The Portland daily press., 1870-03-07
lnspevtaBt Letter.
MEDITATION RETREAT,
March 1, 1870.

MEDITATION RETREAT,
March 1, 1870.
My DEAR CoG1A HAssAN,
80 Exchange Street:
It 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.
eia YOU must not be offended if 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 COM
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 charac-
tiers, and like that of our honored ancestor,
Adam, was anomalous. You came Tito exist
eDce full-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 choice few
who saw in these predictions the overflowings
of superaboudant gangrene. But, Cogia, when
crowds rushed to your magic number ''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 We're Udlueless, and that they cost
tacace 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
remembered what 1 taught you when you
were boy, about the more than uselessness of
with bushy tails.
| But Cogia, I 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 O
army caps, thought it was a 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 tin Portlaud-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
nall an eye knows one of two things is true o
such advertizers-either they lie, Or they pait
more for their goods than they ought to.
have much more would like to say, bu
reserve it for another time. Wishing you
continuation Of your great success, 1 remail
your old friend and teacher,
AMINADAn PEDAeoeuE.
1 give this letter of my quondam teacher as
received it, though there are one or two thing
would like to cut out. I am gratifed by hi
approval of my course in severely letting aIon,
those who forget that no man ever built a sub
stantial house BY trying to tear down his neigh
bors' houses. But had confidence in the PEG
pie, and believed that time would settle thes
little questions; end time has. l have lived t,
see the very house that advertised me as
swinder, prove bankrupt, and do what re
quires more brass than ever hope to muster
aduert!ze its own stock as bankrupt and itsel
as selling regardless of cost
In the matter of large lots, I do purchase lot
OF goods regardless of quantity if only they ar
cheap enough, and my friend fOrgets that
supply not only all Portland but my goods g
regular rs IN NsW
mont, Massachusetts, and occasional order
from all over the country, and that my custom
ers lay in their collars by the hundred whel
sell them nice article for 10cts. box-th
same they have been accustomed to pay 25cts
for.
have written my old teacher regarding ad
vertising that by actual figuring am satisfie
that each dollar expended for this purpose ha
increased my trade twenty dollars, and there
fore the more advertise the cheaper can al
ford to sell; and here would add, should ad
!; | vertise more but have really as rule b a,
, all the business my store was capable OF &C
commodating.
Now, good friends, if you are not tired O
this long story let me tell you these things.
always sell at a profit, never have too price,
l never buy an article for my store unless
get it at less than the market price. Away
| sell at slight advance on the cost to me.
shall always be glad to see old customers or
see new ones, and remain the public's servan
Co0IA HAssAN,
80 Exchange st.