Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-19
"REMINISCENCES OF RICH MEN.

TIE RIVALRY BETWEEN STEWART AND CLATLIN
AND VANDERBILT AND DREw-CURI0Us REM
NBCENCEs OF THE OPENING DAY OF STEW
ARTS DOWNTOWN sTORE-PERsONAL ENCOUN-
TER BETWEEN THE MILLIONAIRE MERCHANT
AND ONE OF HIS CLERKS THE NAN WHO
WANTED TO SEE CLAFLIN.
Harry Hill in New York Mercury.
Passin' Stewards Chamber street store the
other day, and lookin' at it comparatively de-
serted, / couldn't help thinkin' Of the great
time there was in New York the day when this
wonderful store was opened.
Public opinion, SO far as you could get at It,
was opposed to Stewards venture; just as public
opinion was opposed at first to old Eno's ven
ture uptown-the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Stewart
himself was not very we'll liked, and wasn't
understood then as well as he was afterward,
and every body who was any body in the dry
goods and real estate line prophesed his down.
fall. The two great objections to the store
were, first, that it was too expensive, bein' Of
white marble, and next, that it was on the
wrong side of Broadway.
The day before the openin' day of his big
store Stewart got into stage goin' up to his
residence, which was then on Blocker street
The stage was full of men, and nobody in it
knew Stewart. But they were all talkin' of his
big store, and laughed when one old fellow
quoted the old 'adage ''abOut fool and his
money" Speakin' of this circumstance to q
friend afterward. Stewart said: cit was then
for the first and last time in my life asked my
self, Am a fOOl?' and really couldn't answer
that question myself just then SO put it off till
Tomorrow
Stewart had made every arrangement for a
big Openin'. Every clerk was in his best bib
and tucker He had men stationed on the west
q IF fn col no oft nf no
crowd to his store on the other side. Every
thing was conducted on a scale worthy of the
store.
But when, on the early mornin' Of the day of
the openin', Stewart got up and looked from the
windows of his house, on Blocker street. at
the sky. he saw il full of black clouds. Pretty
soon it began to rain, and it looked as if it was
gOin' to rain all day. And then what do you
think A. T. Stewart did-the owner of the finest
store in New York! Why, he did what any
girl would have done. and. sittin' down in
corner, hidin' his face in his hands, he
had good cry. Yes, good cry, as if he
was young school miss or an old woman. He
told a friend of his this fact himself. and his
friend told me. Stewart was human, after ALL
and sometimes he got nervous, just like other
people. He wasn't half as cast-iron as he was
thought to have been, and when he saw the
chances of his openin about to be spoiled by
the weather, and knew how much depended on
good openin' why it is no wonder that he had
touch Ofhs mother in him for moment. But
only for moment. Then he wiped his eyes,
and braced himself up for any thin'-for break
fast, the first thin. After breakfast he thought
he would take one more peep out of the window
at the weather before he ventured out To his
surprise he found that it had stopped rainin'
already and promised to be clear. 1t kept it's
promise, too, and before Stewart got down to
his store the sun was shinin' beautifully Stew
arts luck didn't desert him.
1t was the biggest openin' ever had by any
mercantile establishment in New York uD to
date, and when Stewart rode home in the bus
that night he was better known than he was
the night before, and the very people who were
laughin' and sneerin at him then were praisin'
and envyin him now. Twenty-four hours, and
fine weather instead of foul, make a wonderful
difference.
Stewart was 'death' on churches. His very
stable was a church-Dr. Williams Presbyterian
church, on Amty street. He would buy all the
real estate round a church, then gObble up the
church. That was his way with the Old Dutch
church on 9th street. He played a somewhat
similar game before he bought Dr. Osgood's
church, on Broadway, afterwards the Globe
Theater. now Harrigan and Harris new place.
He bought Governor Morgans residence on La
fayette Place People wondered what on earth
he bought it for. ITO obhge Morgan" said
somebody. 'TO Oblige Stewart" was the an
swer and the answer was right. The Lafayette
Place lot was right back of the church; and,
havin' got the lot first Stewart afterward bought
the church, and SO had property stretchin'
from street TO street..
Once, and once only, did Stewart get into
regular knock-down fight with anybody. and
| then with one of his clerks, about what
| ninety-nne out of one hundred would have
called a tri1e, but which Stewart thought
invOlveda big principle.
1t was a rule in his store. and good rule it
| was, too. because in the long run an absolutely
necessary one. that none of the employees should
sit down durin' business hours. One mornin
early Stewart entered his store and found one
Ia.
readin' paper. Stewart walked right up to
the clerk and showed the paper he was readin'
to one side, so he could get a good look at him.
He recognized him at once as one of his very
oldest and best statesmen.
But that made no difference. "Get up and
60" said Stewart. And the clerk got up and
went. "FOllOw me to the cashiers DESK" said
Stewart and the clerk followed him. ''Pay this
man what is due to him till this mornin'," said
Stewart to the cashier, land let him consider
himself discharged from my employ" The
clerk, like man in dream took the money
and went away. But thinkin' the matter over,
he made up his mind that Stewart had only been
''huffed," and didn't mean really to discharge
him for so simple thing as sittin' on a chair
and readin' paper. So he came down to the
store as usual also the next mornin'. Stewart
came down as usual, also, and the two met.
Stewart got Almost white when he saw his
discharged clerk back again. He raised his
| hand. ''Quit this store at once and forever:
you have no business here; have discharged
you, sir" he cried, in his shrill voice. The poor
clerk, who had had good salary and had
| thought he had sure thing for life, looked in
| Stewards face. and saw there was no hope. He
| was married man, with large family de-
pendent upon him. He realized his position
| and. in a fit of rage and frenzy. he rushed at
| Stewart, shook him like terrier shakin'
| rat. and then knocked him down. Stewart
| fought gamely, but was OverpOwered, and lost
| some of his teeth in the encounter.
Now. perhaDS most people who don't think
would blame Stewart; but people who know
how important thing discipline is in hotel,
| theater, store. steamboat, railroad and an
army-everythin', in fact, that employs people
will say he did just right in dischargin' the man
and enfOrcin' the discharge. Though think. if
had been Mr.. Stewart, would have taken
| him back after while. And, perhaps, Stewart
would have taken him back il he hadn't knocked
! his front teeth out Maxim man swallow his
teeth amt always the best way Of making a
| man swallow his words
| The fight between Stewart and his clerk didn't
last over two minutes, but the fight Cor trade
| rivalry that almost amOuntedtO afight between
| Stewart and Clafiin lasted some fifteen years.
| Stewart never liked to hear Claflin's name men,
| toned, and you couldn't make him madden than
to praise Claflin. though he never committed