The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-28
THE ORIGIN OF COMMERCE.

The ORlGlN Of COMM EfICE
Although the pursuit Of commerce
has been one of the most important ele-
ments associated with the progress of
the worlds civilization, the study Of
its history and the features which have
contributed to it's power, as well as the
methods by which it's advancement has
been made, is one which has received
less attention and more of absolute
neglect than any other department of
general history.
OF the thoughtful citizens Of today
who are witnessing the remarkably i'm
portant position which the United
States is assuming among the nations
of the earth, very few realize the fact
that commerce Is closing q circuit of
the globe after a march Of nearly 5000
years, with North America and the
Pacific ocean as the terminating limits
of it's pathway. 1t is an interesting re-
Election, too, that, after this prolonged
period, the spirit Of trade, which orig
mated in Asia 1900 years before the
dawn Of the Christian era, Is now re-
turning after it's $4,000 miles Of explo-
ration and development to its own
threshold, meanwhile beating down the
western walls of the Chinese empire,
to the advancement of modern civiliZa-
tion In the Orient.
1t is becoming more and more evil
dent that this world was made for man.
In his early existence he was prob
ably no more rapacious than in these
later days. He must needs seek the
means Of livelihood as soon as he
reached a self-supporting period of life.
ha In ri
told he dwelt in caves and clothed him
self with the skins Of the animals he
slaughtered. In time, however, he
learned that there were more skins than
he required for his own use; that these
could be used by his distant neighbors,
who produced something he himself
needed and was unable to produce, and
through this simple process developed
the system of barter and exchange.
Little by little, year by year, the an
cient traders spread themselves over
Asia, moving constantly to the west
ward and increasing in their knowl-
edge of their trading craft as time
went on. In those days they were mer-
chantmen on land and did not trust
their treasures to the waves Of the sea.
We find In the Book Of Genesis Of our
own Bible records of these merchant
men carrying into different territories
their stocks of balm and myrrh, spices,
almonds, frankincense, wines and the
like From other sources came stores
of ivory, feathers, skins and gold. Ev-
cry schoolboy has read with interest the
stories OF the caravans and camels on
the desert; and so realistic have been
the pictures drawn of these Nomadic
traders that one could almost gather
the odor Of the frankincense and myrrh
into his nostrils from the volume which
he read To this day these caravans
with their camels, arrive and depart
at Cairo and other Eastern points much
after the manner in which they did In
the days Of the prophets.
LINKING STATES TOGETHER.
With the development of commerce
came the linking into closer union the
sections of different countries, and
finally the creation of states and the
erection OF great cities, the centers oi
wealth, and luxury and power. But
associated with this growth was the
jealousy of other states thus created
and thus blessed with wealth and lux
ury and power. Human rivalry be.
came active, and competition was en-.
larged, thus bringing into play every
element that could contribute to the
greater efficiency Of trade and its more
splendid productiveness. One can imag'
inc the force of this competition II
the development Of all that was beau.
tiful in Oriental art, thus supplying 6
standard for the generations and cen
turies that were to come. Through