The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-12-16


each fills the purpose; the difference
lies only in the time required to fulfill
that purpose. And the question may
be we'll considered, whether, in our
quicker methods of satisfying the de-
sires we create, by fastening along
this ever increasing nervous strain, we
are not the more quickly reaching the
very state we fly from.
Ph9nicia was THE commercial ma
tion of ancient life, and as we run our
eye over the list of the commercial ma
tions one fact greets us with more or
less significance, in all the quest: Eng
land is today and has been for CEN
turies THE commercial nation of mod
ern life. France, Spain, Portugal,
Florence, Genoa, each in their turn
were leaders in commercial activity.
Greece deprived Phpnicia of her heri-
tage of a thousand years. Each nation
was great in its sphere, only so long as
it was commercially great; none of
them were of large territory originally
and the only deduction is that the
peaceful pursuits of life are more
potent means to greatness, nationally
considered, than the valor of millions
of men holding the field by right of
battles won.
Twas Darius, | think, speaking of
the Greeks, who said: "He feared not a
people who set apart place in their
cities where men came to buy, to sell,
and to cheat each other" Nevertheless,
those same people prevented his ad-
vance westward, and utterly destroyed
the immense army and fleet sent
against them by his son; and Marathon
and Mykell stand as lasting monu-
ments to show to coming nations the
possible efforts of a commercial people
who fight not for glory but in defense
of their home and social ideas.
An incident of scripture illustrates
the scope of commercial life in ancient
times, and at the same time shows
with numerous like incidents, that the
life of the slave was not the dreadful
life we are in the habit of inferring it
to be. Joseph, we remember, was sold
by his brethern to the Ph9nician trad.
ers and then taken to Egypt and sold,
only in course of time to be brought
forward as the most prominent favor.
70 nf phor Ooh nd hn oh ;oE -
the land. Surely this slavery we read
of in SO many incidents and which was
of itself principal feature of ancient
commercial life, could not have been
the brutal, degrading type so lately
prevalent within the boundaries of
our own land?
When the Roman emperOrs set forth
on their tables the viands borne thence
from all parts of the empire, it went to
show that commercial life in that time
was as diverse in it's nature and as far
reaching in it's power to satisfy, as we
find it to be at the present time. Com
merce then, as we'll as now, gathered
from all parts OF the world to civiliza-
tiOn's centers, the wealth of the world,
in various forms, by so doing giving
value to the valueless; spreading
knowledge among the ignorant; adding
power to the powerless. OF what
value the ivory to the natives of Africa
except as it purchased for them the
things they lacked? Value is of it.
self fictitious. Difficulty in acquisi-
| tion gives to an article its value. If
gold were like the sea sands, as plenti-
full; if diamonds were to be had for the
asking, who would crave the one or
admire the other? If artistic excel.
lence was natural endowment of
every individual, who would spend
thousands for an "Angelus" or a
madonna"
Fortunately for humanity and prog
ress, natural conditions prevent us
being surfeited with the qualification of
desires. Varying costumes and con.
ditions of life present us with an array
of opposing wants and the scarcity of
the one place is supplied by the sur.
plus at another. It is in satisfying
these wants, or in creating them, if