Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-08-11
The mercansl,e Profession.

The tendency of so many ofour young men to rush into mercantile life is one of tho saddest omens of the times. Our youth, and especially those who are brought up in cities, dazzled by the glare which environs a successful merchant, seem to think that, if they can only em- bark in business, their fortune is made. They have little or no comprehension of the qualities which combine to make a merchant successful. In a business which has been long established, and whereof the details have become matter of routine, anybody who possesses patience, industry and perseverance can succeed. But to build up a new business, and assume an independent position in the commercial world, requires talents of the very highest order, and pertinacity which is not de- handed of any other profession. Our young men seem to think that if they can lease store and fill it with goods, they are on the highway to fortune. No greater mistake was ever committed As a prere- quisite to their commercial operations, they need to understand the laws of political economy, and the financial laws which control business operations. These must be learned from books or from practical mercantile life. The latter process is slow and requires much time and attention. The former is incomplete without the lat ter.
 The mercantile ranks are overcrowded. The reason of this is obvious. Young men are apt to look at results only. They perceive, here and there, millionaire, who appears to them to have amassed his wealth with little or no effort. They sup pose that if they can embark in trade the same results will follow their operations, but, in nine cases out of ten, they are doomed to disappointment Trade is not remunerative to the maj jority of those who embark in it. On the contrary, it pays less to its dovotees than those of any other avocation derive from their respective branches of labor. True it is, a few of our traders amass colossal fortunes. But how is it with the remainder? Years ago noted collector of customs in Boston, took pains to look over the commercial career of the merchants of that city, and he found that, of the business men of the "hub of the universe" but three per centum of the whole pursued commer- cial career from the commencement to the close of their lives without failures, Com pared with this result, what avocation is so disastrous? And should not such a fact warn our young men to act prudently in their choice of an occupation?
 Our young men cannot be too promptly disabused of the idea that the mercantile profession is one of ease and pleasure. They ought to know that the mind of the successful merchant is continually kept upon the stretch, even to its utmost ten sion. Without this, success is impossible And when success is achieved, the ques- ton still arises, whether this extreme ten sion of the mind has not disqualified the merchant to enjoy the wealth which he has accumulated.
 We wish we could divert the attention of our young men to the forest and the field. Nature is only too willing to second their efforts to produce the necessaries of life. The manual labor required to make successful farmer, however hard it may appear, is nothing, when compared with the mental effect which is required of the successful business man. And the far mer has this advantage, that he can enjoy the results of his labor, whiie on the road to competence, if not to wealth. The merchant is always in feverish, anxious state of mind. Everything connected with his avocation is prccarious. The meteorological condition of the elements threatens to produce too full or too scanty crops. Wars and rumors of wars constan, tly create uneasiness in regard to his investments. The financial policy of the government, never so doubtful as at the present time, perplexes and disturb him
 Compared with this state of miud, which every successful merchant experi- cnces, the farmer and the mechanic enjoy an elysium. And yet the proportion of the people who enter the last two avoca- tions is so small that the necessaries of life are rapidly getting without the reach of the multitude. In a word the consumers preponderate far too much over the produ cers While this state of things exists, we can have nothing like healthy condi- ton of society. Let us reform all this. Teach our young men that the best and noblest occupation of life is to wrest from mother earth what she will so willingly yield for the sustenance of her subjects. Let manual labor take the place of men, tai, to a much greater degree than is now observable. We do not advocate the neg lect of the mental powers, but we should remember that we have muscle as well as minds The cultivation of the latter at the expense of the former is the bane of the present generation. We must retrace our steps, or our successors will be dwarfed in mind as we'll as body and the first step