The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-05-03

tain q fair profit and nothing more. This
removed one great check on womRD's pur-
chase by leaving their minds free for
choice OF goods simply, and delivering
them from distrust OF their own power as
hagglers or bargsin-mskers. In the mex
place, he saw the necessity-in a country
OF such rapid growth aud uubrioled hops
fulness, and therefore extensive use OF
credit, in which the desire for fine clothes
generally ran ahead OF the means of pay
ing for them-of doing business in such
way as to avoid being swept overheard by
paDics, which are the torpasoe5 of Amer
lean Lire, and always strike dry goods men
more severely than other dealers. He,
therefore paid as he went, and gave no
credit until giving credit became of no
more consequences to him than grammar
to the king, and in this way panics
bscame his S9sso1 of greatest
profit, he was able to buy out
his ruined competitors. He rapidly
| became not simply the greatest but oldeet
dry goods bouss in the country. Indeed,
bis store has always been remarkable Tor
containing large number of dry goods
men, once mighty and active, who had
burst up" at seasons when he was making
the most money, and found refuge in his
service. he had perhaps no equal, except
| the United States Custom House, in sbel-
| tering persons who had compounded with
their creditors Or been stripped of their
| savings in Wall street. In fact, he played
the part on the troubled dry gods ocean
of powerful irOD-clad ram, giving all
rivals who seemed to be gaining on him q
tap of his besk, which speedily sent them
TO the bottom, but then picking up the
officers and sending them before the mast
| as able seamen. The strong expectation
entertained with regard to the provision
he would make for charity, or art, or lit
erature by his will was probably largely
/ due 10 the influence which great capacity Ia
selling dry goods exercises on the popular
imagination. In no other business is q
| mans my s;ery of details aud variety and
extent OF operations brought so closely
under
THE POPULAR EYE;
and that success which people could see
and appreciate so clearly must quality q
man to be great and wise pubic benefsc.
tor, is an inference easily made. But the
fact is, there is rro baby no business which
is less likely to H. one for the hearty and
prudent execution ofgreat schemes of pub
lie utility. We have no intentions of Civ
ing expressions here to the modern aristo-
cratic contempt for the business of selling
goo3s by the yard over the counter; but
the philosophic condemnation of ell retail
| UuSlQSeS lOT us 6u6cLS on the nina aEC
character is at least as old as Cicero, and
has good deal of foundation. Retail is
essentially and above all things detail,
and the man who prosecutes it success
fully must excel in detail and have a love
| OF 1T. But there is no surer consequence
OF this than loss of capacity for putting
work on other peoples shoulders, or ior
combining ones self to the task of gen
i eral and more or less remote super
vision, which is the essential condition OF
all undertakings that are to have a per
manent value. The passion for seeing to
everything ones self is q good thing e.
begin lie with, but the man who retains
IL into bis old age is more likely to die q
shop-keeper than a states man or pbilan-
thropist, and is not liSely ever to find the
leisure or the frame of mind for any con-
tribution to art or charity which he has NO
hope OF personally managing, and the
working out OF which must be left tc
agencies which he can not either select OF
control. In short, the very traits of char
scter and experience of life which mosi
promoted Mr.. Stewards business sncces
had probably most to do in preventing
his leaving behind any finished and lasting
monument. His contributions to the arch.
itecture of the city were unmiss akable
signs OF his defects as public benefactor
None of them contains the slightest re.
| cognition of the claims of art, or, in Other
| words, OF the existence OF any world il
which the methods and aims of "business'
had no place.