Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-26
HOW TO MAKE MONEY.
A Book of Prophecies OF Future Ups
and Downs in Speculative
Prices.
New York Letter in Philadelphia Press.l

New York Letter in Philadelphia Press.
A curious book Is being hande;i about in
W all street aad read with some interest. It
is called ''Benner's Prophecies Of Future Cps
and Downs in Prices; what years to make
money In pig iron, hos, corn and provisions.
BY Samuel Benuer, an Ohio farmer" 1t was
published in 1879 by Robert Clarke s. Co., of
Cincinnati, and has ran through two editions.
1t is a small work OF $50 PAGES, and was writ
ten apparently in 1915 OF 1876, but surely be-
fore 1879
Mi. Benner starts with the idea that to fore
see the future in regard to supply and demand
IS the great desire of persons in trade, and he
modestly expresses the opinion that it will be
the greatest boon" to his readers 'Nto have
the years of high and low prices pointed out
in the future"
WELL said an old operator at this point,
as he was reading extracts from the book to
a crowd Of hangers-on about the ticker in an
Exchange Place brokers' office, 81 should
smile. If Mr.. Benner can give US such points
as that we will all buy book, bring it down
town with US and sleep with it under our Pill
lows. He is just the man we have been look
ing for. I will buy up the whole edition and
break Jay Gould myself"
MIR. Benner's theory is that the advance
and decline in the advance of pig iron, hogs,
corn and provisions are as alternately certain
as the revolutions of the earth upon its axis,
and the periods Of high and low prices have
been as regular as the annual return of the
four seasons He then inquiries how rule
can be discovered which will give true re-
suits The records of the weather will not
do, statistics of productions are uncertain
and unreliable, but the actual price of an arti-
Gle is certain indication of surplus or
deficit IN any product or commodity. 1t is
always known, and, while temporarily it
may be uncertain las Northern Pacific pre-
Ierred was on Saturday, for instance, aver
age prices for series of years are the true
basis OF speculation as to the future
1--WE must look" says Mr.. Benner, '.to the
past ups and downs of prices; ascertain how
many years it takes to complete an up and
down In any product, and then determine in
In what order the ups and downs are repeated
in the next cycle If there is found any pc
rlodicity in the cycles, then we have rule
which can be applied to the future. An up
and down or down and up in average prices
is in this book denominated cyclen
One extreme, he continues, always follows
another in nature and in business. Looking
back at the pig-iron trade, he finds that, COM
mencing with the low priced year of 1884, the
price advanced three years to 1887, declined
six years to 1913, making a cycle between
low prices of nine years. Again, the price
advanced two years to 1915, and declined five
years to 1850, making cycle of seven years.
From 1850 to 1854 there was an advancing
market and then declining one for seven
years to 1861, making cycle of eleven years.
Again advancing three years to 1864 the
market declined six years to 1870, a cycle of
nine years, and so forth. He concludes that
1881 will be the next highest priced year for
pig iron, and the months of September and
October as the periods of best figures.
The years 1882, 'S3 'S4, 'S5, 'S6, 1877 and 'SS,
says Mr.. Benner, will be years of decline in
the price of pig iron, and years of depression
in the business, being a repetition of the
seven years from 1854 to 1861 eve pro-
claim it to all who may be readers of this
book, and engaged in any way in the iron
trade, to be prepared after the year 1881 for
breakers aheadn
Now Mr.. Benner's book becomes more
cheerful reading The iron trade is to have
three good years, even if people have to wait
q good while. Hear the voice of the prophet:
Gin the years 1899, 80, and 81 the price Of
pig-iron will again be on an advancing scale,
and will be three years in reaching the high
est price IN 1891. This will be period of
money-making in the iron business, and these
will be three years Of general prosperity in
all departments Of trade and industry
After 1885,, the price of p;g-iron will decline
for six years, which will again be disastrous
to business
Indeed, in 1891 Mr.. Benner predicts an aw-
full panic, which will not be confined to the
United States, but which ''will sweep the
world like the panics of 1919 and 1851" and,
falling into Gen. Taylor's mistake, Mr. Ben
ner says, Twill be felt with equal severity
in other countries The financial earth
quake will come in September OF October,
though the price Of pig iron will not begin to
decline until the former month. This shows
that the panic of 1891 will be sudden, and it
is well for the financial world that Mr.. Ben
ner has given such timely notice of it. He
further believes that close observation will
give the peculiar month and day in the
future when the violent changes are likely
to occur At this time, it may be enough to
say that the low priced years for pig iron viii
be 1888 and 1887 and the high priced years
1891 and 1899.
Mr.. Bender considers the hog and cotton
trades, and arrives at quite definite conclu-
sions as to their future. Indirectly he in
cludes in his prophecies the whole business
world, for he thinks the iron market controls
all other manufactures and trades