Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-08-22
ATeanness In Business.

/ There Is no greater mlStake tnaL a
business man can make, than to be mean
in his business, always taking the half
cent, and never returning cent for the
dollars he has made and Is making
Such policy is very much like the far
mer's who soWs three pecks of seed when
he ought to have soWn FIVE, and as rec
ompense for the leanness of his soul only
gets ten when he ought to have got ff-
teen bushels of grain.
Every body has heard of the proverb.
of "penny wise and pound foolish" A
liberal expenditure in the way of busi-
ness is always sure to be a capital invest
ment. There are people in the world
who are short sighted enough to believe
that their interests can be best promoted
by grasping and clinging to all they can
get, and never letting centslip through
their fingers. ~
As q general thing it will be found
other things being equal-that he who is
most liberal is most successful in busi-
ness. OF course, we do not mean it to be
inferred that man should be prodigal
in his expenditures, but that he should
show his customers, if he is a trader, or
to those he may be doing any kind Of
business with, that, in all his transae-
tions, as well as social relations, he ac-
knowledges the everlasting fact, thai
there can be no permanent prosperity or
good feeling in a community where bene-
fits are not reciprocal
We know of instances where traders
have enjoyed the profits of hundreds Of
dollars worth of trade, and yet have ex-
Hbited not the slightest disposition to
e., 81 H. or,1or-r1f
Now what must necessarily follow from
such a course Why, simply the loss of
large profits per annum, in the loss Of
trade which, under more liberal system
might have been retained.
The practice of some men seems to be,
to make as little show in the way of busi-
ness as possible. Such a one, if the
trader, takes no pains with the appear
ance Of his store. Everything around
him is in a worn-out, dilapidated, dirty
condition. To have it otherwise it would
cost dollar for Whitewash, and perhaps
five dollars for painting, and few dol.
lars besides for cleaning up and putting
things in order. And so he plods on and
looses hundreds of dollars worth of Gus
tom for want of attention to these mat
ters, while his more sagacious neighbor,
keeping up with the times, and having
an eye TO appearances, does a prosperous
business.
Another will spend no money in any
way to make business for fear he should
not get it back again. Consequently he
sends out no circulars, distributes no
handbills, publishes no advertisements
but sits down croaking about hard times
moaning over the future prospect OF
notes to pay, no money and no trade
and comes out Just where he might ex-
pect to come-short, while his nelghbor,
following different track, doing all that
is necessary to be done to make business;
has business, isn't short, but has money
to loan; and it would Just like him to
get twelve per cent, perhaps more, for
the use of it; and we should not blame
him for so doing.
The fact is, times have changed. The
manner of doing business is different now
from what it used to be. 1t would be
Just as foolish to insist upon doing bust
ness in the old fashioned way, as it would
be to insist upon travelling with an OK
team instead of by railroad to get the
news by old-fashioned stages instead OF
having it brought by the lightning tele-
graph. The times demand men of en-
larged, liberal, energetic souls-men who
will keep up with the world as it goes
men of hearts, too, who not only desire
to 90 ahead themselves, but take pleas
ure in seeing others succeed and who
have public spirit enough to do some
thing for, and rejoice in the prosperity Of
the people Worth and Wealth.