Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1889-02-05
MISCELLANEOUS.
Retrospection.
The Monthly Contribution By Charles
Broadacay Rouss.

BroGdacuy RouSS.
AS we pas the milestones of the years that
whirl by, it's wei worth while to look bak over
the ireclaimable past to sc where and how we
stand. Eighteen cighty-eight has swept into
eternity with record that will be hard to beat,
and yet we shal try to duble it in eighty-nine.
We ar here within thes walls for yet another
year-we offered one million for ten years leas
of the uptown Stewart building. We must
duble our present quarters or quit. To stand
still is impossible. We must increas in volume
and rapidity until there is no hier altitude
until the great Lawgiver take this hand in His
and leads outinto the unknown eternal. Then
com bak with us thro thes twelv eventful years
and read agen the records as they fel from the
uualterable castiron system of five-per-cent-
net-spot-cash.
Our little pile at the starting in Church st,
has becom historic and is still remembered by
many old personal friends of this ritter, among
whom on that eventful da, wer thre who's pm
thetic dust ningles with the countless dead in
Greenwood and Calvary. James wardaw
freely declared that five per cent. wd never pu
unless in great aggregate, but AIDED that it wd
be just rs chose to make it. Jno. Rice looked
Topping and sed simply. "it cant be done. -
But will" Ho answered, ~ may, becaus
U hav shown what man can do after Apo
mattox, but there's just one chance in million
Poor unhappy Peake gave glance at the
empty appearance of that unforgoten "hole in
the wal" tina caId it then, aud with far away
look, aslSt ''where's your goods?" 1 pointed
around the floor. In voice that seemd to CON
up from his bootlegs, he uttered one solitary
\ word-Nerve-and was gone.
With that pile of les than $50. in that ltlc
rat-trap. we sold the first year half million
The landlord had run the rent from Que dolai
a da to 81, 500 year We wer crowded
and choked up-dublc force da aud night
Their was but one remedy, and VIC moved tc
S51 Broadway in 1873, wher we run ahed of the
million with ease Mt the end of the year VIC oc.
cupied $40 in addition two years crowded ul
from thes quarters into 356. Aggregates had
trebled and drove us into S41-seyen foors.-
New York began to look at us, began to follow
our system-to buy in big bulk-under the rod
/ flag, and the white and the bIalz. to cut close
for the mony down, to cal in their drummcrs and
mail price lists. But few had the audacity tc
| cut down to a murderous five per cent and this
was the dividine line between success and dis
Oster. 1t was soon seen that whilst it was esy
enuf to mail circulars, behind theory and logic
and flosofy, ther must be values Beyond the
reach and range of any competition; of ours
the cash was not serious matter, the greai
thing was Sledgehammers-Brai and Expe.
rience and Judgement and Merry. These pull
vcrIzers wer scare and hard to get. and yet be
hind thes must lay the ironrule. Bargains Will
five per cent. was dsuccess-with ten to twent,
per cent. was simply oblivion. Big quartz mil
ground them into powder between the rising
aud setting of the sun, and mex du Dun hat
them among the unknown-ded and buried
Erly in eighty-five we cut down our stok t,
move into 466 and 46S. Seventeen hundred trul
loads eleven days. and now after four year
still the old truble-no room. What the Hy,
per cent. has done for us the twenty-five ha
done for such of our successful representative
as followed unnnchingly the Rouss system. casl
before Delivery. Where tina stuk on the fifty til,
fel. Twenty-Five was victory from the yer,
jump, aboy that defeat. The introduction OF
tines illustrations and parallels needs no apology
If we can save amerchant who is toterfng abou
the hard lines of desperation we viii do it. I
VIC can quote lower prices and show {. neare
way aud an easier system with liter load w
hav n rite to point to proofs and to invite and
challenge attention and examination. Had tn
desperate leader of the desperate band in al th
tragic piays-in the Marathons Marengos an,
Manassas-the Waterloos and Gettyburgs-
from 23l TO As simply made fortune for him
self, and not led others tothe front and to fam
and the top. and made them the imperial mas
tiers of their natiy hills. then indeed i: wud be
barren triumf. uudcserying of prais.
But Thousand leters evry da bring bak tn
ring of popularity and prosperity, som couche,
in crude and homely Erase that tuch the tende
chords others in plain, blunt. ernest wordl
that breathe and burn-hartbrol1en felews tina
stood one day between heaven and he'll, the mex
a message that thrild and throbd. Genins tina
had been staggered and shattered and shivcred
under the old hard way, now up and on witt
magnificent comercial speed. Yester bendin,
over the ilfated ledger damp with swet an,
tears, tO-da the musical, metallic melody of tn
almity dollar
Recalling parallel of the long ago, wa
times. Granthad sent Sheriden to cut the reb.
jugular at Gordonsvilie, and cut of the sup
plies from the valley of Virginia. Hampto
and Fitzhugh were after him on the inner lin,
The second da sheriden's mounted infantr
jurnpt into our trains about dalite and gotne
ly thousand prisoners aud was marching tber
off when we charged along down that road {
we swept by we cud see therebel prisoners tai
ing the seyen-shooter from his captor an
marching the Yank right about. 1t was so o
and qucr- In blood and carnage ther went u
shout of triumf and latter to Sc the sudde
transition in single moment. We got ther
all bak. and som i've hundred bluecoates, an
drove him back with breaknek spede Nea
day we had seven-shooters and United state
crackers, sardines, hams and real coffee. Al
most as rapid, but as certain. the solid succe
when U jump from the fatal death traps {
credit upon the iron track of net spot cash.