Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-26
WALL STREET.
a Picture of the Great BOnefa ry CeE-
ter the American Metropolis.

a Picture OF the Great BOnetar Y CeE-
ter of the American Metropolis.
From the Mirror of New Yors.
Wall street is the banking house Of the
continent. 1t is insignificant looking
enough, with its crookedness and dingi-
ness-its halEdozen blocks of grim,
gloomy buildings. Yet its power is felt
from Bangor to San Francisco, from Orc
gon TO Florida even across the sea and
round the sphere. Like the Hindoo
deity, we see that it is homely, but we
know that it is great.
We cannot afford to despise Wall street,
strong as our will may be for it holds the |
lever that moves the American world. We |
may despise its Mammon-worship; we |
may censure its corruption We may decry |
its morals. But, unless fortune has filled
our purse with ducats-and often not
then-we are unable to escape its influence
or exercise its spell. 1t is a great, es;ab-
lished, far-reaching fact and in its keep
ing are the curses and blessings that make
up the veal and woe of life.
Upon that financial quarter rest the pill
lars Of the money market, that mysterious
something which no one sees and every one
feels-strong as Alcides, yet sensitive az
the Mimosa.
81 All the cities and towns and villages Of
the country pay tribute to Wall street. All
offer incense at its exacting shrine. All
seek to propitiate it, that it may make
golden return. 1t is keen.eyed, broad
breasted, strong almed, with a mighty
brain and no heart-a Briareus without
sympathy-a Samson without sentiment
A stately church at one end, and deep
broad stream at the other, are not without
significance for Wall street prays and
looks devout on Sunday, and every other
day Of the week yields to its secular ma
ture as the river TO the ocean tides.
| All day and all night the stately spirs Of
| Trinity looks down upon the feVerish,
anxious streets. All day and all night
the East river floats softly to the sea. HUI
mainly chafes and frets and suffers but the
shadows come and go upon the lofty pile,
and fall upon the deep green waters, and
leave them all unchanged.
How many worn and haggard face has
looked up from the troubled thoroughfare
! for hope, yet found il not in the direction
of the heaven-pointing steeple, and thought
Of rest, but sought it not, in the bosom Of
the river.
Look at Wall street now, while the stars
are shining down into its silence You
would not suppose it was turbulent and
tremulous few hours ago. II is still and
placid as the battlefield after The battle.
The strong houses are barred and bolted
and slumberipg deeply for the struggle o.
the morrow. The great banks, whose
names are known all over the land, and
whose credit is firmer than their vaults
look like tombs at this hour. Their buried
wealth No one guesses. 1t is supposed t
be enormous; and yet it may have beer
long exhausted. The banks may be merely
bubbles but they viii float high and airily
until panic pricks them, and they burst
spreading new panic in their breaking.
Oh, the mystery and uncertainty 0
| credit Hard to create, the smallest cir
| cumstance destroys it, A moment Of dis
trust skaters the work of years. An no
founded rumOr unsettles what halfa centur
was needed to establish. Breathe agains
II, and what seemed monument Of msrbl
, melts like a sGow-wreath before the South
ern wind.
When the stars pale in the light of th
morning, and the sun shimmers over III
church and the river, Wall street still lie
like solid sleeper-stirs not, nor az
pears to breathe.
TEiuity'5 solemn clock tells the hour
slowly and measuredly-tslls them II
morsely, think they who have engage
ments to meet, and lacking collateral
are driven to financial desperation.
Nine strikes from the brown tower, al
. all along the streets the heavy doors Ope
almost at once, and the brawny porters loo
lazily out into the still, quiet quarters
:, The capitalists and stock operators, an
u gold spectators have not yet come dow
town. They are probably lounging ov'
/ above Fourteenth street, though cashier
l. and tellers and book-keepers are at the
desks, prepared for the business Of II
/ day.
1t The steps on the narrow sidewalks b
90 gin to thicken. Carriages set down hanC
somely dressed men, young and old, opp,
site the sign-croBded structures.
The bulls and bears, fresh looking an
s comely, with dainty-itiug gloves, artist
garments, and flowers 10 their button-hole
wheel into the street and hurriedly e.
change greetings as they pass. The el
preston of their faces is changing. Th
regular fever Of the time and place
rising. They are entering upon the tinaI
cial arena, prepared to give and take ever
Is advantage that the Board of Brokers a
lows
The tide Of Wall street swells faster tina
the tide CT the adjacent sea. The hum (
voices grows into roar. Men hurry
and fro, and jostIe, and drive. and rush i
all directions, with eyes glitteriDg an
nerves astraiD, as if their soul were
pawn, and they had but forty seconds
redeem it, Doors slam and bang. Me-
seugers, with piles of blnk'notes and bal
: of coin, hasten up and down and aero
the thronged thoroughfares.
Short, quick, fragmentary phrases eli
- sharply out Of compressed lips. You hea
= erie. Central, Gold, Forty, Threequarter
e Sell, Buy, Take it, Thirty days, Less div
y dend, All right, Done" and these cab;
:. listic words make a difference Of tens
e thousands of dollars TO these who ute
them.
Business is transacted largely an
speedily, as though each day were the ia
before the final judgment and margins
must be paid and settlements made b
e fore the next world opened new stock e.
n change for the bulls that were blessed, {
expelled from the board the bears that hs
failed Of salvation.
Every operator endeayOrs to outstrip h
fellow. Device and deception, rumor an
innuendo, ingenious invention and ba'
fabrication are resorted to. The creates
gambling in the republic is going on, an
+ the deepest dishonesty is concealed by III
g parb Of commercial honor.
=
The St. Joseph, Mo, and Council Blua