Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-02-13
AN HOUR WITH THE MONEY.
CHANGERS.
BY REV. THEODORE I. curLER.

en- guide Welt with him yesterday, BY
i vitation to the Board II Bro iers. Lead.
ing me up into a singular paved court out Of
EA change Place, and thel ce through long,
narrow, dark passage, he ushered Ine at last
into a square, hign.walled room, in which
the high parliament Of the mon, y
changers. 1t is not necessary to announce
that the meetings Of the Board are strictly
private, for none but the initiated would
surely ever find their way through such a
tortuous labyrinth into such u cave Of Allad-
din as this. se@s 'at attsa ,asaa i
AT the entrance Of the Board room il
telegraph apparatus. The. moment that
sale takes place within, some interested par
ty hints the facts to his stock jobber in Bos.
ton, Philadelphia, or Baltimore. Orders for
purchases are flashed back over the wires,
and so millions of dollars change hands, cv-
cry month, by lightning. Passing through
this vestlbule, and by knot Of news boys
and apple women, we enter the room where
the First Board" met at halfpast ten o.
clock. A members initiation fee is over one
dollars. yr, s#
As we enter, we are saluted by Babel Of
noisy college students waiting for the advent
of the professor. A group OF q hundred or
more gentlemen---soft hated, though not soft
an unwonted proportion Of
keen eyes and long boards, are seated before
tables, and each one talking at the top Of his
voice. Some are cracking jokes. Others are
eating apples. Others are shouting out in
jocular tone, What is the price Of gold to-
day ? . Is it putty up or putty down p
Take your seat, Mr.. W. The Mr..
W-thus brusquely addressed is the acting
President Of the Board and for his daily
four hours work he received the richly earn.
ed salary of Ave thousand dollars. While
the younger and more volatile members arc
indulging in these jocularities. the veterans
ar, soc nnly ondeling as to how deeply
they shall go into Delaware and Hudson
or into Erie bonds,' or poor old Virginia's
insecure securities Each man has
stock book before him, in which he enters
the prices bid for the stocks as they are sew
orally called. So accurate is the Presidents
memory that he announces each stock in its
order without once referring TO the long
printed list sra. h.a,~..t ......-7.. -
Al half-past ten he takes his place in .
h gh-backed chair, with miniature Ameri.
can flag at the top. lie raps to order, and
c Ihmenc ) by calling off the Government
sc, urities " hen he reaches some active
speculative stock, like Pacific Mall or N "
York Central Railroad then there is an ex.
plosion Of excitement. Men leap to their
feet shouting vociicrously. That is my
bid will give seventy -fve-sellcr three
days. Fifty foI the lot and score of
other excamations. Fingers are shaken at
each other, or snapped to arrest attention.
The loudes: speaker is the best fellow. But
above oil this deafening roar, the command.
ing voice of the President is heard calling off
the bids, and pronouneing the names and the
terms Of the several purchasers. What is
roaring bedlam to us, is perfect order to him.
He distinguishes in twinkling the different
voices, gestures, and uttcrances Of thirty
excited men, each shouting at the top Of his
voice, aud with lightning rapidity Of speech
Occasionally dispute arises in this noisy
melee as to the property of purchaser
This is settled on the spot by a vote Of the
Board, and from this vote there is no appeal
was greatly interested in watching the
different ", ll-known financ,ers as they play-
ed their parts in the exciting game. Some
sat quietly and but scld, m ventured into the
lists. Oth,rs were on their feet, with arms
extended and faces almost convulsed with
cxc. teinent, through the ,yholc hour of roar
and tumnlt. To the left Of the President sits
the Ursa Major Of the Stock Board well
known broker whom will not name. He
seems very quiet now; but in former tunes
he used to shake the stock market with u
nod. AS he listens to the various bids, the
" working of bis countenance reminds me of
Broygham IN the House of the Lords. We
% III him, CT bic
snap his finger toward another broker, and
allied out, Iii take your lot for thirty days
Then whispere ed my friend, by that sim.
pie operation, fifty thousand dollars changed
hands = Millions Of money ere tossed back
and forth every day on that tempest of up.
roar; fortunes arc won or lost in single
week. i" .'"@
The most remarkable thing to US in the
Brokers' Board were the intensity of excite
ment at certain times under the bidding for
stocks-and the lightning like rap
idity with which the decisions were made
involving vast sums Of money. Decisions
must be instantaneous. Mems minds play
thrre like piston-rods in steam engines. The
strokes cannot be counted. To the inexpc.
rienced eye and ear there is but the racket
and roar Of Bedlam; but the initiated eye
sees perfect system working results with as-
rapidity. do not envy the man
who is doomed to that Babel every day and
draws his daily bread from such hot oven
Of excitement. 1t requires firm and resolute
religious principle to hold fast to one moral
moorings when such sudden gales of tempta-
lion are constantly striking the canvass. A
man ought to have Bible conscience before
he joins the board of brokers. Nor need
be become gambler after he has gone there
We do not doubt that many q man of
keeE wits and greedy covetousncss has gone
INTO that room we visited yesterday, with
the same spirit that practiced gambler goes
INTO one of the hells Of Baden. Baden; but
every stock-broker is by no means gambler.
Among the vociferous crowd in the Board
room we recognized several individuals who
Ill prominent stations in the church or phil
societies. To man OF loose prin.
,iples, that room would be a vcstibule Of per.
1:tion. To concientious Christian, trans
lcting the legitimate business Of that great
conclaye, it would be at once q
'cene Of temptation and Of moral victory.
FEARFULLY Dax0RALIzED.-At the battle
II fredericksburg, Fire Zouave--a stout.
.thletic icllow-came rushing down to one OF
he bridges and attempted 10 run over it,
4 Lieutenant checked him with his drawn
sword. "Stop, sir; 60 back to your rrgi.
nent, yon internal coward. you are not
rounded tscor hea vcn,s Gala 1ot mo mass