The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-01-07

Have you working motto? "The
American people IKE to be humbug-
ged," said P T. Barnum. And by that
motto, which he coined, he lived, and
by it gained great material success
and international notoriety.
Don't keep a rag-bag" was the fun
damental motto Of A. T. Stewart. That
pioneer American merchant prince
was accustomed once a week, and
sometimes oftener, to go up and down
the aisles Of his store, stopping at va
rious counters and lingering dry goods
or fancy goods or the many little ar.
ticles displayed on the notion counter.
How is this article selling?" or
What is the demand for these
goods?" he would ask If the reply
was that the article or goods in ques-
ton was selling rapidly, Mr.. Stewart
would say no more, but pass on. But
if he discovered that the demand was
falling off for certain article or a
certain line of goods, or else that there
was not a ready sale for the articles or
goods because of the price, he would
say: Put these things on a special
table and mark the price down until
you can sell them. Don't keep rag
bag"
1t was this rule-or motto-that
gave rise to the bargain counter, as we
know it today; and in his long career
as a merchant it enabled him to turn
everything he had to sell into cash as
speedily as possible.
After Martin Van Buren,, three
times a candidate for the Presidency,
once successfully, had retired to pri-
vate life, he was asked by a friend
what he regarded as the most import
ant and successful of the rules of con-
duct which he had worked out and
followed while he was in political life.
ut is a very simple rule" the ex-
President replied. you can put it in
three words, Never write letters"
Then Mr.. Van Buren, went on to say
that he had known of several cases
where letters had turned up which
had seriously affected the political
fortunes of their writer's. Written re-
cords, he said, were always permanent
evidence; private conversation was
the safer way for a politician. And
to emphasize his confidence in the
rule that he swore by Mr.. Van Burer
added, Il would rather travel a hun
dred miles by stage coach or packet
boat than write one political letter."
In all the years that Martin Var
Buren, was before the American public
no letter written by him ever turned
up in the heat of political campaign
to harry him to the point of despera
ton OF political self-destruction.
Until his closing years there live
in the central part of New York Stat
a man whose life was almost contem
poraneous with the nineteenth cen
fury. He was farmer, and in hi
boyhood was playmate of Philip [
Armour and Roscoe Conkling. Ii
his later years he was a member O
the New York State legislature, wher
he had great influence. His nam
was David Gray, and he was so popu
lar with every one he knew that h
was universally called Uncle David.
He was successful in his business
that of an apple commissian merchanr
One day, when he was a member G
the Legislature, Uncle David was ash
ed by friend how he accounted 70
his success, not only as a business
man, but as a politician.
WELL" replied Uncle David, "whe
! was young man I picked up
motto which I thought was the bes
guide for young man to follow.
was this, Fair play and half the road
/ painted it on my wagons, and pra,
ticed it as thoroughly as l preached i
That is all there is to the success
have had, and have been pretty To-
tunate and had a mighty good time /
my life"
President Taft's Rule Of Silence.
These were four men of yesterda
who owed what success or distinctio
that came to them wholly or in larg
part to the tenacity with which the
followed the respective notices tha
they adopted as their own. Nor whe
they passed on did the type of maj
who lives and works and succeeds b
finding or coming motto and adhe
ing to it disappear. Many man VIII
is well known today throughout tn
length and breadth of the land, and, 1
addition, may have more or less repl
tation abroad, has persisted in follow