Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-04-22
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Mostly about Fanerals-We DEATH Of
SteWart-Ms Faneral-Aaother FW-
neral-INe Fashions.
THE DEATH or A GREAT MERCHANT.

| Mostly About FHnerdlS-INe Death o.
StepaU-His Funeral-Aaother FL
aeral-7he Fashions.
THE DEATH oE GREAT MERCHANT.
The death of A. Il. Stewart, the
worlds greatest merchant, is the
event of the week and the topic Of
con versation. Almost fifty years
ago II young Scotch. Irishman came
to New York to seek employment as
a teacher. Not succeeding, he dc
termined to give uD the profession
for which he had been fitted and
embarked in trade. He had just
about money enough to I'LL has
ket, and for a few weeks he peddled
his goods from door to door. Then
he opened q little store down town,
and began u career which is almost
romantic. He had a theory as to
how business should be done, and
from the very first he adhered to it
with II fidelity that was wonderful.
He bought always for cash, and he
sold in the same way. To every.
thing he bought he added Il proper
per cent, and the goods were sold
at that price, or they lay on his
counters for so many months, after
which time they were marked down
to point where they would sell.
There never was q particle of trick
cry or fraud in his establishment.
The goods were carefully bought,
aud sold at a fair profit, and the
most ignorant person could buy TO
just as good advantage as the most
expert. If woman in the country
wanted a dress, all she had to do
was to write the color, material and
cost, and her husband could get it
Just as we'll as she. He was 4 mer.
camille genius. If pattern Of cal.
leo pleased him, he bought, not only
all that the manufacturer had, but
he bound himself to take all that
could be made of it, so that he alone
had it. Possessed Of enormous cap.
ital, he could take advantage of the
markets, and, buying always for
cash, he could outbuy all of his com.
petitors.
There is no other such establish.
ment as his in the world. His down.
town store is devoted entirely to
wholesaling, and his uptown to re-
failing. In the two he gave employ
ment to over two thousand people,
and in addition he had various fac
tories, in which he employed four
thousand more. He dealt in every
thing--dry goods, carpets, fancy
goods, brushes, soaps, perfumery {;
all under one roof, and this spring
he intended to add boots and shoes.
In that wonderful concern u lady
could buy a dress ready made. The
alterations, if any were needed, be
ing made in the house in a few min
utes, and, without going out, she
could buy her children's outfit, or
furnish her house throughout. And
everything in the concern went as
smoothly as clock work. The army
of clerks were at their posts precise
ly at seven, and if one was late, he
was charged with lost time. Each
stood at his own counter and sold
only one kind Of goods. An army
Of boys carried the purchases and
the money to a small army of cash
iers, who had the parcels made and
made the change, and then if des;r-
ed the goods were sent home. 1t
was not an uncommon thing for
Stewart to sell $4,000 of shilling cal
icos in a single day, and his sales of
gloves mounted up into the millions.
But with all this it cannot be said
that Stewart was either a good or
useful citizen. He was cold and
harsh to his employees, merciless to
his debtors, and as grasping as a
man could be. lie lived by rule,
and wasias infexible as a bar of iron.
He never took circumstances into
account, and made no allowance. 1t
was the dollar that he wanted, and
the dollar he would have, at no mat.
ter what cost to others. Possessed
of millions he has given but little
in charities, and has in no way as
sisted in advancing tho interests of
his city or country. He built two
very fine buildings, but they were
needed in his business, or he never
would have done it. Whether he
has left anything to the public re-
mains to he seen. His estate will
foot up not less than $40, 900, 900, Of
which $4,000, 900 is in real estate in
this city.
His name has been so long word
of strength, and he had gone SO
proudly through a hundred oonvul-
sions of business, when men were
failing around him, that it seemed
as if he was exempt from the troub-
les of mortality, and that the COM
mon lot of all could hardly be his.
1t did not seem as if he gould die.
So carefully had his illness been
kept from the world by his trusted
agents, that the news of his death
fell Oh the city with dramatic sud
.lenness. He must be numbered as
one of the victims Of the sharp in
attacks peculiar to the
season. His death was one of in
tense suffering from inflammation of
the bowels, to which he was subject,
but which in this case was the re-
suit of a severe cold. To-day the
of his funeral has hardly
as this is written. The streets
along the line of the procession were
crowded with the throng which the
city gets up at the slightest notice.
The old church of st. Marks, 10
whose grassy churchyard lies the
dust of many Knickerbockers, Pc.
ter Stuyvcsant among them, was
too small to hold a third of those
who desired sight of the great
Il Il