Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-03-07

RY THEODORE Triton.

used to think that Mr.. Greeley was 'in-
generous in advising young men not To seek
their fortunes in the great cities. tnt III
the country districts: particularly as he HIM
self had come from II country district. ana
found his fortaue In great city. But II win
ters travel through both country and city has
convinced me that his oit-repeated views on
this subject and his special earnestness in
their advocacy, are abundantly justified by
he facts.
left behind me in New York thousands
of young men, struggling hard to get foot
ing in the world earning scarcely enough to
keep soul and body together, yet who, if
they had the courage to conquer new
country, might easily achieve for themselves
TINT moderate wealth which is always and
everywhere the best of good fortune.
Every great American city, at the present
moments overrun with applicants for SOME
thing to do. Chicago, like New York, is
crowded with young men who have fiocked
to il, like moths To a candle, only TO be de-
youred by the flame. The Devils chief
temptation to Young man in the West isto
prompt him to keep store, Buy stock
of goods, says the Great Adversary. And
of the multitudes who listen to the sugges-
ton nearly all are ensnared. The prospect
appears brilliant; but the result proves
fatal.
1t is an understatement to say that the
majority of Western merchants fail, while
the majority of Western farmers succeed.
A more accurate statement would be, that,
will, the exception Of n small minority of
Western merchants, all fail while, with the
exception of small minority of Western
farmers, all succeed. In view of these un
dis yuise | and warning facts,i is astonishing
TO ste so many young men who, on coming
wreck enselves at the outset liy dcl.ber-
atey choosing the wrong channel to success.
was walking with an experienced mer-
chant around the market square of a West
ern town, to whom | happened TO put the
question, How many OF the hundred and
twenty business firms around this square do
you personally know" 81 know them
all, he replied. "How many of them are
thrifty in their business?' "Only three '
He then explained that these three were
growing rich that dozen others were
earning living; but that the great majority
of the remainder must suoner or later, one
after another, drop into bankruptcy On
the contrary, almost every old established
farmer whom have met in the West has
told me some such tale as this: ~ came
here ten Cor perhaps filteen) years ago,
worth five hundred dollars Cor perhaps moth
ingl; and now could sell my property for
a dozen or twenty thousand dollars Thus
it almost seems as if store were an open
gate to failure, and farm an open road to
success.
! Ii requires an unusual aptitude of mind to
conduct mercantile business. This aptitude
is possessed by so few that every beginner
ought to take for granted that he does not
hold The taisman, until he finds by an nm
mistakable instinct that he is really one OF
of the few and fortunate masters of the
knack. do not mean to say that a man
: who cannot he merchant can be farmer
Mother Earth is good judge of men; SHE
will not yield her crops to the shiitless ant
the inefficient. But the farmer runs fewel
risks than the merchant. The farmer givcl
safe credit TO God and Nature the mer
chant gives an unsafe credit to man. TIL
seedtimc knows that its promise will be full
filled by the harvest; but IA promssory mott
of hand never can know whether its promis
Is to be broken or not.