Maryland free press., 1866-11-15
Meanness In Business.

There is no greater mistake that business
man can make, than 10 be mean in his bus siness,
always taking the half cent and never returning
a cent for the dollars he has male or is making.
Such policy is very much like the farmers who
sows three pechs of grain when be ogght;to have
sown FIVE, and as recompense for the mcanness
Of his soul, only gets tel when he ought to have
got fifteen bushels of grain.
Everybody has heard of the proverb of open
ny wise and pound foolish" A liberal expendi-
ture in the way Of business is always sure to
be a capital investment. There are people in
the world who are short. sighted enough to be-
lieve that their ptercss can be best promoted by
grasping and clinging to al they can get, and
never letting a cent slip through their fingers.
As general thing it will be found--other things
being equal--that he who is most liberal is most
successful in business. OF course we do not
mean it to be Inferred that q man should be
prodigai in bis expenditures. but that he should
show to his customers, il he is q trader, or 10
those he may be doing business Of any kind with,
that in all his transactions, as well social re-
lations, lie Acknowledges the everlasting fact,
that there can be no permanent prosperity or
good feeling in community where benefits are
not reciprocal.
We know oFinstaRces where traders have en-
joyed Tie profits of hundreds of dollars worth OF
trade, and yet have not exhibited the slightest
disposition to reciprocate even to the smallest
amount. Now what must necessarily result from
this cotirso? Simply the loss OF large profits per
snnum, in the loss Of trade which, under more
liberal system, might have been retained.
The practice of some men seem to be to make
as little show US possible. Such one if tra-
der, takes no pains with the appearance of his
store. Everything around him is in worn out,
dilapidstcd condition. To have it otherwise
would cost dollar for whitewash, and perhaps
Eve for painting, and few dollars besides fol
cleaning up and putting things in order. And
so he plods on and loses hundreds Of dollars
worth ofcustom, while his moro sagacious neigh
Dor, keeping up with the times and laving an
eye TO appearance, does prosperous business.
Another will spend no money in any way to
make business, for fear he should not get it back
again. Consequently lie sends out no circulara,
distributes no handbi!ls, publishes no advertise
ments but he sits down croaking about hard
timcs-moasng over the future prospect of notes
to pay, no money and NO trade; and comes out
just where he might expect to come, Of tie little
end Of the horn, while his ncighbor, following a
different track-doiug all that is necessary to be
done to make business, has business, isn't short,
but has money to loan; and it would be just like
him to get Is per cent, perhaps, for the use oft;
and we should not blame him for so doing
The fact ia times have changed The manner
of doing business is different now from what il
used to be. 1t would be just as foolish to insist
upon doing business in the old fashioned way as
it would be to insist on travelling on an OK team
instead of a railroad, to get news by old FASH
ioned stages instead of lightning telegraph. Tho
times demand men Of enlarged, liberal, energetic
souls, men who will keep up with the world as
il goes; men of hearts, too, who not only desire
to go ahead themselves, but take pleasure in see
ing others succeed; and who have public spirit
enough to do something for, and rejoice in the
prosperity Of the people.
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