The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1876-05-05
OUR NEW YORK LITTER.
MOSTLY ABOUT rFUNERALs-THE DEATH
OF STEWART his FUNERAh - a NJ
OTHER FUNERAL-THR FASHIONS
NEW YoRK, April %, 1876.

| THE DEATH OF GREAT MERCHANT.
The death of A. T. Stewart, the
worlds greatest merchant, is the event
of the week and the one topic of conver-
sation. Almost fifty years ago young
Scotch Irishu1an came to New York to
seek employment as o teacher. Not
succeeding, he determined TO give up
the profession for which he had been
fitted and embark in trade. He had
jussab money enough 20 fill ahasket,
lssd-.bcr =-fsw weeks fe Sedded his
goods from door 60 dooE Then ne
opened little store down town, and
began career which is almost rvenan-
tic. He bad theory as to how busi-
ness should he done, and from the very
first he adhered to it with fidelity that
was wonderful. He bought always for
cash, and he sold in the same way. To
everything he bought he added proper
per cent. and the goods were sold at
that price, or they hy en- his counters
tor so many month, after which time
they were marked down to a point
where they would seTl. There never
was particle of trickery or fraud in
his establishment. The goods were
carefully bought, and sold ut a fair
profit, and the most ignorant person
could buy 20 just as good advantage IS
the most expert. If woman in the
country wanted dress. all she had to
do was to write the color. material and
cost, and her husband could get It just
as well as she. He was mercantile
genius. 1t pattern of calico 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 capital, he could take advan-
tage of the markets, and, buying always
for cash, he could outbuy all of his COM
pctitors.
There is no other suct. establishment
as his iH the world. His downtown
store is devoted entirely to wholesaling
aud his uptown to retailing. In the
two lie gave employment to over two
thousand people, and in addition he
had various factories, in which he en-
ployed tour thousand more. lie dealt
in eVerything-dry goods, carpets, fan
cy goods, brushes, soaps, perfumery
: all under one roof, and this spring he
intended to add boots and shoes. In
that wonderful concern lady could
buy dress ready-made. The altera.
tions, If any were needed, being made
r in the house in few minutes, and
without going out, she could bay heI
ciiildren's outfit, or furnish her house
throughout. And everything in the con.
Germ went as smoothly as cloek.work
The army of clerks were at their posts
: precisely 1t seven, and if one was late
he was charged with the lost time
Each stood At his own counter and sold
only one kind OF goods. An army oi
boys carried the purchases and the
! money to small army Ut cashiers, whe
had tie parcels made and m.ss -.
change. and tbe., If desired IN. cool,
a were scot home. 1t was not an upcom
mon thing for Stewart 10 sell $1,000 O
shilling calicos iu single day, and hi
eales OF gloves mounted up into tlls
millions.
But with all this il cannot be saiG
that Stewart was either good or use
ful citizen. He was cold and harsh t
; his employees, u.ercilesa to his debtors
and as grasping ss man could be
He lived by rule, ard was As infexibl,
!. as . barsof iron. He never took circum
stances into account, and made *