Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1854-09-14
MAKE A CHARACTER FOR YouRsELr.


MAKE A CHARACTER FOR YOURSELF
1t is related of Girard, that when :
young tradesman, having bought anC
paid for bag of coffee, proceeded t.
wheel it home himself, the shrewd ole
merchant Immediately offered to trus
his new customer to as many more bag:
as the latter might desire. The trait o.
character revealed by the young man
in being his own porter. had given the
millionaire confidence in him at once
His reputation was made with Girard.
He became favored dealer with the
enterprising merchant, throve rapidly,
and in the end amassed fortune.
No mere capital will do so much for
young men as character. Nor will al
ways even capital and connection COM
bined. In our own experience, we have
known many beginners who have utter
ly failed, though backed by ample
means, and assisted by the influence Of
large circle of friends. In some cases,
indeed, considerable experience as well
as industry and perseverance, have been
added to these advantages yet without
securing success. We have known
such persons, after a failure in their
first pursuit, to try a second, and even
third, yet with no better result, al
though still assisted by capital, by
friends and even by their own activity.
The secret was that they had missed,
somehow, making a character for them
selves.
On the other hand, it is a common
occurrence to see young men begin
without cent, yet rapidly rise to for
tune. They achieve this triumph by
establishing, at the outset, reputation
for being competent business men,
Few are so fortunate as to do this by a
single characteristic act, like the pur-
chaser who won Girard's good will by
wheeling home the bag, for generally
neither veteran merchants are so shrewd
as the famous millionaire, nor young
dealers as energetic as his customer
But consistent life of sagacity, econo-
my and industry, invariable establishes
the right kind of reputation in the
end. Confidence grows up, in iniuen-
tial quarters, towards the young begin
ner Old merchants shake their heads
approvingly, and say, "he is of the
right stuff and will get along" Credit
comes. as it were unsought. Cennec-
ton follows. The reputation of the
new aspirant widens and deepens, his
transactions begin to be quoted as au-
thority; trade flows in on him from
every quarter; and, few years, he
retires with competence, or remains
to become a millionaire. All this is the
result of establishing, at the outset
character of the right sort.
We may say to every young man,
about to start in life, make a character
for yourself as soon as possible. Let it
also be distinctive one. 1t is better to
have a name for excelling all others in
some one thing than to enjoy simply
notoriety for merely general merit Are
you a young mechanic?--outstrip your
fellows in skill. Are you a young law
yer?-become superior in particular
branch. Are you a clerk?-be the best
book keeper your employers have. Are
you in store?--make yourself ac-
quainted with the various buyers. In
short, become known for an excellence
peculiar to yourself; acquire speciali-
ty, as it is called, and success is certain,
because you will have as i; were, a
monopoly. and can dictate your own
terms. 1.
Money may be lost, without fault of
our own, by some one or other of the
accidents of life. Connections may be
broken up, by death, or failure, or
change of interests. But character re-
mains to the individual. and is above
the changes of fate. Thousands, who
have lost all else, have recovered them
selves by having a character to start
anew with; but no man, without busi-
ness character has even risen from the
ruin caused by the loss of capital, or
the destruction of connexion.-Pkl.
Ledger. -.- -H