Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-04
BALANCING THEB00KS
An Occupation Many Merchants Are
Not Very Well Pleased With.
FEW SHOW UP AS THEY SHOULD.
The Gains of Year Too Small to Cover
the Unusual LcSseS.
SOME NEW YEAR CUSTOMS AND CHANGES
SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPArcH.l


writes as follows for Tomorrow San:
The first day of January has so long and
so generally been used by civilized nations
aS the point of departure for beginning the
wear. that few people ever think OF inquir-
ing into the origin of its supremacy. Pro-
perly. a wear being the period of time occu-
pied by the earth in making a single revolu-
tion around the sun one day is as good as
another from which to commence 1t. Ii
there be anv choice, it would be in favcr of
the summer solstice in June, when the sun
is the highest in the heavens at noon and
the day the longest, or the winter solstice in
December, when the sun is lowest at noon
and the day the shortest. Then, too, there
are the eduinoxes in March and in Septem-
Der, when the days and the nights are OF
equal length.
All these four days have been used by dit
fcrent nations in olden times as New Years
days but as in many other cases, circum-
stances have brought about divergences
from the practice. The Hebrews still adj
here pretty closely to the autumn equinox.
and the Christian ecclesiastical year is regu-
lated more or less by that of the spring.
Our custom of commencing the year with
January was introduced by Julius Caesar,
who adopted it because it happened TO be
The day OF the new moon which. at the tilne,
followed next after the old Roman New
cars OF the winter solstice.
Seven Diff ,rent New Years Days.
subsequently the reckoning of the years
gradually fell into new confusion, partly
from imperfect astronomical calculations,
more from the independent lawlessness of
rulers. so that the year for centuries began
on seven different days in different Eu-
ropean countries, and even in parts OF coun-
tries. and it is extremely difficult Tor all un
skilled person to determine precisely IN
what wear according to our calendar any
historical event in the middle ages hap
paned.
Finally. in 1852. Pope Gregory NIL. used
his authority Mt the head of the Roman
Church TO straightcn things out, but his new
rc'ormed calendar was not adopted by Prot
eStant Germany until 100 nor by Great
Britain until l1j2. Oddly enough, the reform,
involving as it did the dropping of ii days
SO that, for example. what would have been
the 81 of the month was reckoned the l4tl-
WAS extremely unpopular. and ii took all of
TIE famous Lord ChcSt&fleld's tact and.pcr-
suasiVeness to carry it through the British
Parliament, While mob hooted him IN the
Streets CRYING out: 'Give us back the II
davs You have robbedeus Of Russia has
not even yet adopted the new system, and
does not keep New Years Day until the 18th
OF this month.
The Day to Balance the Books.
Blt, however it came about, our present
New Years Day is firmly established, not
only Tor historical and legal purposes, but
also in the world of finance and trade as the
usual day for summing up the results of the
past years business, and for the balancing OF
books preparatory to a fresh start. l pre-
same that all OF my readers who keep books
have by this time got them written up ana
ready for taking a trial balance, IL not Tor
making out a balance sheet. The exceptions
will be either due to the compleNity of the
accounts. or. what is more common, to the
necessity of detecting some error winch
spoils the symmetry OF the trlal oalance'
and profoundly veXes the soul of the book
keeper.
well remember how, in my clerlling days
an elusive dollar, or even single fugitive
cent. WOuld give me hours upon hours OF
work in hunting for it. and when found it
how WAS enraged with myself for not hav- |
ing discovered it Immediately. 1t is wonder |
fU!, too. how AN error OF Il single ngure Will /
make itself felt in long account, as the |
peas in tie featherbed were felt by the
Princes through three other feather beds on i
top of them, and proved her to be real
Princess. / have had so many experiences
D this sort that can entirely sympathlZe
With the steady old bookkeeper who went
on a spree for the first time in his life be-
cause his trial balance came out right as he |
first made it, without requiring any correc-
tiOns. The sensation must have been as eN-
as it was novel.
July as the Fiscal New Year.
Railroad companies in this State are re-
ouired to begin their fiscal year, as the |
United States Government does, Oil the first
ui July, so tina; this evil day for their book
keepers does not come yet, and perhaps
since nv time. some mercantile houses NAV
have adopted the custom of balancing their
books on other days than the first of Jann-
AIRY. inst as many leases are now made to run
tIom the first of February instead of the |
first of Nav OF our forefatherS-
Fortunately for the bookkeeper, his tribu.
tions begin and end with his figures.
v neither he balance to new account is on
the one side or the other is ali the same tN
him. 1t Is enough that it is the right bal
luCC for making both columns equal. To his
employer it is a different thing. He is con-
eerncd with quite another result than mere
'Ymnretry, and / fancy that this year. in
great many instances, the result is far from
satisfactory. NY business friends in this
lily tell me that, in point of profits, 1881 has
ncen the worst year they have had for a
ong time. 1t is not that they have lost SO
nuCh, but they have gained SO little that
yhat losses they have suffered nave made
N enormous comparative hole in their
profits and left them little to carry forward.
The recovery which should naturally have
ollowed the crash of 1890 has delayed its az
.vnl, and we are only Just now beginning to
eelit
The Advantage of Keeping Books.
Dsagreeable rs it is to face the unpleasant
acts which the balancing of books brings to
lew, the experience cannot and ought not
o he avoided. l even recommend to INV
|
SET of books by double entry for their
rivate affairs, and to balance them once a
ear. the same as merchants and bankers.
Anvone who has head enough to deserve
nd own property at all, is able to do this
it'll very little instruction. The advantage
keeping set of books is that man by it
as his affairs always under his observation |
: whole, and knows exactly where he |
tands financially. He sees his income and
is expenditures side by side, and is warned
i time il his expenditure is outrunning his
lc0me.
-, too, by keeping a separate account for
acn investment he can tell its value, and |
neither it is worth retaining or whether it |
EoUid be disposed of. Even so little of an |
ccpunt as a cash book is better than none |
once advised Young lady OF my ac-
a-ntance. when she married and went to
7 uScEceping, to put down in q book every |
hing She spent and what she spent it for. |
ne plc not do it very accurately, and often, |
lear forced balance by an entry of "sun-
ile>, but she soon after acknowledged to |
ne thilt but for keeping the account, imper-
cctiN as she did it, she would have sus-
ee'"u her servants of stealing money from |
et purse. so quickly did it melt away. and
dllhcnit was it to remember what it had
one Tor without referring to the written
ecord
Some Men ALWAYS at Sea-
hat is thus important for a wife is still
lore important for her husband. Without
Dme KIND OF account of her receipts and her
expenses he is always at sea in regard to his |
rue financial condition. Our old Dutch
ncestofs used to say of a man W hen he |
'lied III business that he had not kept
orrect DOCKS, 1t being their conviction that
Q man counu lall who saw clearly what he
as doing. Some men, it is true have the
Guilty of carrying their affairs in their.
eads, and of keeping them before rheir
ltellectual vision without +be aid or bools