The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-05-09
The Craze for storekeeping.

We give below few extracts from an
article published in the Toronto (Canada)
Monetary Times, under the above cap
ton, which our farmer readers should
mark well and impress its truth upon
the minds of their SONS.
For many years past it has been evil
dent enough to prudent men that in this
country the number of sterekeepers was
cut of all proportion to the business to be
prOfitably done. A failure list, repre-
senting in 1875 twenty millions Of CAPT
tai, does not seem to have convinced
people that shepkeeping, as at present
carried on, is losing business Tor the
great majority of those engaged in it.
Too many country stores, too many
wholesale warehouses, and too much
bank accommodation to importers, has
wrought great deal of evil which man.
ifests itself in insolvent estates and bank
rupt stocks.
The trade naturally tributary to any
business center, is 90 divided among the
numerous shopkeepers, or in part alb
sorbed by the grangers, who are con-
stantly making purchases in towns and
cities outside, that there is, even with q
moderate profit on ones goods, but little
money to be made in the business,
scarcely (; indeed, fair living Tor each, if
the trade were equally distributed.
A correspondent in one of the counties
south of London writes to us very SEN
sibly upon the lamentable ignorance
which prevails among those out o! trade
in regard to the laboTious duties and
worrying responsibility 8 of business
men. This ignorance" he says, " is
| being constantly transferred into the
ranks OF trade itself, and never
| fails to bear its legitimate fruit. Com
Portable farmers sell or mortgage
the good property On which they
and their families have lived for
! years in comparative ease, and with a few
thousand dollars proceeds they dash into
trade in the village or town, and in a
year or two lose every cent, and become
! village drudges or paupers for the sue
| ceeding years of their lives. Men seem
to think no apprenticeship, or expert
enoe, or special knowledge is required to
start store IN town; and yet they might
see, it they would, that for the last
twenty, thirty, or forty years, only one
or two men in the hundred has succeeded
in making money, while rarely has one
failed of success on the farm. Every
village has twice as many struggling tol
its trade as can live; and failures are Of
weekly occurrence, but, like the falleI
in battle, their places are at oncs
filled by men ready to share theil
fate. The tendency to crowC
into towns has huddled up il
them more than fourth of our popula
ton"
The picture here drawn is unfortunately
too true. From more than one quarte
comes testimony to its truth. Leadin,
journals continue to emphasize the plenty
which recent harvest has thrown int
the lap of the husbandman and some O
THIN, in spite of much adverse evidence
discover nothing but prosperity in tn
condition of our manu- lectures and salts
faction on the part of our merchants
TIE experience of the great bulk of on
traders tends to show, nevertheless, tina
a reduction must be made in the number
of the commercial army, and marhe,
diversion of capital from the choke,
avenues of trade, before healthy condi
ton of our great monetary and CONNER
pial intarast shall ratuPn