Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-05-10
SELECT.
A. 7. Stewart and Dry'GOOds.

| Il6 sudden announcement Lud1 tuC
| firm of A. r. Stewart & Co. is to re-
tire from business, brings to mind a
memorable conversation l once had
with Mr. Stewart. We were crossing
the Atlantic on the good ship Scotia,
Captain Judkins. Mr. Stewart walked
the deck more than any other passenger.
For the most part he walked alone
He conversed little with his friends on
deck. He appeared to me to be keep
ing up q great deal of thinking. And
he certainly had much to think about.
If any man might be oppressed, crush
ed with cares, this man might be with
SO many branches of trade, and with
interests so widely scattered. But he
said to me, one day, while we were
speaking of the danger of flying off
the handle.'
Il never give myself any anxiety
whatever about an operation after L
have decided to go into it. | look at
the matter on all sides with all the
light I can get, and when my mind is
made up, determine on it, and that
is the end of it. l do not think of it
again. Yes / said, that is all very
we'll after you have made so much
money that you will not be hurt by
the failure of one venture, or two or
three, but if your whole property were
at stake, if the purchase of a large
quantity of merchandise in Europe
would ruin you should the price sud-
denly 90 down, I think it would keep
you awake O. nights, till you had
sold at a profit
No, it would not, it never did at
any period in my life. / always exer-
ciae the best judgment I have, and
then let the thing take care of itself.
And speaking of making money, | sup
pose you and others, perhaps the pub
lie generally think that | do business
for the sake of the money | make.
But that is great mistake. My OBJ
iect in life is widely different from
that. do not care to speak of it pub
licly, there are many who would laugh
at the idea as ridiculous in me, but the
truth is that l am at the head OF a
great moral institution; seminary
where as it's principal | am teaching
the young men of the whole country
and the men of business, that the
secret of success in trade is found first
| in absolute honesty between man and
man and, secondly, in selling goods
not for as much as you can get for
them, but for as small profit as you
can and live. On the first of these
principles l require every one OF the
statesmen to tell customers the exact
truth, and nothing less or more in re-
gard to every article offered for sale.
He has great temptation to deceive ::
for, he is to keep and render an exact
account of all he sells, and his pay and
promotion are regulated by the amount
of money he takes in. But if he is de-
tected in having told customer any
thing respecting goods not strictly
true, he is discharged. This is with
me rule without any exception. And
| am training up successive relays OF
young men who go into business for
themselves, or into the employment OF
others, having learned this principle
that the way to secure confidence and
custom, is to state only the simple
truth in regard to what is sold. This
is the lesson taught in my school,
which is called dry-goods store, but
it is a great seminary, and is run not
to make money, but to do good.
The second principle is to sell goods
for Just as small profit as possible.
Thus, when the price of lot of goods
is to be fixed, | do not ask how much
can get for them now, or what will
it probably be in the future but get
an estimate of the lowest price at
which l can sell them and just make
q living profit, and the public learns
that they pay for my goods as little as
the goods can be sold for in lawful
trade
Perhaps Mr. Stewart saw smile
under the surface, sort of doubtful
suggestion, as if this was not the view
his neighbors took of his mode o.
doing business perhaps he did not see
any such expression ; but he continued
after pause: You, as religious
man, will appreciate these motives
and speak of them freely to you or
that account
I remember this conversation well
Every thought here attributed to hin
is, given, not in his own words exactly
but with so much caution and precision
that no sentiment or opinion is here
mentioned as his which he did no
distinctly and decidedly express. 1t il
no business of mine to inquire how
much confidence his rivals in trade
who knew his habits of thought ant