Telegram-herald., 1889-05-29
GREAT MERCHANTS, ALL,
Marshall flslds Phi Armour Ana
John Wansmaker.
IheiT BcsaBe-s Methods - W 21ana& Asf
aad Tiela - tsct~ dtSiE kRsFSs aRd
Brains - tts A2sag ssaseBt Of Hen
RaIhd d. lkzH ~ Details.

fSpeclzi Correspon1encel
WAsHISGTok, May <3.-Sitting one re-
cent evening ia TIE parioF Of q house
low souaew hst famous IA Washington.
talking With Iis owner, = renowned mer-
chant. | was reminded OF the fact that
three of tue greatest merchants II the
world, ahd the three greatest II Amer
ica. are well known 70 me. Ia naming
snA ranking this trio of trade princes /
nnd that each has IN his mercantile ca
paci,y . strong Distinguishing character
istic. One. John WanaIn2ker, Is the
greatest retail merchant Ia the world.
AnOther. Marshall Field. Is the worlds
greatest dry goods merchant The third,
Philip Armour. sells annually products
OF greater value than any other concern
Oh the globe.
Marshall Field. the greatest merchant.
strictly speaking, il America, and prob
ably also the greatest in the world, start
Ell Oh his own account only twenty years
or perhaps a little more ago. Philip ID.
Armour has been occupied but an equal
length of time in building up his vast bus
mess, which Is partly mercantile. partly
manufacturing. These are rapid strides
Armour's yearly sales now amount TO
500. goo 600. and have reached Is high Us
SOL. 600, 900. Field expects this year 10
sell S3J 900 900 worth of dry goods,
wholesale and retail. Wanamaker sells
| $40. 900, 600 worth of goods of all sorts at
retail in 4 twelyemonth.
These men are not alike in their meth
ods. Field and Wanamaker are content
TO hold the leading strings Of their great
business houses, keeping taut the lines
which hold subordinates up 10 the mark.
Armour not only does this, but insists
upon having daily personal knowledge
| OF details Jutil within the last two
years the great packer has not known
what it is to rest lis working habits
are 30 well known as 10 need no further
description, but it Is proper 10 add that
| there was no exaggeration iii the state
ment that habitually for fifteen years he
| reached his Office at or 1850 in the morn
/ ing, remaining till or even later in the
/ evening. Wanamaker has long worked
/ in that same manner, arriving at his store
along with his clerks, and quitting il
with them at night. Field, on tho other
hand, has learned how TO work at q more
leisurely pace. He rises at Z, but does not
reach his Office till nearly IL, having
meanwhile spent couple of hours or So
at his great retail establishment.
From what / know of these three
great merchants l cannot say which has
the best grasp Of his business. Each is
practically perfect as business man in
his way. Field and Wanarnaker lean
moro on subordinates than Armour
though both the storekeepers confess
that the secret of success lies more il
the management of men than in the
manipulation of things. Field has O
wonderfully quick eye, and the easy
faculty of comprehending everything al
glance. Without obtrusiveness he i'm.
presses himself upon everybody and
everything, and makes himself the in.
spring genius of his two great establish
ments. Wanamaker has the same Quali
ty, and is in addition fond of buying
He is the most original man of the trio
Much of his success has been won or
ideas which broke away from precedent:
original methods of displaying goods
of managing employees, of advertising
OF winning public confidence.
Calling one day on Wanamaker in hi:
office in Philadelphia l found him look
ing over a huge