The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-03
INcARNA7 ION OF BUSINESS
wander T. Stewart and His Dealings
with His Fellow Men.

dor =. Stewart and His Dealings
with His Fellow Men.
1.uor5a. Y Stewart was thought to be
q -, honest hut he was the incarnation of
y - sinuIv. be was selfish, hard and cold
81 +bo extreme: he had no friends, Judge
5. Ion avoentsd. and no companions. It was
instantly said that he was deVold OF Inc
In. 90 human kindness: that his body did
IA contain drop Of warm blood. He had
c5ildrpn-he had lost two in lnfancy-and
wife stood in such awe Of him that affec-
1, between them was impossible, Despite
"a millions, he never gave her any amount
- money. convinced that women did not and
sld not understand its use. The only really
snmanIy social thing be was guilty of was to
.4ovidaan elaborate dinner in the naausoleum
a the Sundays of the winter. Judge Hilton
las always present, and a number Of gentle
Zen for whom Mr.. Stewart appeared to have
sbme respect The guests varied very little
Rom month to month.
4 The great merchant employed his enormous
eapital merciIessly to break down and ruin
mailer merchants. Scores Of them, it is said,
lave been rendered bankrupt by his financial
8esp0tism, and the desperate condition and
Death Of several have been laid directly at his
door He hated those who attempted to COM
pete with him; he seemed to think he had a
light to monopolize the great dry goods trade
bf New York, and he tried by every means IN
4 bis power to destroy opposition. This is fire.
.quently done, and is considered legitimate
.Rl in the way Of business. But MIR. Stewart
;had the credit Of doing more of il, OF goirg to
greater lengths than others; and, being very
sich and generally disliked, he was regarded
B the sole offender. Stories were constantly
Circulated of how his sternness and cruelty
pad driven men to their graves. Many Of toe
Tories were piteOus to a degree-so distress
hg that it was hardly Ineligible that they
ihould not have excited his compassion. They
pay have been exaggerated, or even false in
/ hole or i'll part, but they were believed, and
PIE rich merchant gathered more and more
! dunn the longer he lived L have heard
flany good, upright citizen declare that Mr..
SteWart's death, while he lived, would be a
public benefit; that his course Of commercial
CtiOn was that Of an enemy to the COM
punity. Nevertheless, he commanded a very
brge custom, both in the wholesale and retail
Fade, not because people cared for him, but
ecause they could buy on favorable terms
spd felt sure of being fairly dealt with.
A. I. Stewart, the man, hardly any one
new he was mainly a name, representing
aPrdmess, sordidness, material success at the
nee Of humanity, Had he been known he
aould have created aught but a favorable
preston, for he was a bIOodless, cold,
we're looking ScOtch-Irishman, whom
IeI'Def Children nor dogs would be likely to
slPIodcl In person he answered to his rep
$Sa4on' which was singularly unfortunate.
Ne virtues attributed to him-probity, jus
- moraIty-did not count in his behalf,
- were they accepted as palliations Of his
ralGleSS If he had possessed few amiable
eaGLesSes, or been inclined to few lovable
- ms :, ne would have stood better in the eyes
\, Tie multitude.-"Wo rben" in Chicago