The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-03-09

MEDITATION RETREAT,
March /, 1870.

March l, 1870 J
My DEAR CoGIA HAssAN,
SO Exchange Street:
1t has been a custom of mine to write my
friends birthday letters, and put in as much
good sound advice and warning as could dis.
til on to about two sheets of paper. And, Co.
gia, you must not be offended if 1 say some
plain things to you. You are now year old.
1t is twelve months since you were launched
upon the commercial sea of Portland. Your
birth differed from that Of many. Other CON-
mercial houses are born babies, and either
slowly grow to maturity or sickeH and die of
cramps or internal combustion or something
else, but your birth, like that of tabled cbarac
tiers, and like that of our honored ancestor.
Adam, was anomalous. You came Tito exist
ence tull-grOwn; your advent was made with
sound OF trumpet and drum. The bill-poster
and the newspaper foretold your corning,
though in somewhat vague, oracular language.
Commercial astrologers pretended to find the
failing star in the ascendant They found con-
functions In the heavens foretelling your
speedy dissolution. There were a choice few
who saw in these predictions the overflowinos
of superabuadant gangrene. But, Cogia, when
crowds rushed to your magic number s.99 "
and all creation and the rest of mankind SEEM
ed determined to leave with you all their pic
lures of Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. Chase, then was
jealousy rampant; then, trembling with ire.
did merchants send forth their hand-bills de.
Glazing you "peripatetic swindler;" then did
they rOundly declare in the same breath that
your goods were val1eless, and that they cost
t,cice what you were selling them for. And,
joining in the cry, one respectable literary pa
per did connect your name with the funny
word "humbug," referring, no doubt, to the
likeness between your store and hive of bees
But, Cogia, am glad you never lowered your
self to notice OF ugly, slanderous words; you
I'M rad vDIl
we've boy about the more than uselessness of
quarrelling with little black and white animals
with bushy tails.
But Cogia, honestly think you have made
some m:stakes-yeu have kept too many kinds
of goods. Why, Cogia, you have seemed to
have ranged creation over for something else
to sell, and when at last you put in that lot Of
army caps, thought it was step too far
Then, again, you buy too many of one kind of
goods. Didn't you have one hundred thou
sand collars on hand before you bought that
other lot Of eighty-fve thousand? Now, how
many necks are there in Portland-did you
stop to calculate? Again, don't you think you
have advertised too much? People will say
they have to pay for this advertising
One word of warning-don't fall into the
common blunder of advertising your goods as
going at less than cost, because any one with
half an eye knows one of two things is true OF
such advertizers-either they lie, or they paid
more for their goods than they ought to.
l have much more I would like to say, but
reserve it for another time. Wishing you a
continuation OF your great success, L remain
your old friend and teacher,
AM1NADAB PEDAGoouE.
l give this letter of my quondam teacher as
received it, though there are one or two thing!
would like to cut out. 1 am gratifed by hi.
approval OF my course in severely letting alone
those who forget that no man ever built sub
stantial house by trying to tear down his neigh
bors' houses. But I had confidence in the peo
pie, and believed that time would settle these
little questions; and time has. l have lived t.
see the very house that advertised me as g
quires more brass than ever hope to muster
advertize its own stock as bankrupt and itsel
as selling regardless of cost.
In the matter of large lots, I do purchase lots
Of goods regardless of quantity if only they are
cheap enough, and my friend forgets that ]
| to every hamlet in the State, and that have
regular customers in New Hampshire, Yer
mont, Massachusetts,, and occasional orders
from all over the country, and that my custom
sell them a nice article for 1Octs. a box-the
| same they have been accustomed to pay 25cts
| for.
Ihave written my old teacher regarding ad.
vertising that by actual figuring am satisfied
that each dollar expended for this purpose has
increased my trade twenty dollars, and there
fore the more advertise the cheaper can af.
ford to sell; and here would add, 1 should ad
| vertise more but have really as rule ad
all the business my store was capable of &C.
commodating.
Now, good friends, if you are not tired Of
this long story let me tell you these things.
always sell at profit, I never have taco prices
l never buy an article for my store unless
get it at less than the market price. always
sell at slight advance on the cost to me-
shall always be glad to see old customers or t.
see new ones, and remain the publics servant
COGIA HAssAN,
SO Exchange st.