The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-04-21


men, physically, are apt to be exact
whether anybody has explained it or not.
In his first shop and in the immense
"dry-goods palaces " that succeeded it.
he required of his clerks and statesmen
the most scrupulous exactness. Any
trifiing Encouragement, amounting TO
moro than an untidiness, annoyed, and
even deeply displeased him. knowing
his business as he did down to the minutest
details, he knew at a glance If everything
on the great floors of his marbleand iron
stores was as it should be, and whenever
he spied fault he made il his personal
business to set the fault right and rem
der his reason on the spot. With so
many men in his employment many nat
urally hardly saw him from week to
week. He never spoke to me but
twice" said an ex-clerk. "Once tore
a piece of wrapping paper roughly
across, and he came around to tell me
that should have folded it and made
even edges. People, he said, didn't
like to get shiftless-looking bundles.
Again, wound bundle round with an
extra turn of string, and before 1 could
cut it he had the bundle out of my hand
and unwound the unnecessary turn.
Never waste even q piece of string, he
said waste is always wrong. ;" 1t is
easily imaginable that in the forty-tive
or more years of his business life, with
his thousands of clerks, the repression
of individual wastes, though they were
minute, made, in the aggregate, no in
considerable economy, and the unrea-
sonableness OF any waste may very nat
urally have strongly impressed itself
upon his mind. Passing through his
retail store on his morning visit, with
out any special inspection, he noted a
dozen minor points which the floor
walkers and department managers had
overlooked entirely. Had case come
to his knowledge where, in the sale of
bit of ribbon or calico, fraction Of an
inch less than the proper length ordered
had been sent, dismissal would have
been the punishment of the offending
salesman. In matters of ventilation Mr..
Stewart was notably particular. Was
the air in either of his stores in the least
out of proper condition, he detected it,
and ordered its correction. Were his
orders neglected, the case was noted by
him on his return that way, and an in
slant investigation followed. It seems
probable, from the numerous stories
told Of his private relations with his sub
ordinates, that he erred in expecting
from all and singular the necessarily
somewhat miscellaneous company the
same exact apprehension which he had
himself developed. Thereby he APP
peared to novices hard master, and
was somewhat dreaded by them. 1t is
said that the pay of the army of minor
clerks was kept pretty low. For those
at any rate who had worked long and
faithfully in his service he was liberal.
The managers of his various depart
ments, his agents in one line or another
of his work, and his chief clerks, re-
ceived salaries in excess of those paid by
other houses for similar services. To
such as broke down in his service or be-
came disabled pensions were offered.
One man, who had been watchman,
became deranged, and was kept for q
year at q lunatic asylum, all charges
being paid by Mr.. Stewart, and upon a
partial recovery was given light task at
a full salary. To such as were willing to
give full and faithful labor and could
wait long enough the reward of advance
ment was certain.
His two great stores are to well known
to need description. The marble down
town building dates back to 1848. The
fret movement of his retail business was
about 1880 and to No. 262 Broadway,
where he rented the first and second
floors. He next moved up to No. 257
Broadway and remained there till the
present iron building at Tenth street
was ready. An estimate CT the man,
compared with Aster and Vanderbilt,
has recently been printed in the World.
Some few personal details may here be
added. Mr.. Stewart never held office.
He was appointed Secresary of the
Treasury in Gen. Grants first Cabinet,
but could not under the laws accept the
position. In person he was small and
active, with keen eyes, sandy hair and
wlriskers, and slightly stopping shout:
ders. He dressed always with extreme
neatness and plainly, and was in vigor
Gus health till month ago, having
scarcely known severe sickness. The
question, What did he give away? is
naturally asked of a man so wealthy, and
there is quite as naturally general dis
appointment at the answer. Mr.. Stew
arts continuous and private charities
have not been recorded. There are,
however, one or two notable instances of
munificence people remember. During
the last famine in Ireland he bought
ship, loaded it with provisions and sent
it to his native land, and filed the re-
turning vessel with young men and
women, for whom he had already
secured work when they reached
this country. One of his gifts
during the war was of 100000 to
the Sanitary Commission. tits reported
that he promised to give "as much
as Vanderbilt. "Ill give as much
as Stewart" said the railroad king,
and back and forth the subscription list
went, till Vanderbilt in fit drew his
check for 100000. Stewart immedi-
ately did the same. In 1862 he con-
tributed 80, 900 to the relief of the Lam
cashire operatives. One of the pleas
ATTEST stories is of his provision for
lady whom he found in poverty in for
eign city, and whose only claim on him
was that she had said the day before he
opened his first store in New York:
{" You must not sell anything till / come
In. L shall be the first purchaser, and /
will bring Won luck