The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-05-31
STICK TO YOUR TRADE.

"Stick to your trail" says all ex-
change, "ninc tenths Of all the fail
ures OF the last years have come t.
men who are dabbling in outside al
fairs" There could not he more trut,
crowded tito a lew lines than is con
tanned in tie above.
AS a general thing when you hear
of the failure Of q man in business
YOU can set it down that he has beer.
dabbling in something he knew moth.
ing about, and has sunk the none,
needed in his legitimate business
The merchant, even ~ a country vii
lage, who attends strictly tc business,
may in time lay by snug little sum.
but as soon as he commences to spec
ulate in Ian I. or even trade horses
he is liable At any time to hear some-
thing drop on account of taking the
money needed in his business 70:
speculative purposes. The farmer
who works har,i all summer. sOws and
reaps COOL harvest, and puts thu
proceeds of the sale OF his wheat in.
to his pants pocket All | 90 IS to spec
ulating in pork. may eventually find
a mortgage plastered down over hi:
property that.it will take years o
frugal industry to remove. You hear
of the failure Of IN .rchant engaged
in trade an | in nine cases out of ten
you can trace the course the ia thai
he ha6 few thou sand dollars invest
ed in wheat when the price tumbleo
and the bottom fell out OF Ills schem,
for making Il little money by outsid.
speculation. A merchant may be al
right. and level headed in Lis trade,
he can weigh out ca fish and sugar,
or drive sharp bargain in Drying {:
load of green hides or ton of butter
but when he has a few thoIsani do.
lars invested in wheat, or pork, O
lumber, ami the price takes a drop
he looses his head and is laid GU
colder than mackeral.
The papers in the northwestern
part of the State recently related tho
circumstances of how a minister
came to grief through speculation
He was a real nice man, and a min
lister, stood high in the estimation q
his f. lend but when he got the ides
that his salary was too small, an
tthat he would invest a portion of i
in . little outside speculation. anG
make few thousands for rainy days
there never was minister so sadl,
left.
Lack of business tact, and knowl
edge in the WAYS of the world of traf
fic led him to make wild speculative
deals, and soon the reaction set in
He could presch eloquently ant
hardly Sunday passed but what HI
garnered into the fold fresh lot O
souls. but when it came to garnerins
into his pocket, even little margin
on dark deal. he missed his calcu-
latlon, and lost all he had. and con-
siderably more than he ought to, a.
shown by the bills which came ir
from around town. which lie had neg
lected while investing his loose
change in speculative schemes
"Every man to his traie," is a saying
as true as it is ancient.
There are instances, f course
where m,n have left their ; :ery il
the furrow and took up speculation
and struck it rich, or where minister.
have neat their hymn booxs into rail
road stocks, and made a fortune a
one strike, but these instances ar,
scarce-very scarce. The cashier q
bank, Or treasurer of a State VIII,
lays awake nights Fl kin! up schema
Tor making million, dealing in ..fu
tures. or holding a han lrei tbous.
and dollars worth of butter and a.,o
tor rise. are forever CO min to orie,
while the m N in similar n, s;t;o, .
who salt d ty cents ON every do l.
Of their salary il an oil | STOCKING an
don't try to beat til. fare" banks. @
own the latest horses ON the eartl
get to tn. front all b,come soil
men. Taere are enough men to d
all the specializing tn re is necessi,
for doilss; ch9 lave becows h