The Forrest City times., 1903-11-13
A COSMOPOLITAN DEMOCRACY
Elements That Make Up the Mimic
World of the New York stock
Exchange.

In considering the exchange as a
mimic world, we perceive that 1t is
not only made up of men early trained
in brokerage and banking, and OF
bright fellows that have won their
seats by preliminary outside speoula-
ton, but it includes representatives OF
almost every tide and profession,
some of them notably successful before
entrance upon Wall street life. writes
Edmund Clarence Stedman. in Life On
the Floor. in Century. Ii Is alleged
that the board itself rarely graduates
men who afterward attain distinction
but | do not enter upon that topic.
Two-thirds of the LOO members are
more or less wonted to the floor. and
OF these one-half pass the workin
hours upon it. Tlsoreau. when aske,
If he had travelled replied Yes, for
years about Concord" but he could
not there have found the diversity OF
origin and training that he would en-
counter in an hour on change, where
men OF so many nationalities, Seets
and grades of culture are pao:;ed to-
gether. Former merchants manufac-
turers. politicians. art students. jour
nalists. are TO be found among hem
The gold room boosted clergyman
for its chairman who in time returned
acceptably to his spiritual charge
There is large contingent of country
gentlemen, who stand for open air,
broad acres and blooded stock at their
beautiful homes in New Jersey and
Long Island and beyond the Bronx.
Besides those brokers who, as | have
said, have worked their way to men,
bership. percentage of university
men is steadily increasing-sons of the
we,l-to-do who believe that a broadly
disciplined mind is no hindrance to
ultimate success. The room is curl
ously encyclopedia. and has included
authorities on science and even
Sanskrit Its occupants come from
many regions at home and abroad
There has always been gallant
southern delegation, frank spoken
open-handed, equal to any mood of
fortune. and, on the whole, to be
classed among her favorites. The Ger
mans outnumber any other foreign ele-
ment. and years ago were suspected of
having an advantage through trafiick
ing in their own tongue. A rule was
aopted that all transactions should be
made in English, and was thought to
bear severely upon certain native-born
members whose nouns and verbs were
seldom in perfect accord. The pear
ing of the board members, as a whole
is not thought to be inferior to that
of any similar class in the transatlan-
tie world; and comparison. in man.
nerS or attire, of the New York broker
off duty with the typical London
broker. or jobber, on his way to
Brighton or the races, can be made
without injury to Yankee sensibilitles
One classification of the room as
semblage is simple enough it is com
posed of Gentiles and Israelites-the
latter. with their peculiar genius. bid
ding fair to make, in time, their nu-
merical proportion conform to their
surprising share Of population and in
1uence in the metropolis at large. Nor
would the orator of the board be forgot
ten, learned in law and with the classics
at his tongues end historic factor
in the mart's vicissitudes, and one of
the trio still living who have held
seats in congress as we'll as in the
stock exchange. Here too, awaiting
their Ella. are the Philistine, the rad
zeal, the trust-defier and socialist
who, like Fourier, adjusts himself
| under protest to the present stage of
| civilization; the promoter. the sports
man Of every stripe, the roughrider
| and sailor of the war; the altruist to
whom none has gone for aid in vain !;
| the strong and dreaded mugger, who
at least is no hypocrite, but makes
! open declaration that he spares no
debtor; the recounter, the silen: man,
! the oracle, the wits, the artists. the
! musicians, the tale-writers and the
!