculation
how are the four thousand to be made up?"
You must borrow
"Borrow?n
"Yesn
:'Irs easy enough to say borrow but
who's to lend 2"
Everybody lends. You are short to-day,
and your neighbor is over-he lends YOU
Tomorrow. he Is short and you are over;
you lend him. Hundreds of thousands of dol
lars circulate in this way"
But suppose my neighbor isn't over, when
| happen to be short 2" said Jenkins.
Go to another neighbor Somebody will
be over ] have never found any difficulty
"All that's too temporary and little too
risky for me. Tie borrowed amount must
go on increasing, until the sum becomes I'M
manageable"
''By that time" replied Tompkins, ''your
credit will be so established that you can get
an accommodation in bank. Money, in bust
ness, you know, is always worthits interest"
'Yes, | am aware of that"
Borrowed capital is, therefore, just as
good as il were your own, for all business
purposes
Jenkins assentcd to this although he didn't
exactly feel that it was true.
Can this be readily done 2" he inquired
Certainly" was the confident answer
II can do it's
Il am afraid couldn't" said Jenkins.
"Why not 2'
sob, don't know, but that's my impress
sion.'
Nonsense; you can do it as well as any
one else. You're too timid. Nothing ven
lure, nothing gain. Here YOU are /; wearing
out your life on a salary Off thousand dol
lars, when you might just well be making
two or three thousand. Use your abilities
for your own benefit. not for the good of 9th
ers, to be turned out to die, like an old horse,
when you get oId.n
A few interviews like this with Tompkins.
/ who manifested warm interest for his old
friend, finally overcome all objections in the
mind OF jenkins; and he became possessed
ofgo-into-b uSiness-and-g et-rich-spirils. Cred
it was capital. That was an admitted axiom
| And, with capital, any fool could make mon
/ ey. That was its twin brother. Jenkins
! found less difficulty in obtaining goods on a
six months credit, than he had anticipated
He had quiet, thoughtful air about him ;
and his old employers gave him credit for be-
ing man OF the most honest purposes, and a
/ good knowledge Of business.
During the first six months, Jenkins was
able to discount many OF his own notes.
This made his credit A No. / with good
many oil the wholesale men from whom he
bought, and they congratulated him. that he
was getting on so well; but "a the expira-
{ tI5n of six months, when about six or seven
7, thousand dollars fell due in the course Of q
couple Of week, Jenkins foand his vessel pa S.
ing from smooth sea into troubled waters
Anything over to-day, Jenkins % or.
''Wlll you have anything over tomorrow ?'i
had been sounded in his ears halfa dozen
times daily for the last three or four months.
He had made temporary loans of small sums
again and again to his neighhors- Tomp-
kins had been liberal borrower He was
on the street daily. 1t was now Jenkins
turn TO ask reciprocation of favors, which
had, thus far, been all on one side.
For the first notes which Tell duo to the
amount Of two thousand FIVE hundred dollars
Jenkins was prepared but one morning he
found himself with thousand dollars to pay,
and nothing in bank. The young merchant
felt sober. This large amount must be Dor
Towed-nut could he borrow it2 That was
the doubtful question. Moreover, he felt
! natural repugnance to asking iavors of the
kind. and his heart sank in him at the very
thought of doing so but in no other way.
1 HOnl1 10 3rxr