The daily gazette., 1879-06-04

Mr.. John Wanamaker himself, though
much known as merchant, never OBJ
trudes himself In public. He holds the
regard of his employees, many of them
at his side, served with him before he
starred this great business. Every week
day he is in attendance at his three estab-
lishments, giving to each and every de-
partment direct supervision, and seeing
to all his subordinates in detail. He is
forty-one and does not look to be thirty.
He is never heard in party disputes but
always ready TO aid the cause OF charity.
AS Christian his works are many, his
ell ,rts incessant, boastings few. Exist
ing quietly and unpretendingly, his life is
life OF genial labor in business, ard
the simple and single service of God and
his fellOw-creatures. In the InternatiOn-
al Exhibition he was potent agency !;
chairman of the Centennial Board of
Revenue, member of the Board of Fin
snce, Head Of tile Committee OF Trades,
ana the most patient and tireless and
disinterested worker. ..,.l. s.....
Stewart was Protestant Irishman of
the type Of General Robert Patterson,
George Fl, Stuart. Charles Macalester,
Hugh Campbell, and Robert Campbell
-shrewd, long headed, sober, and cal
sulating men, keen at a bargain, bold in
venture, and capable of incredib BILE
sacrifice in any cause they championed.
Wanamaker was a Philadelphia boy,
born in the county before consolidation,
the type of brave and conscientious
native energy and culture. Until these
two men started, Stewart in New York,
about 1871, and Wanamaker in Phila-
delphia, about 1861, the first some tweu-
ty-four years before the second, what
are called cheap stores were confined to
"slop shops" but now their joint maxim
"the best for the least money" is MOI
only making economy popular with the
rich, but gentility of living possible
with the poor. Small prohls and mode
rate rates have established Republic
of Traffic. A practice which makes fru-
gality thing to be proud of, and extra
vagauce another name for vulgarity. is
about as wholesome gospel as can be
preached, and that is precisely what A.
I. Stewart ard John Wanamaker have
taught the American people.
There is not a city inthe U nited States in
which their example has not been useful
to trade and society. OF course such
have enemies, and they have bsen more
criticized and ensured than most sue
cessful merchants. They have been
charged with destroying the small deal
srs, with being monopolies, and with
being hard upon their employees. But all
such objections have long since died out
And now, although competition Is as
strong as ever,so far as Mr.. Wanamaker
is concerned, his energy, courtesy, and
high sense of honor, aud of course his
success, have disarmed resentment, and
made him an object of universal respect
and esteem. Philadelphia merchants
like Homer & Colladay. Sharpless &
Sons. Bailey, Banks & Biddle. Straw
bridge & Clothier, j. f. Orne, ,and Shep
pard, Arrison & Sheppard, find theil
business many times larger than it wa,
, since John Wanamaker followed the
example of A. II. Stewart in New Yorl
because, while their prices grew smalle
their customers increased. AS humal
wants multiplied came the reduction q
: the cost OF living, as human invention
G multiplied came the improvement q
5 human intelligence, and such CONNER
cial caravanseras as they establishes
r grew into absolute public necessities
!, Every great city has several of thes
mammoth palaces. They are the substi
tutes for the civil-service or co-opera
} tive stores IN England, and while the,
make money for their founders, they ad
dress every taste, and meet every capa
city, teaching the rich that wealth is no
the master, while pointing the indus
trious the road TO comfort and to ease.