Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-08-17
IN. Y. Mercantile Journal
Fictitious Prosperity.

There is a great deal of fcti-
tious prosperity in this word -
Prosperity that is not the
growth Of steady perseverance
and health enterprise; but an
apparent prosperity, that ia
engendered by the false and
fashionable style of living of
the present day. .5.lff9
Industry is, in too many in
stances, rapidly giving way to
idleness and speculation. The
truth is, we all have desire
to get. rich too fast. Cautious,
methodical, persevering efforts
are frowned upon, and the in
dividual who possesses such
characteristics is regarded by
many as being eccentric; q fit
subject for laughter, pity, or
contempt. He, only, who
would reach the goal at a sim
gle bound, is the person looked
upon with anything like ad
miration by the masses of man
kind. 5s +. ssi.a,af tt a 80
This fictitious prosperity is
not only prejudicialZ Ito labor;
but all it acquisitions are based
upon luck. Menlwho are infu-
enced in this way are constant
ly seeking an opportunity to
make a corner in commercial
transactions. Here the unwary
are likely to be tripped up, and
their pockets rif1ed, while the
successful operators in the un-
dertaking, instead of being re-
garded asthieyes, are too often
held up before the public as
heroes. s-sy
A noticeable example of the
manner in which mercantile
affairs are sometimes conducted
is seen in the recent failure Of
a dry goods house, transacting
a business of several millions a
year. This house had q CAPT
faI OF one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars, and yet they
were paying fifty thousand dol
lars a year rent for their place
of business. This was, howe
yer, only single item of their
lavish expenditures, that was
charged to the account of ex-
penses. There is certainly not
much enconomy here! Very
little desire is manifested to do
business with a view to fair
profits. They evidently placed
small reliance on those constant
accretions.of steady gains by
which judicious merchants
build up an honorable name.
There are thousand of such
histories, if we could only read
them. Thousands of people
aim to be considered what they
are not, and never can be-
Thousa nds of business men
swallow up their capital by
means of useless expenditure,
and are all the while trying to
recover their losses by the aid
of wild speculation. W. sa.
'One cannot eat his goose
and keep his goose isas true
now as ever. Flooding indus
try, economy, and persever-
ance, will always build up
small business, and often make
successful that which had pre-
viously been Improbable
through bad management; but
industry, well directed, cannot,
at once,accomplish greatresults.
1t requires time and close APP
plication to surmount serious
obstacles, and our commercial
men should understand that
no human being can hope to be
permanently prosperous, I'M
less he adopt those means, and
makes them essential to the
actual ends of his existence.
Our young men are too sup
critically educated in political
economy-the great principles
that underlie the paths Of hui
man success. They are too
apt to believe that pluck is the
one thing needfull to place
them on pinnacles of prosperity
whose height is only measured
by the extent OF their ambition.
This fictitious prosperity of
which we write enters into
every ramification of life. 1t
takes possession of the small
tradesman, and he is at once
emulous to initiate the style of
living of the wealthy wholesale
mercant; the lawyer and the
doo+or 70 ras rectivalv noSses sed