The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-11-10

Few enterprises Of consequences succeed
wth6at ercountering shsers from doubling
and opposition from interested persons. Par
ticularly this is true where the enterprise 10
an innovation, where it breaks out from old
channels; it then shocks the conservative ee-
ment. A not inconsderable number even in
radical New England are armed with coat of
mail against whatever proposes new means,
new measures, new methods, in fact whatever
is an INNOVATION. Yet for what good thing
we possess are we not indebted to innova.
ton Adam was an innovation, and the devil
set out to ruin him as soon as he heard of his
starting. in business.
Moses was an innovation and Pharaoh sui.
fered seven plaques before he would give up
his opposition to him, and through all time
since, every innovator has had his Pharaoh
and his devil. Yet what has not innovation
| done? Glance at its operations in the do
minion which intellect in our day exercises
over the elements of the material world. Has
it not spanned the belted globe, weighed its
| mountains, and touched the stars? The light
| nings smote the battlements of mans strong
| towers, innovation stretched the electric rod,
fixed bayonet, and the agent of the fiery
wing futtered harmlessly at our feet "Old
| Ocean" poured round mans home its "Mel-
aneholy waste" - -a-A u stll'
'Man's wake is on the deep, Len d
His cloud is on the sky" sHS &c
| Distance stretched away with plain, and
| hill, and vale; innovation conceived the loco
motive; intellect polished the shaft, adjustd
the wheel, the fire was kindled, and bark how
man thunders on his iron way! Time and
| space stayed the communication of thought
innovation conceives the electric rod, calls
from their cloudy caves the thunders driven,
chains them with slender wire, intrusts
them with the commission, and sends them
on their yiewless way. ...
"The Worlds broad zone has dwindled to a
| line" Innovation is ever busy comforting
| practical benefits on society.
AS in science so in mercantile business, in
| novation is ever busy working new improve
| ments, new methods, new attractions; and
while many of its changes are for the worse
yet a review of the courses of the few sue
cessful merchants of modern times, would
show thar they unanimously belong to the
class of innovators. One of the most marked
Of the new ideas introduced into business in
our day is the Gone price" system, against
which az principle scarcely any one has an
objection, but which nine out of ten of all
buyers claim should be waived in THEIR PAR
TIcULAR CASES. Another new idea is
"Terms cash" the advantages of which all
grant, but wonderfully large number dislike
to have applied to their individual purchases.
Another modern notion is ''advertising.n
We have before us very learned sermon
preached in London only thirty years since
on "The sin and folly of advertising" and to-
day, in spite of the fact that the most extern
slve advertisers are from the highest rank in
business life, and are our most successful mer-
chants, yet the number is legion of those who
look askance at the store Of the man who, to
use their expression, "Blows his own horn"
We have bsen led to those reflections by
conversation reported to us as had between one
OF our most respected citizens and leading
wholesale dealer in town. sH.ao
Speaking of some place an entrance to
which for him would an impossibillty, this
good man said, "Why would as soon think
of going to CoGIA HAssAN's."
To which answer was made, " Perhaps if
you took an hour to look over the CoaIA
HAssAN store and see the perfect system that
regulates every thing there, and remember
that your youngest child can go there and buy
any article at the same price that would be
paid by the shrewdest buyer, and that price
is as low or lower than the same article could
be found elsewhere if that buyer ran the whole
town over, perhaps you would not use
that expression again."
Now there are no doubt many others in
Portland to- day who because CoGIA HAssAN
advertises without stint, hires over fifty clerks,
and uses any and every measure to make his
name household word, therefore there must
be some humbug about the place. To such
we simply say 7" Take half hour, introduce
yourself to the proprietors or to the floor
walker, who will be happy to conduct you
through the vatious departments, and ex-
plain their methods of working, and you may
find it the most profitable time you have spent
in many day, at any rate you will be certain
to say you never saw such variety of goods
from the cheapest to the finest quality, in any
one store. r ID, .i.s