,b4 and ,esther ,n4 ,keyser ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,money ,,getting or ,,golden ,,rules ,,for ,,making ,,money ,by ,p4,t4 ,barnum ,in the ,united ,states1 where we have more land than people1 it is not at all difficult for persons in good health to make money4 ,in this comparatively new field there are so many avenues of success open1 so many vocations which are not crowded1 that any person of either sex who is willing1 at least for the time being1 to engage in any respectable occupation that offers1 may find lucrative employment4 ,those who really desire to attain an independence1 have only to set their minds upon it1 and adopt the proper means1 as they do in regard to any other object which they wish to accomplish1 and the thing is easily done4 ,but however easy it may be found to make money1 ,i have no doubt many of my hearers will agree it is the most difficult thing in the world to keep it4 ,the road to wealth is1 as ,dr4 ,franklin truly says1 as plain as the road to the mill4 ,it consists simply in expending less than we earn2 that seems to be a very simple problem4 ,mr4 ,micawber1 one of those happy creations of the genial ,dickens1 puts the case in a strong light when he says that to have annual income of twenty pounds per annum1 and spend twenty pounds and sixpence1 is to be the most miserable of men2 whereas1 to have an income of only twenty pounds1 and spend but nineteen pounds and sixpence is to be the happiest of mortals4 ,many of my readers may say1 we understand this3 this is economy1 and we know economy is wealth2 we know we can't eat our cake and keep it also4 ,yet ,i beg to say that perhaps more cases of failure arise from mistakes on this point than almost any other4 ,the fact is1 many people think they understand economy when they really do not4 ,true economy is misapprehended1 and people go through life without properly comprehending what that principle is4 ,one says1 ,i have an income of so much1 and here is my neighbor who has the same2 yet every year he gets something ahead and ,i fall short2 why is it8 ,i know all about economy4 ,he thinks he does1 but he does not4 ,there are men who think that economy consists in saving cheese-parings and candle-ends1 in cutting off two pence from the laundress' bill and doing all sorts of little1 mean1 dirty things4 ,economy is not meanness4 ,the misfortune is1 also1 that this class of persons let their economy apply in only one direction4 ,they fancy they are so wonderfully economical in saving a half-penny where they ought to spend twopence1 that they think they can afford to squander in other directions4 ,a few years ago1 before kerosene oil was discovered or thought of1 one might stop overnight at almost any farmer's house in the agricultural districts and get a very good supper1 but after supper he might attempt to read in the sitting-room1 and would find it impossible with the inefficient light of one candle4 ,the hostess1 seeing his dilemma1 would say3 ,it is rather difficult to read here evenings2 the proverb says 'you must have a ship at sea in order to be able to burn two candles at once2' we never have an extra candle except on extra occasions4 ,these extra occasions occur1 perhaps1 twice a year4 ,in this way the good woman saves five1 six1 or ten dollars in that time3 but the information which might be derived from having the extra light would1 of course1 far outweigh a ton of candles4 ,but the trouble does not end here4 ,feeling that she is so economical in tallow candies1 she thinks she can afford to go frequently to the village and spend twenty or thirty dollars for ribbons and furbelows1 many of which are not necessary4 ,this false connote may frequently be seen in men of business1 and in those instances it often runs to writing-paper4 ,you find good businessmen who save all the old envelopes and scraps1 and would not tear a new sheet of paper1 if they could avoid it1 for the world4 ,this is all very well2 they may in this way save five or ten dollars a year1 but being so economical 7only in note paper71 they think they can afford to waste time2 to have expensive parties1 and to drive their carriages4 ,this is an illustration of ,dr4 ,franklin's saving at the spigot and wasting at the bung-hole2 penny wise and pound foolish4 ,punch in speaking of this one idea class of people says they are like the man who bought a penny herring for his family's dinner and then hired a coach and four to take it home4 ,i never knew a man to succeed by practising this kind of economy4 ,true economy consists in always making the income exceed the out-go4 ,wear the old clothes a little longer if necessary2 dispense with the new pair of gloves2 mend the old dress3 live on plainer food if need be2 so that1 under all circumstances1 unless some unforeseen accident occurs1 there will be a margin in favor of the income4 ,a penny here1 and a dollar there1 placed at interest1 goes on accumulating1 and in this way the desired result is attained4 ,it requires some training1 perhaps1 to accomplish this economy1 but when once used to it1 you will find there is more satisfaction in rational saving than in irrational spending4 ,here is a recipe which ,i recommend3 ,i have found it to work an excellent cure for extravagance1 and especially for mistaken economy3 ,when you find that you have no surplus at the end of the year1 and yet have a good income1 ,i advise you to take a few sheets of paper and form them into a book and mark down every item of expenditure4 ,post it every day or week in two columns1 one headed necessaries or even comforts1 and the other headed luxuries1 and you will find that the latter column will be double1 treble1 and frequently ten times greater than the former4 ,the real comforts of life cost but a small portion of what most of us can earn4 ,dr4 ,franklin says it is the eyes of others and not our own eyes which ruin us4 ,if all the world were blind except myself ,i should not care for fine clothes or furniture4 ,it is the fear of what ,mrs4 ,grundy may say that keeps the noses of many worthy families to the grindstone4 ,in ,america many persons like to repeat we are all free and equal1 but it is a great mistake in more senses than one4 ,that we are born free and equal is a glorious truth in one sense1 yet we are not all born equally rich1 and we never shall be4 ,one may say2 there is a man who has an income of fifty thousand dollars per annum1 while ,i have but one thousand dollars2 ,i knew that fellow when he was poor like myself2 now he is rich and thinks he is better than ,i am2 ,i will show him that ,i am as good as he is2 ,i will go and buy a horse and buggy2 no1 ,i cannot do that1 but ,i will go and hire one and ride this afternoon on the same road that he does1 and thus prove to him that ,i am as good as he is4 ,my friend1 you need not take that trouble2 you can easily prove that you are as good as he is2 you have only to behave as well as he does2 but you cannot make anybody believe that you are rich as he is4 ,besides1 if you put on these airs1 add waste your time and spend your money1 your poor wife will be obliged to scrub her fingers off at home1 and buy her tea two ounces at a time1 and everything else in proportion1 in order that you may keep up appearances1 and1 after all1 deceive nobody4 ,on the other hand1 ,mrs4 ,smith may say that her next-door neighbor married ,johnson for his money1 and everybody says so4 ,she has a nice one-thousand dollar camel's hair shawl1 and she will make ,smith get her an imitation one1 and she will sit in a pew right next to her neighbor in church1 in order to prove that she is her equal4 ,my good woman1 you will not get ahead in the world1 if your vanity and envy thus take the lead4 ,in this country1 where we believe the majority ought to rule1 we ignore that principle in regard to fashion1 and let a handful of people1 calling themselves the aristocracy1 run up a false standard of perfection1 and in endeavoring to rise to that standard1 we constantly keep ourselves poor2 all the time digging away for the sake of outside appearances4 ,how much wiser to be a law unto ourselves and say1 we will regulate our out-go by our income1 and lay up something for a rainy day4 ,people ought to be as sensible on the subject of money-getting as on any other subject4 ,like causes produces like effects4 ,you cannot accumulate a fortune by taking the road that leads to poverty4 ,it needs no prophet to tell us that those who live fully up to their means1 without any thought of a reverse in this life1 can never attain a pecuniary independence4 ,men and women accustomed to gratify every whim and caprice1 will find it hard1 at first1 to cut down their various unnecessary expenses1 and will feel it a great self-denial to live in a smaller house than they have been accustomed to1 with less expensive furniture1 less company1 less costly clothing1 fewer servants1 a less number of balls1 parties1 theater-goings1 carriage-ridings1 pleasure excursions1 cigar-smokings1 liquor-drinkings1 and other extravagances2 but1 after all1 if they will try the plan of laying by a nest-egg1 or1 in other words1 a small sum of money1 at interest or judiciously invested in land1 they will be surprised at the pleasure to be derived from constantly adding to their little pile1 as well as from all the economical habits which are engendered by this course4 ,the old suit of clothes1 and the old bonnet and dress1 will answer for another season2 the ,croton or spring water taste better than champagne2 a cold bath and a brisk walk will prove more exhilarating than a ride in the finest coach2 a social chat1 an evening's reading in the family circle1 or an hour's play of hunt the slipper and blind man's buff will be far more pleasant than a fifty or five hundred dollar party1 when the reflection on the difference in cost is indulged in by those who begin to know the pleasures of saving4 ,thousands of men are kept poor1 and tens of thousands are made so after they have acquired quite sufficient to support them well through life1 in consequence of laying their plans of living on too broad a platform4 ,some families expend twenty thousand dollars per annum1 and some much more1 and would scarcely know how to live on less1 while others secure more solid enjoyment frequently on a twentieth part of that amount4 ,prosperity is a more severe ordeal than adversity1 especially sudden prosperity4 ,easy come1 easy go1 is an old and true proverb4 ,a spirit of pride and vanity1 when permitted to have full sway1 is the undying canker-worm which gnaws the very vitals of a man's worldly possessions1 let them be small or great1 hundreds1 or millions4 ,many persons1 as they begin to prosper1 immediately expand their ideas and commence expending for luxuries1 until in a short time their expenses swallow up their income1 and they become ruined in their ridiculous attempts to keep up appearances1 and make a sensation4 ,i know a gentleman of fortune who says1 that when he first began to prosper1 his wife would have a new and elegant sofa4 ,that sofa1 he says1 cost me thirty thousand dollars6 ,when the sofa reached the house1 it was found necessary to get chairs to match2 then side-boards1 carpets and tables to correspond with them1 and so on through the entire stock of furniture2 when at last it was found that the house itself was quite too small and old-fashioned for the furniture1 and a new one was built to correspond with the new purchases2 thus1 added my friend1 summing up an outlay of thirty thousand dollars1 caused by that single sofa1 and saddling on me1 in the shape of servants1 equipage1 and the necessary expenses attendant upon keeping up a fine 'establishment1' a yearly outlay of eleven thousand dollars1 and a tight pinch at that3 whereas1 ten years ago1 we lived with much more real comfort1 because with much less care1 on as many hundreds4 ,the truth is1 he continued1 that sofa would have brought me to inevitable bankruptcy1 had not a most unexampled title to prosperity kept me above it1 and had ,i not checked the natural desire to 'cut a dash'4 ,the foundation of success in life is good health3 that is the substratum fortune2 it is also the basis of happiness4 ,a person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick4 ,he has no ambition2 no incentive2 no force4 ,of course1 there are those who have bad health and cannot help it3 you cannot expect that such persons can accumulate wealth1 but there are a great many in poor health who need not be so4 ,if1 then1 sound health is the foundation of success and happiness in life1 how important it is that we should study the laws of health1 which is but another expression for the laws of nature6 ,the nearer we keep to the laws of nature1 the nearer we are to good health1 and yet how many persons there are who pay no attention to natural laws1 but absolutely transgress them1 even against their own natural inclination4 ,we ought to know that the sin of ignorance is never winked at in regard to the violation of nature's laws2 their infraction always brings the penalty4 ,a child may thrust its finger into the flames without knowing it will burn1 and so suffers1 repentance1 even1 will not stop the smart4 ,many of our ancestors knew very little about the principle of ventilation4 ,they did not know much about oxygen1 whatever other gin they might have been acquainted with2 and consequently they built their houses with little seven-by-nine feet bedrooms1 and these good old pious ,puritans would lock themselves up in one of these cells1 say their prayers and go to bed4 ,in the morning they would devoutly return thanks for the preservation of their lives1 during the night1 and nobody had better reason to be thankful4 ,probably some big crack in the window1 or in the door1 let in a little fresh air1 and thus saved them4 ,many persons knowingly violate the laws of nature against their better impulses1 for the sake of fashion4 ,for instance1 there is one thing that nothing living except a vile worm ever naturally loved1 and that is tobacco2 yet how many persons there are who deliberately train an unnatural appetite1 and overcome this implanted aversion for tobacco1 to such a degree that they get to love it4 ,they have got hold of a poisonous1 filthy weed1 or rather that takes a firm hold of them4 ,here are married men who run about spitting tobacco juice on the carpet and floors1 and sometimes even upon their wives besides4 ,they do not kick their wives out of doors like drunken men1 but their wives1 ,i have no doubt1 often wish they were outside of the house4 ,another perilous feature is that this artificial appetite1 like jealousy1 grows by what it feeds on2 when you love that which is unnatural1 a stronger appetite is created for the hurtful thing than the natural desire for what is harmless4 ,there is an old proverb which says that habit is second nature1 but an artificial habit is stronger than nature4 ,take for instance1 an old tobacco-chewer2 his love for the quid is stronger than his love for any particular kind of food4 ,he can give up roast beef easier than give up the weed4 ,young lads regret that they are not men2 they would like to go to bed boys and wake up men2 and to accomplish this they copy the bad habits of their seniors4 ,little ,tommy and ,johnny see their fathers or uncles smoke a pipe1 and they say1 ,if ,i could only do that1 ,i would be a man too2 uncle ,john has gone out and left his pipe of tobacco1 let us try it4 ,they take a match and light it1 and then puff away4 ,we will learn to smoke2 do you like it ,johnny8 ,that lad dolefully replies3 ,not very much2 it tastes bitter2 by and by he grows pale1 but he persists and he soon offers up a sacrifice on the altar of fashion2 but the boys stick to it and persevere until at last they conquer their natural appetites and become the victims of acquired tastes4 ,i speak by the book1 for ,i have noticed its effects on myself1 having gone so far as to smoke ten or fifteen cigars a day2 although ,i have not used the weed during the last fourteen years1 and never shall again4 ,the more a man smokes1 the more he craves smoking2 the last cigar smoked simply excites the desire for another1 and so on incessantly4 ,take the tobacco-chewer4 ,in the morning1 when he gets up1 he puts a quid in his mouth and keeps it there all day1 never taking it out except to exchange it for a fresh one1 or when he is going to eat2 oh6 yes1 at intervals during the day and evening1 many a chewer takes out the quid and holds it in his hand long enough to take a drink1 and then pop it goes back again4 ,this simply proves that the appetite for rum is even stronger than that for tobacco4 ,when the tobacco-chewer goes to your country seat and you show him your grapery and fruit house1 and the beauties of your garden1 when you offer him some fresh1 ripe fruit1 and say1 ,my friend1 ,i have got here the most delicious apples1 and pears1 and peaches1 and apricots2 ,i have imported them from ,spain1 ,france and ,italy--just see those luscious grapes2 there is nothing more delicious nor more healthy than ripe fruit1 so help yourself2 ,i want to see you delight yourself with these things2 he will roll the dear quid under his tongue and answer1 ,no1 ,i thank you1 ,i have got tobacco in my mouth4 ,his palate has become narcotized by the noxious weed1 and he has lost1 in a great measure1 the delicate and enviable taste for fruits4 ,this shows what expensive1 useless and injurious habits men will get into4 ,i speak from experience4 ,i have smoked until ,i trembled like an aspen leaf1 the blood rushed to my head1 and ,i had a palpitation of the heart which ,i thought was heart disease1 till ,i was almost killed with fright4 ,when ,i consulted my physician1 he said break off tobacco using4 ,i was not only injuring my health and spending a great deal of money1 but ,i was setting a bad example4 ,i obeyed his counsel4 ,no young man in the world ever looked so beautiful1 as he thought he did1 behind a fifteen cent cigar or a meerschaum6 ,these remarks apply with tenfold force to the use of intoxicating drinks4 ,to make money1 requires a clear brain4 ,a man has got to see that two and two make four2 he must lay all his plans with reflection and forethought1 and closely examine all the details and the ins and outs of business4 ,as no man can succeed in business unless he has a brain to enable him to lay his plans1 and reason to guide him in their execution1 so1 no matter how bountifully a man may be blessed with intelligence1 if the brain is muddled1 and his judgment warped by intoxicating drinks1 it is impossible for him to carry on business successfully4 ,how many good opportunities have passed1 never to return1 while a man was sipping a social glass1 with his friend6 ,how many foolish bargains have been made under the influence of the nervine1 which temporarily makes its victim think he is rich4 ,how many important chances have been put off until to-morrow1 and then forever1 because the wine cup has thrown the system into a state of lassitude1 neutralizing the energies so essential to success in business4 ,verily1 wine is a mocker4 ,the use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage1 is as much an infatuation1 as is the smoking of opium by the ,chinese1 and the former is quite as destructive to the success of the business man as the latter4 ,it is an unmitigated evil1 utterly indefensible in the light of philosophy2 religion or good sense4 ,it is the parent of nearly every other evil in our country4 ,,don',t ,,mistake ,,your ,,vocation ,the safest plan1 and the one most sure of success for the young man starting in life1 is to select the vocation which is most congenial to his tastes4 ,parents and guardians are often quite too negligent in regard to this4 ,it very common for a father to say1 for example3 ,i have five boys4 ,i will make ,billy a clergyman2 ,john a lawyer2 ,tom a doctor1 and ,dick a farmer4 ,he then goes into town and looks about to see what he will do with ,sammy4 ,he returns home and says ,sammy1 ,i see watch-making is a nice genteel business2 ,i think ,i will make you a goldsmith4 ,he does this1 regardless of ,sam's natural inclinations1 or genius4 ,we are all1 no doubt1 born for a wise purpose4 ,there is as much diversity in our brains as in our countenances4 ,some are born natural mechanics1 while some have great aversion to machinery4 ,let a dozen boys of ten years get together1 and you will soon observe two or three are whittling out some ingenious device2 working with locks or complicated machinery4 ,when they were but five years old1 their father could find no toy to please them like a puzzle4 ,they are natural mechanics2 but the other eight or nine boys have different aptitudes4 ,i belong to the latter class2 ,i never had the slightest love for mechanism2 on the contrary1 ,i have a sort of abhorrence for complicated machinery4 ,i never had ingenuity enough to whittle a cider tap so it would not leak4 ,i never could make a pen that ,i could write with1 or understand the principle of a steam engine4 ,if a man was to take such a boy as ,i was1 and attempt to make a watchmaker of him1 the boy might1 after an apprenticeship of five or seven years1 be able to take apart and put together a watch2 but all through life he would be working up hill and seizing every excuse for leaving his work and idling away his time4 ,watchmaking is repulsive to him4 ,unless a man enters upon the vocation intended for him by nature1 and best suited to his peculiar genius1 he cannot succeed4 ,i am glad to believe that the majority of persons do find their right vocation4 ,yet we see many who have mistaken their calling1 from the blacksmith up 7or down7 to the clergyman4 ,you will see1 for instance1 that extraordinary linguist the learned blacksmith1 who ought to have been a teacher of languages2 and you may have seen lawyers1 doctors and clergymen who were better fitted by nature for the anvil or the lapstone4 ,,select ,,the ,,right ,,location ,after securing the right vocation1 you must be careful to select the proper location4 ,you may have been cut out for a hotel keeper1 and they say it requires a genius to know how to keep a hotel4 ,you might conduct a hotel like clock-work1 and provide satisfactorily for five hundred guests every day2 yet1 if you should locate your house in a small village where there is no railroad communication or public travel1 the location would be your ruin4 ,it is equally important that you do not commence business where there are already enough to meet all demands in the same occupation4 ,i remember a case which illustrates this subject4 ,when ,i was in ,london in #aheh1 ,i was passing down ,holborn with an ,english friend and came to the penny shows4 ,they had immense cartoons outside1 portraying the wonderful curiosities to be seen all for a penny4 ,being a little in the show line myself1 ,i said let us go in here4 ,we soon found ourselves in the presence of the illustrious showman1 and he proved to be the sharpest man in that line ,i had ever met4 ,he told us some extraordinary stories in reference to his bearded ladies1 his ,albinos1 and his ,armadillos1 which we could hardly believe1 but thought it better to believe it than look after the proof'4 ,he finally begged to call our attention to some wax statuary1 and showed us a lot of the dirtiest and filthiest wax figures imaginable4 ,they looked as if they had not seen water since the ,deluge4 ,what is there so wonderful about your statuary8 ,i asked4 ,i beg you not to speak so satirically1 he replied1 ,sir1 these are not ,madam ,tussaud's wax figures1 all covered with gilt and tinsel and imitation diamonds1 and copied from engravings and photographs4 ,mine1 sir1 were taken from life4 ,whenever you look upon one of those figures1 you may consider that you are looking upon the living individual4 ,glancing casually at them1 ,i saw one labeled ,henry ,,viii1 and feeling a little curious upon seeing that it looked like ,calvin ,edson1 the living skeleton1 ,i said3 ,do you call that ',henry the ,eighth8' ,he replied1 ,certainly2 sir2 it was taken from life at ,hampton ,court1 by special order of his majesty2 on such a day4 ,he would have given the hour of the day if ,i had resisted2 ,i said1 ,everybody knows that ',henry ,,viii4' was a great stout old king1 and that figure is lean and lank2 what do you say to that8 ,why1 he replied1 you would be lean and lank yourself if you sat there as long as he has4 ,there was no resisting such arguments4 ,i said to my ,english friend1 ,let us go out2 do not tell him who ,i am2 ,i show the white feather2 he beats me4 ,he followed us to the door1 and seeing the rabble in the street1 he called out1 ladies and gentlemen1 ,i beg to draw your attention to the respectable character of my visitors1 pointing to us as we walked away4 ,i called upon him a couple of days afterwards2 told him who ,i was1 and said3 ,my friend1 you are an excellent showman1 but you have selected a bad location4 ,he replied1 ,this is true1 sir2 ,i feel that all my talents are thrown away2 but what can ,i do8 ,you can go to ,america1 ,i replied4 ,you can give full play to your faculties over there2 you will find plenty of elbowroom in ,america2 ,i will engage you for two years2 after that you will be able to go on your own account4 ,he accepted my offer and remained two years in my ,new ,york ,museum4 ,he then went to ,new ,orleans and carried on a traveling show business during the summer4 ,to-day he is worth sixty thousand dollars1 simply because he selected the right vocation and also secured the proper location4 ,the old proverb says1 ,three removes are as bad as a fire1 but when a man is in the fire1 it matters but little how soon or how often he removes4 ,,avoid ,,debt ,young men starting in life should avoid running into debt4 ,there is scarcely anything that drags a person down like debt4 ,it is a slavish position to get in1 yet we find many a young man1 hardly out of his teens1 running in debt4 ,he meets a chum and says1 ,look at this3 ,i have got trusted for a new suit of clothes4 ,he seems to look upon the clothes as so much given to him2 well1 it frequently is so1 but1 if he succeeds in paying and then gets trusted again1 he is adopting a habit which will keep him in poverty through life4 ,debt robs a man of his self-respect1 and makes him almost despise himself4 ,grunting and groaning and working for what he has eaten up or worn out1 and now when he is called upon to pay up1 he has nothing to show for his money2 this is properly termed working for a dead horse4 ,i do not speak of merchants buying and selling on credit1 or of those who buy on credit in order to turn the purchase to a profit4 ,the old ,quaker said to his farmer son1 ,john1 never get trusted2 but if thee gets trusted for anything1 let it be for 'manure1' because that will help thee pay it back again4 ,mr4 ,beecher advised young men to get in debt if they could to a small amount in the purchase of land1 in the country districts4 ,if a young man1 he says1 will only get in debt for some land and then get married1 these two things will keep him straight1 or nothing will4 ,this may be safe to a limited extent1 but getting in debt for what you eat and drink and wear is to be avoided4 ,some families have a foolish habit of getting credit at the stores1 and thus frequently purchase many things which might have been dispensed with4 ,it is all very well to say2 ,i have got trusted for sixty days1 and if ,i don't have the money the creditor will think nothing about it4 ,there is no class of people in the world1 who have such good memories as creditors4 ,when the sixty days run out1 you will have to pay4 ,if you do not pay1 you will break your promise1 and probably resort to a falsehood4 ,you may make some excuse or get in debt elsewhere to pay it1 but that only involves you the deeper4 ,a good-looking1 lazy young fellow1 was the apprentice boy1 ,horatio4 ,his employer said1 ,horatio1 did you ever see a snail8 ,i--think--,i--have1 he drawled out4 ,you must have met him then1 for ,i am sure you never overtook one1 said the boss4 ,your creditor will meet you or overtake you and say1 ,now1 my young friend1 you agreed to pay me2 you have not done it1 you must give me your note4 ,you give the note on interest and it commences working against you2 it is a dead horse4 ,the creditor goes to bed at night and wakes up in the morning better off than when he retired to bed1 because his interest has increased during the night1 but you grow poorer while you are sleeping1 for the interest is accumulating against you4 ,money is in some respects like fire2 it is a very excellent servant but a terrible master4 ,when you have it mastering you2 when interest is constantly piling up against you1 it will keep you down in the worst kind of slavery4 ,but let money work for you1 and you have the most devoted servant in the world4 ,it is no eye-servant4 ,there is nothing animate or inanimate that will work so faithfully as money when placed at interest1 well secured4 ,it works night and day1 and in wet or dry weather4 ,i was born in the blue-law ,state of ,connecticut1 where the old ,puritans had laws so rigid that it was said1 they fined a man for kissing his wife on ,sunday4 ,yet these rich old ,puritans would have thousands of dollars at interest1 and on ,saturday night would be worth a certain amount2 on ,sunday they would go to church and perform all the duties of a ,christian4 ,on waking up on ,monday morning1 they would find themselves considerably richer than the ,saturday night previous1 simply because their money placed at interest had worked faithfully for them all day ,sunday1 according to law6 ,do not let it work against you2 if you do there is no chance for success in life so far as money is concerned4 ,john ,randolph1 the eccentric ,virginian1 once exclaimed in ,congress1 ,mr4 ,speaker1 ,i have discovered the philosopher's stone3 pay as you go4 ,this is1 indeed1 nearer to the philosopher's stone than any alchemist has ever yet arrived4 ,,persevere ,when a man is in the right path1 he must persevere4 ,i speak of this because there are some persons who are born tired2 naturally lazy and possessing no self-reliance and no perseverance4 ,but they can cultivate these qualities1 as ,davy ,crockett said3 ,this thing remember1 when ,i am dead3 ,be sure you are right1 then go ahead4 ,it is this go-aheaditiveness1 this determination not to let the horrors or the blues take possession of you1 so as to make you relax your energies in the struggle for independence1 which you must cultivate4 ,how many have almost reached the goal of their ambition1 but1 losing faith in themselves1 have relaxed their energies1 and the golden prize has been lost forever4 ,it is1 no doubt1 often true1 as ,shakespeare says3 ,there is a tide in the affairs of men1 ,which1 taken at the flood1 leads on to fortune4 ,if you hesitate1 some bolder hand will stretch out before you and get the prize4 ,remember the proverb of ,solomon3 ,he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand2 but the hand of the diligent maketh rich4 ,perseverance is sometimes but another word for self-reliance4 ,many persons naturally look on the dark side of life1 and borrow trouble4 ,they are born so4 ,then they ask for advice1 and they will be governed by one wind and blown by another1 and cannot rely upon themselves4 ,until you can get so that you can rely upon yourself1 you need not expect to succeed4 ,i have known men1 personally1 who have met with pecuniary reverses1 and absolutely committed suicide1 because they thought they could never overcome their misfortune4 ,but ,i have known others who have met more serious financial difficulties1 and have bridged them over by simple perseverance1 aided by a firm belief that they were doing justly1 and that ,providence would overcome evil with good4 ,you will see this illustrated in any sphere of life4 ,take two generals2 both understand military tactics1 both educated at ,west ,point1 if you please1 both equally gifted2 yet one1 having this principle of perseverance1 and the other lacking it1 the former will succeed in his profession1 while the latter will fail4 ,one may hear the cry1 the enemy are coming1 and they have got cannon4 ,got cannon8 says the hesitating general4 ,yes4 ,then halt every man4 ,he wants time to reflect2 his hesitation is his ruin2 the enemy passes unmolested1 or overwhelms him2 while on the other hand1 the general of pluck1 perseverance and self-reliance1 goes into battle with a will1 and1 amid the clash of arms1 the booming of cannon1 the shrieks of the wounded1 and the moans of the dying1 you will see this man persevering1 going on1 cutting and slashing his way through with unwavering determination1 inspiring his soldiers to deeds of fortitude1 valor1 and triumph4 ,,whatever ,,you ,,do1 ,,do ,,it ,,with ,,all ,,your ,,might ,work at it1 if necessary1 early and late1 in season and out of season1 not leaving a stone unturned1 and never deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well now4 ,the old proverb is full of truth and meaning1 ,whatever is worth doing at all1 is worth doing well4 ,many a man acquires a fortune by doing his business thoroughly1 while his neighbor remains poor for life1 because he only half does it4 ,ambition1 energy1 industry1 perseverance1 are indispensable requisites for success in business4 ,fortune always favors the brave1 and never helps a man who does not help himself4 ,it won't do to spend your time like ,mr4 ,micawber1 in waiting for something to turn up4 ,to such men one of two things usually turns up3 the poorhouse or the jail2 for idleness breeds bad habits1 and clothes a man in rags4 ,the poor spendthrift vagabond says to a rich man3 ,i have discovered there is enough money in the world for all of us1 if it was equally divided2 this must be done1 and we shall all be happy together4 ,but1 was the response1 if everybody was like you1 it would be spent in two months1 and what would you do then8 ,oh6 divide again2 keep dividing1 of course6 ,i was recently reading in a ,london paper an account of a like philosophic pauper who was kicked out of a cheap boarding-house because he could not pay his bill1 but he had a roll of papers sticking out of his coat pocket1 which1 upon examination1 proved to be his plan for paying off the national debt of ,england without the aid of a penny4 ,people have got to do as ,cromwell said3 not only trust in ,providence1 but keep the powder dry4 ,do your part of the work1 or you cannot succeed4 ,mahomet1 one night1 while encamping in the desert1 overheard one of his fatigued followers remark3 ,i will loose my camel1 and trust it to ,god6 ,no1 no1 not so1 said the prophet1 tie thy camel1 and trust it to ,god6 ,do all you can for yourselves1 and then trust to ,providence1 or luck1 or whatever you please to call it1 for the rest4 ,,depend ,,upon ,,your ,,own ,,personal ,,exertions4 ,the eye of the employer is often worth more than the hands of a dozen employees4 ,in the nature of things1 an agent cannot be so faithful to his employer as to himself4 ,many who are employers will call to mind instances where the best employees have overlooked important points which could not have escaped their own observation as a proprietor4 ,no man has a right to expect to succeed in life unless he understands his business1 and nobody can understand his business thoroughly unless he learns it by personal application and experience4 ,a man may be a manufacturer3 he has got to learn the many details of his business personally2 he will learn something every day1 and he will find he will make mistakes nearly every day4 ,and these very mistakes are helps to him in the way of experiences if he but heeds them4 ,he will be like the ,yankee tin-peddler1 who1 having been cheated as to quality in the purchase of his merchandise1 said3 ,all right1 there's a little information to be gained every day2 ,i will never be cheated in that way again4 ,thus a man buys his experience1 and it is the best kind if not purchased at too dear a rate4 ,i hold that every man should1 like ,cuvier1 the ,french naturalist1 thoroughly know his business4 ,so proficient was he in the study of natural history1 that you might bring to him the bone1 or even a section of a bone of an animal which he had never seen described1 and1 reasoning from analogy1 he would be able to draw a picture of the object from which the bone had been taken4 ,on one occasion his students attempted to deceive him4 ,they rolled one of their number in a cow skin and put him under the professor's table as a new specimen4 ,when the philosopher came into the room1 some of the students asked him what animal it was4 ,suddenly the animal said ,i am the devil and ,i am going to eat you4 ,it was but natural that ,cuvier should desire to classify this creature1 and examining it intently1 he said3 ,divided hoof2 graminivorous6 ,it cannot be done4 ,he knew that an animal with a split hoof must live upon grass and grain1 or other kind of vegetation1 and would not be inclined to eat flesh1 dead or alive1 so he considered himself perfectly safe4 ,the possession of a perfect knowledge of your business is an absolute necessity in order to insure success4 ,among the maxims of the elder ,rothschild was one1 all apparent paradox3 ,be cautious and bold4 ,this seems to be a contradiction in terms1 but it is not1 and there is great wisdom in the maxim4 ,it is1 in fact1 a condensed statement of what ,i have already said4 ,it is to say2 you must exercise your caution in laying your plans1 but be bold in carrying them out4 ,a man who is all caution1 will never dare to take hold and be successful2 and a man who is all boldness1 is merely reckless1 and must eventually fail4 ,a man may go on 'change and make fifty1 or one hundred thousand dollars in speculating in stocks1 at a single operation4 ,but if he has simple boldness without caution1 it is mere chance1 and what he gains to-day he will lose to-morrow4 ,you must have both the caution and the boldness1 to insure success4 ,the ,rothschilds have another maxim3 ,never have anything to do with an unlucky man or place4 ,that is to say1 never have anything to do with a man or place which never succeeds1 because1 although a man may appear to be honest and intelligent1 yet if he tries this or that thing and always fails1 it is on account of some fault or infirmity that you may not be able to discover but nevertheless which must exist4 ,there is no such thing in the world as luck4 ,there never was a man who could go out in the morning and find a purse full of gold in the street to-day1 and another to-morrow1 and so on1 day after day3 ,he may do so once in his life2 but so far as mere luck is concerned1 he is as liable to lose it as to find it4 ,like causes produce like effects4 ,if a man adopts the proper methods to be successful1 luck will not prevent him4 ,if he does not succeed1 there are reasons for it1 although1 perhaps1 he may not be able to see them4 ,,use ,,the ,,best ,,tools ,men in engaging employees should be careful to get the best4 ,understand1 you cannot have too good tools to work with1 and there is no tool you should be so particular about as living tools4 ,if you get a good one1 it is better to keep him1 than keep changing4 ,he learns something every day2 and you are benefited by the experience he acquires4 ,he is worth more to you this year than last1 and he is the last man to part with1 provided his habits are good1 and he continues faithful4 ,if1 as he gets more valuable1 he demands an exorbitant increase of salary2 on the supposition that you can't do without him1 let him go4 ,whenever ,i have such an employee1 ,i always discharge him2 first1 to convince him that his place may be supplied1 and second1 because he is good for nothing if he thinks he is invaluable and cannot be spared4 ,but ,i would keep him1 if possible1 in order to profit from the result of his experience4 ,an important element in an employee is the brain4 ,you can see bills up1 ,hands ,wanted1 but hands are not worth a great deal without heads4 ,mr4 ,beecher illustrates this1 in this wise3 ,an employee offers his services by saving1 ,i have a pair of hands and one of my fingers thinks4 ,that is very good1 says the employer4 ,another man comes along1 and says he has two fingers that think4 ,ah6 that is better4 ,but a third calls in and says that all his fingers and thumbs think4 ,that is better still4 ,finally another steps in and says1 ,i have a brain that thinks2 ,i think all over2 ,i am a thinking as well as a working man6 ,you are the man ,i want1 says the delighted employer4 ,those men who have brains and experience are therefore the most valuable and not to be readily parted with2 it is better for them1 as well as yourself1 to keep them1 at reasonable advances in their salaries from time to time4 ,,don',t ,,get ,,above ,,your ,,business ,young men after they get through their business training1 or apprenticeship1 instead of pursuing their avocation and rising in their business1 will often lie about doing nothing4 ,they say2 ,i have learned my business1 but ,i am not going to be a hireling2 what is the object of learning my trade or profession1 unless ,i establish myself8' ,have you capital to start with8 ,no1 but ,i am going to have it4 ,how are you going to get it8 ,i will tell you confidentially2 ,i have a wealthy old aunt1 and she will die pretty soon2 but if she does not1 ,i expect to find some rich old man who will lend me a few thousands to give me a start4 ,if ,i only get the money to start with ,i will do well4 ,there is no greater mistake than when a young man believes he will succeed with borrowed money4 ,why8 ,because every man's experience coincides with that of ,mr4 ,astor1 who said1 it was more difficult for him to accumulate his first thousand dollars1 than all the succeeding millions that made up his colossal fortune4 ,money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience4 ,give a boy twenty thousand dollars and put him in business1 and the chances are that he will lose every dollar of it before he is a year older4 ,like buying a ticket in the lottery2 and drawing a prize1 it is easy come1 easy go4 ,he does not know the value of it2 nothing is worth anything1 unless it costs effort4 ,without self-denial and economy2 patience and perseverance1 and commencing with capital which you have not earned1 you are not sure to succeed in accumulating4 ,young men1 instead of waiting for dead men's shoes1 should be up and doing1 for there is no class of persons who are so unaccommodating in regard to dying as these rich old people1 and it is fortunate for the expectant heirs that it is so4 ,nine out of ten of the rich men of our country to-day1 started out in life as poor boys1 with determined wills1 industry1 perseverance1 economy and good habits4 ,they went on gradually1 made their own money and saved it2 and this is the best way to acquire a fortune4 ,stephen ,girard started life as a poor cabin boy1 and died worth nine million dollars4 ,a4,t4 ,stewart was a poor ,irish boy2 and he paid taxes on a million and a half dollars of income1 per year4 ,john ,jacob ,astor was a poor farmer boy1 and died worth twenty millions4 ,cornelius ,vanderbilt began life rowing a boat from ,staten ,island to ,new ,york2 he presented our government with a steamship worth a million of dollars1 and died worth fifty million4 ,there is no royal road to learning1 says the proverb1 and ,i may say it is equally true1 there is no royal road to wealth4 ,but ,i think there is a royal road to both4 ,the road to learning is a royal one2 the road that enables the student to expand his intellect and add every day to his stock of knowledge1 until1 in the pleasant process of intellectual growth1 he is able to solve the most profound problems1 to count the stars1 to analyze every atom of the globe1 and to measure the firmament this is a regal highway1 and it is the only road worth traveling4 ,so in regard to wealth4 ,go on in confidence1 study the rules1 and above all things1 study human nature2 for the proper study of mankind is man1 and you will find that while expanding the intellect and the muscles1 your enlarged experience will enable you every day to accumulate more and more principal1 which will increase itself by interest and otherwise1 until you arrive at a state of independence4 ,you will find1 as a general thing1 that the poor boys get rich and the rich boys get poor4 ,for instance1 a rich man at his decease1 leaves a large estate to his family4 ,his eldest sons1 who have helped him earn his fortune1 know by experience the value of money2 and they take their inheritance and add to it4 ,the separate portions of the young children are placed at interest1 and the little fellows are patted on the head1 and told a dozen times a day1 you are rich2 you will never have to work1 you can always have whatever you wish1 for you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth4 ,the young heir soon finds out what that means2 he has the finest dresses and playthings2 he is crammed with sugar candies and almost killed with kindness1 and he passes from school to school1 petted and flattered4 ,he becomes arrogant and self-conceited1 abuses his teachers1 and carries everything with a high hand4 ,he knows nothing of the real value of money1 having never earned any2 but he knows all about the golden spoon business4 ,at college1 he invites his poor fellow-students to his room1 where he wines and dines them4 ,he is cajoled and caressed1 and called a glorious good follow1 because he is so lavish of his money4 ,he gives his game suppers1 drives his fast horses1 invites his chums to fetes and parties1 determined to have lots of good times4 ,he spends the night in frolics and debauchery1 and leads off his companions with the familiar song1 we won't go home till morning4 ,he gets them to join him in pulling down signs1 taking gates from their hinges and throwing them into back yards and horse-ponds4 ,if the police arrest them1 he knocks them down1 is taken to the lockup1 and joyfully foots the bills4 ,ah6 my boys1 he cries1 what is the use of being rich1 if you can't enjoy yourself8 ,he might more truly say1 if you can't make a fool of yourself2 but he is fast1 hates slow things1 and doesn't see it4 ,young men loaded down with other people's money are almost sure to lose all they inherit1 and they acquire all sorts of bad habits which1 in the majority of cases1 ruin them in health1 purse and character4 ,in this country1 one generation follows another1 and the poor of to-day are rich in the next generation1 or the third4 ,their experience leads them on1 and they become rich1 and they leave vast riches to their young children4 ,these children1 having been reared in luxury1 are inexperienced and get poor2 and after long experience another generation comes on and gathers up riches again in turn4 ,and thus history repeats itself1 and happy is he who by listening to the experience of others avoids the rocks and shoals on which so many have been wrecked4 ,in ,england1 the business makes the man4 ,if a man in that country is a mechanic or working-man1 he is not recognized as a gentleman4 ,on the occasion of my first appearance before ,queen ,victoria1 the ,duke of ,wellington asked me what sphere in life ,general ,tom ,thumb's parents were in4 ,his father is a carpenter1 ,i replied4 ,oh6 ,i had heard he was a gentleman1 was the response of ,his ,grace4 ,in this ,republican country1 the man makes the business4 ,no matter whether he is a blacksmith1 a shoemaker1 a farmer1 banker or lawyer1 so long as his business is legitimate1 he may be a gentleman4 ,so any legitimate business is a double blessing it helps the man engaged in it1 and also helps others4 ,the ,farmer supports his own family1 but he also benefits the merchant or mechanic who needs the products of his farm4 ,the tailor not only makes a living by his trade1 but he also benefits the farmer1 the clergyman and others who cannot make their own clothing4 ,but all these classes often may be gentlemen4 ,the great ambition should be to excel all others engaged in the same occupation4 ,the college-student who was about graduating1 said to an old lawyer3 ,i have not yet decided which profession ,i will follow4 ,is your profession full8 ,the basement is much crowded1 but there is plenty of room up-stairs1 was the witty and truthful reply4 ,no profession1 trade1 or calling1 is overcrowded in the upper story4 ,wherever you find the most honest and intelligent merchant or banker1 or the best lawyer1 the best doctor1 the best clergyman1 the best shoemaker1 carpenter1 or anything else1 that man is most sought for1 and has always enough to do4 ,as a nation1 ,americans are too superficial--they are striving to get rich quickly1 and do not generally do their business as substantially and thoroughly as they should1 but whoever excels all others in his own line1 if his habits are good and his integrity undoubted1 cannot fail to secure abundant patronage1 and the wealth that naturally follows4 ,let your motto then always be ,excelsior1 for by living up to it there is no such word as fail4 ,,learn ,,something ,,useful ,every man should make his son or daughter learn some useful trade or profession1 so that in these days of changing fortunes of being rich to-day and poor tomorrow they may have something tangible to fall back upon4 ,this provision might save many persons from misery1 who by some unexpected turn of fortune have lost all their means4 ,,let ,,hope ,,predominate1 ,,but ,,be ,,not ,,too ,,visionary ,many persons are always kept poor1 because they are too visionary4 ,every project looks to them like certain success1 and therefore they keep changing from one business to another1 always in hot water1 always under the harrow4 ,the plan of counting the chickens before they are hatched is an error of ancient date1 but it does not seem to improve by age4 ,,do ,,not ,,scatter ,,your ,,powers ,engage in one kind of business only1 and stick to it faithfully until you succeed1 or until your experience shows that you should abandon it4 ,a constant hammering on one nail will generally drive it home at last1 so that it can be clinched4 ,when a man's undivided attention is centered on one object1 his mind will constantly be suggesting improvements of value1 which would escape him if his brain was occupied by a dozen different subjects at once4 ,many a fortune has slipped through a man's fingers because he was engaged in too many occupations at a time4 ,there is good sense in the old caution against having too many irons in the fire at once4 ,,be ,,systematic ,men should be systematic in their business4 ,a person who does business by rule1 having a time and place for everything1 doing his work promptly1 will accomplish twice as much and with half the trouble of him who does it carelessly and slipshod4 ,by introducing system into all your transactions1 doing one thing at a time1 always meeting appointments with punctuality1 you find leisure for pastime and recreation2 whereas the man who only half does one thing1 and then turns to something else1 and half does that1 will have his business at loose ends1 and will never know when his day's work is done1 for it never will be done4 ,of course1 there is a limit to all these rules4 ,we must try to preserve the happy medium1 for there is such a thing as being too systematic4 ,there are men and women1 for instance1 who put away things so carefully that they can never find them again4 ,it is too much like the red tape formality at ,washington1 and ,mr4 ,dickens' ,circumlocution ,office1--all theory and no result4 ,when the ,astor ,house was first started in ,new ,york city1 it was undoubtedly the best hotel in the country4 ,the proprietors had learned a good deal in ,europe regarding hotels1 and the landlords were proud of the rigid system which pervaded every department of their great establishment4 ,when twelve o'clock at night had arrived1 and there were a number of guests around1 one of the proprietors would say1 ,touch that bell1 ,john2 and in two minutes sixty servants1 with a water-bucket in each hand1 would present themselves in the hall4 ,this1 said the landlord1 addressing his guests1 is our fire-bell2 it will show you we are quite safe here2 we do everything systematically4 ,this was before the ,croton water was introduced into the city4 ,but they sometimes carried their system too far4 ,on one occasion1 when the hotel was thronged with guests1 one of the waiters was suddenly indisposed1 and although there were fifty waiters in the hotel1 the landlord thought he must have his full complement1 or his system would be interfered with4 ,just before dinner-time1 he rushed down stairs and said1 ,there must be another waiter1 ,i am one waiter short1 what can ,i do8 ,he happened to see ,boots1 the ,irishman4 ,pat1 said he1 wash your hands and face2 take that white apron and come into the dining-room in five minutes4 ,presently ,pat appeared as required1 and the proprietor said3 ,now ,pat1 you must stand behind these two chairs1 and wait on the gentlemen who will occupy them2 did you ever act as a waiter8 ,i know all about it1 sure1 but ,i never did it4 ,like the ,irish pilot1 on one occasion when the captain1 thinking he was considerably out of his course1 asked1 ,are you certain you understand what you are doing8 ,pat replied1 ,sure and ,i knows every rock in the channel4 ,that moment1 bang thumped the vessel against a rock4 ,ah6 be-jabers1 and that is one of 'em1 continued the pilot4 ,but to return to the dining-room4 ,pat1 said the landlord1 here we do everything systematically4 ,you must first give the gentlemen each a plate of soup1 and when they finish that1 ask them what they will have next4 ,pat replied1 ,ah6 an' ,i understand parfectly the vartues of shystem4 ,very soon in came the guests4 ,the plates of soup were placed before them4 ,one of ,pat's two gentlemen ate his soup2 the other did not care for it4 ,he said3 ,waiter1 take this plate away and bring me some fish4 ,pat looked at the untasted plate of soup1 and remembering the instructions of the landlord in regard to system1 replied3 ,not till ye have ate yer supe6 ,of course that was carrying system entirely too far4 ,,read ,,the ,,newspapers ,always take a trustworthy newspaper1 and thus keep thoroughly posted in regard to the transactions of the world4 ,he who is without a newspaper is cut off from his species4 ,in these days of telegraphs and steam1 many important inventions and improvements in every branch of trade are being made1 and he who don't consult the newspapers will soon find himself and his business left out in the cold4 ,,beware ,,of ,,outside ,,operations ,we sometimes see men who have obtained fortunes1 suddenly become poor4 ,in many cases1 this arises from intemperance1 and often from gaming1 and other bad habits4 ,frequently it occurs because a man has been engaged in outside operations1 of some sort4 ,when he gets rich in his legitimate business1 he is told of a grand speculation where he can make a score of thousands4 ,he is constantly flattered by his friends1 who tell him that he is born lucky1 that everything he touches turns into gold4 ,now if he forgets that his economical habits1 his rectitude of conduct and a personal attention to a business which he understood1 caused his success in life1 he will listen to the siren voices4 ,he says3 ,i will put in twenty thousand dollars4 ,i have been lucky1 and my good luck will soon bring me back sixty thousand dollars4 ,a few days elapse and it is discovered he must put in ten thousand dollars more3 soon after he is told it is all right1 but certain matters not foreseen1 require an advance of twenty thousand dollars more1 which will bring him a rich harvest2 but before the time comes around to realize1 the bubble bursts1 he loses all he is possessed of1 and then he learns what he ought to have known at the first1 that however successful a man may be in his own business1 if he turns from that and engages ill a business which he don't understand1 he is like ,samson when shorn of his locks his strength has departed1 and he becomes like other men4 ,if a man has plenty of money1 he ought to invest something in everything that appears to promise success1 and that will probably benefit mankind2 but let the sums thus invested be moderate in amount1 and never let a man foolishly jeopardize a fortune that he has earned in a legitimate way1 by investing it in things in which he has had no experience4 ,,don',t ,,indorse ,,without ,,security ,i hold that no man ought ever to indorse a note or become security1 for any man1 be it his father or brother1 to a greater extent than he can afford to lose and care nothing about1 without taking good security4 ,here is a man that is worth twenty thousand dollars2 he is doing a thriving manufacturing or mercantile trade2 you are retired and living on your money2 he comes to you and says3 ,you are aware that ,i am worth twenty thousand dollars1 and don't owe a dollar2 if ,i had five thousand dollars in cash1 ,i could purchase a particular lot of goods and double my money in a couple of months2 will you indorse my note for that amount8 ,you reflect that he is worth twenty thousand dollars1 and you incur no risk by endorsing his note2 you like to accommodate him1 and you lend your name without taking the precaution of getting security4 ,shortly after1 he shows you the note with your endorsement canceled1 and tells you1 probably truly1 that he made the profit that he expected by the operation1 you reflect that you have done a good action1 and the thought makes you feel happy4 ,by and by1 the same thing occurs again and you do it again2 you have already fixed the impression in your mind that it is perfectly safe to indorse his notes without security4 ,but the trouble is1 this man is getting money too easily4 ,he has only to take your note to the bank1 get it discounted and take the cash4 ,he gets money for the time being without effort2 without inconvenience to himself4 ,now mark the result4 ,he sees a chance for speculation outside of his business4 ,a temporary investment of only #aj1jjj is required4 ,it is sure to come back before a note at the bank would be due4 ,he places a note for that amount before you4 ,you sign it almost mechanically4 ,being firmly convinced that your friend is responsible and trustworthy2 you indorse his notes as a matter of course4 ,unfortunately the speculation does not come to a head quite so soon as was expected1 and another #aj1jjj note must be discounted to take up the last one when due4 ,before this note matures the speculation has proved an utter failure and all the money is lost4 ,does the loser tell his friend1 the endorser1 that he has lost half of his fortune8 ,not at all4 ,he don't even mention that he has speculated at all4 ,but he has got excited2 the spirit of speculation has seized him2 he sees others making large sums in this way 7we seldom hear of the losers71 and1 like other speculators1 he looks for his money where he loses it4 ,he tries again4 endorsing notes has become chronic with you1 and at every loss he gets your signature for whatever amount he wants4 ,finally you discover your friend has lost all of his property and all of yours4 ,you are overwhelmed with astonishment and grief1 and you say it is a hard thing2 my friend here has ruined me1 but1 you should add1 ,i have also ruined him4 ,if you had said in the first place1 ,i will accommodate you1 but ,i never indorse without taking ample security1 he could not have gone beyond the length of his tether1 and he would never have been tempted away from his legitimate business4 ,it is a very dangerous thing1 therefore1 at any time1 to let people get possession of money too easily2 it tempts them to hazardous speculations1 if nothing more4 ,solomon truly said he that hateth suretiship is sure4 ,so with the young man starting in business2 let him understand the value of money by earning it4 ,when he does understand its value1 then grease the wheels a little in helping him to start business1 but remember1 men who get money with too great facility cannot usually succeed4 ,you must get the first dollars by hard knocks1 and at some sacrifice1 in order to appreciate the value of those dollars4 ,,advertise ,,your ,,business ,we all depend1 more or less1 upon the public for our support4 ,we all trade with the public--lawyers1 doctors1 shoemakers1 artists1 blacksmiths1 showmen1 opera stagers1 railroad presidents1 and college professors4 ,those who deal with the public must be careful that their goods are valuable2 that they are genuine1 and will give satisfaction4 ,when you get an article which you know is going to please your customers1 and that when they have tried it1 they will feel they have got their money's worth1 then let the fact be known that you have got it4 ,be careful to advertise it in some shape or other because it is evident that if a man has ever so good an article for sale1 and nobody knows it1 it will bring him no return4 ,in a country like this1 where nearly everybody reads1 and where newspapers are issued and circulated in editions of five thousand to two hundred thousand1 it would be very unwise if this channel was not taken advantage of to reach the public in advertising4 ,a newspaper goes into the family1 and is read by wife and children1 as well as the head of the home2 hence hundreds and thousands of people may read your advertisement1 while you are attending to your routine business4 ,many1 perhaps1 read it while you are asleep4 ,the whole philosophy of life is1 first sow1 then reap4 ,that is the way the farmer does2 he plants his potatoes and corn1 and sows his grain1 and then goes about something else1 and the time comes when he reaps4 ,but he never reaps first and sows afterwards4 ,this principle applies to all kinds of business1 and to nothing more eminently than to advertising4 ,if a man has a genuine article1 there is no way in which he can reap more advantageously than by sowing to the public in this way4 ,he must1 of course1 have a really good article1 and one which will please his customers2 anything spurious will not succeed permanently because the public is wiser than many imagine4 ,men and women are selfish1 and we all prefer purchasing where we can get the most for our money and we try to find out where we can most surely do so4 ,you may advertise a spurious article1 and induce many people to call and buy it once1 but they will denounce you as an impostor and swindler1 and your business will gradually die out and leave you poor4 ,this is right4 ,few people can safely depend upon chance custom4 ,you all need to have your customers return and purchase again4 ,a man said to me1 ,i have tried advertising and did not succeed2 yet ,i have a good article4 ,i replied1 ,my friend1 there may be exceptions to a general rule4 ,but how do you advertise8 ,i put it in a weekly newspaper three times1 and paid a dollar and a half for it4 ,i replied3 ,sir1 advertising is like learning--'a little is a dangerous thing6' ,a ,french writer says that ,the reader of a newspaper does not see the first mention of an ordinary advertisement2 the second insertion he sees1 but does not read2 the third insertion he reads2 the fourth insertion1 he looks at the price2 the fifth insertion1 he speaks of it to his wife2 the sixth insertion1 he is ready to purchase1 and the seventh insertion1 he purchases4 ,your object in advertising is to make the public understand what you have got to sell1 and if you have not the pluck to keep advertising1 until you have imparted that information1 all the money you have spent is lost4 ,you are like the fellow who told the gentleman if he would give him ten cents it would save him a dollar4 ,how can ,i help you so much with so small a sum8 asked the gentleman in surprise4 ,i started out this morning 7hiccuped the fellow7 with the full determination to get drunk1 and ,i have spent my only dollar to accomplish the object1 and it has not quite done it4 ,ten cents worth more of whiskey would just do it1 and in this manner ,i should save the dollar already expended4 ,so a man who advertises at all must keep it up until the public know who and what he is1 and what his business is1 or else the money invested in advertising is lost4 ,some men have a peculiar genius for writing a striking advertisement1 one that will arrest the attention of the reader at first sight4 ,this fact1 of course1 gives the advertiser a great advantage4 ,sometimes a man makes himself popular by an unique sign or a curious display in his window1 recently ,i observed a swing sign extending over the sidewalk in front of a store1 on which was the inscription in plain letters1 ,,don',t ,,read ,,the ,,other ,,side ,of course ,i did1 and so did everybody else1 and ,i learned that the man had made all independence by first attracting the public to his business in that way and then using his customers well afterwards4 ,genin1 the hatter1 bought the first ,jenny ,lind ticket at auction for two hundred and twenty-five dollars1 because he knew it would be a good advertisement for him4 ,who is the bidder8 said the auctioneer1 as he knocked down that ticket at ,castle ,garden4 ,genin1 the hatter1 was the response4 ,here were thousands of people from the ,fifth avenue1 and from distant cities in the highest stations in life4 ,who is ',genin1' the hatter8 they exclaimed4 ,they had never heard of him before4 ,the next morning the newspapers and telegraph had circulated the facts from ,maine to ,texas1 and from five to ten millions off people had read that the tickets sold at auction ,for ,jenny ,lind's first concert amounted to about twenty thousand dollars1 and that a single ticket was sold at two hundred and twenty-five dollars1 to ,genin1 the hatter4 ,men throughout the country involuntarily took off their hats to see if they had a ,genin hat on their heads4 ,at a town in ,iowa it was found that in the crowd around the post office1 there was one man who had a ,genin hat1 and he showed it in triumph1 although it was worn out and not worth two cents4 ,why1 one man exclaimed1 you have a real ',genin' hat2 what a lucky fellow you are4 ,another man said1 ,hang on to that hat1 it will be a valuable heir-loom in your family4 ,still another man in the crowd who seemed to envy the possessor of this good fortune1 said1 ,come1 give us all a chance2 put it up at auction6 ,he did so1 and it was sold as a keepsake for nine dollars and fifty cents6 ,what was the consequence to ,mr4 ,genin8 ,he sold ten thousand extra hats per annum1 the first six years4 ,nine-tenths of the purchasers bought of him1 probably1 out of curiosity1 and many of them1 finding that he gave them an equivalent for their money1 became his regular customers4 ,this novel advertisement first struck their attention1 and then1 as he made a good article1 they came again4 ,now ,i don't say that everybody should advertise as ,mr4 ,genin did4 ,but ,i say if a man has got goods for sale1 and he don't advertise them in some way1 the chances are that some day the sheriff will do it for him4 ,nor do ,i say that everybody must advertise in a newspaper1 or indeed use printers' ink at all4 ,on the contrary1 although that article is indispensable in the majority of cases1 yet doctors and clergymen1 and sometimes lawyers and some others1 can more effectually reach the public in some other manner4 ,but it is obvious1 they must be known in some way1 else how could they be supported8 ,,be ,,polite ,,and ,,kind ,,to ,,your ,,customers ,politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business4 ,large stores1 gilt signs1 flaming advertisements1 will all prove unavailing if you or your employees treat your patrons abruptly4 ,the truth is1 the more kind and liberal a man is1 the more generous will be the patronage bestowed upon him4 ,like begets like4 ,the man who gives the greatest amount of goods of a corresponding quality for the least sum 7still reserving for himself a profit7 will generally succeed best in the long run4 ,this brings us to the golden rule1 ,as ye would that men should do to you1 do ye also to them and they will do better by you than if you always treated them as if you wanted to get the most you could out of them for the least return4 ,men who drive sharp bargains with their customers1 acting as if they never expected to see them again1 will not be mistaken4 ,they will never see them again as customers4 ,people don't like to pay and get kicked also4 ,one of the ushers in my ,museum once told me he intended to whip a man who was in the lecture-room as soon as he came out4 ,what for8 ,i inquired4 ,because he said ,i was no gentleman1 replied the usher4 ,never mind1 ,i replied1 he pays for that1 and you will not convince him you are a gentleman by whipping him4 ,i cannot afford to lose a customer4 ,if you whip him1 he will never visit the ,museum again1 and he will induce friends to go with him to other places of amusement instead of this1 and thus you see1 ,i should be a serious loser4 ,but he insulted me1 muttered the usher4 ,exactly1 ,i replied1 and if he owned the ,museum1 and you had paid him for the privilege of visiting it1 and he had then insulted you1 there might be some reason in your resenting it1 but in this instance he is the man who pays1 while we receive1 and you must1 therefore1 put up with his bad manners4 ,my usher laughingly remarked1 that this was undoubtedly the true policy2 but he added that he should not object to an increase of salary if he was expected to be abused in order to promote my interest4 ,,be ,,charitable ,of course men should be charitable1 because it is a duty and a pleasure4 ,but even as a matter of policy1 if you possess no higher incentive1 you will find that the liberal man will command patronage1 while the sordid1 uncharitable miser will be avoided4 ,solomon says3 ,there is that scattereth and yet increaseth2 and there is that withholdeth more than meet1 but it tendeth to poverty4 ,of course the only true charity is that which is from the heart4 ,the best kind of charity is to help those who are willing to help themselves4 ,promiscuous almsgiving1 without inquiring into the worthiness of the applicant1 is bad in every sense4 ,but to search out and quietly assist those who are struggling for themselves1 is the kind that scattereth and yet increaseth4 ,but don't fall into the idea that some persons practice1 of giving a prayer instead of a potato1 and a benediction instead of bread1 to the hungry4 ,it is easier to make ,christians with full stomachs than empty4 ,,don',t ,,blab ,some men have a foolish habit of telling their business secrets4 ,if they make money they like to tell their neighbors how it was done4 ,nothing is gained by this1 and ofttimes much is lost4 ,say nothing about your profits1 your hopes1 your expectations1 your intentions4 ,and this should apply to letters as well as to conversation4 ,goethe makes ,mephistophilles say3 ,never write a letter nor destroy one4 ,business men must write letters1 but they should be careful what they put in them4 ,if you are losing money1 be specially cautious and not tell of it1 or you will lose your reputation4 ,,preserve ,,your ,,integrity ,it is more precious than diamonds or rubies4 ,the old miser said to his sons3 ,get money2 get it honestly if you can1 but get money3 ,this advice was not only atrociously wicked1 but it was the very essence of stupidity3 ,it was as much as to say1 if you find it difficult to obtain money honestly1 you can easily get it dishonestly4 ,get it in that way4 ,poor fool6 ,not to know that the most difficult thing in life is to make money dishonestly6 ,not to know that our prisons are full of men who attempted to follow this advice2 not to understand that no man can be dishonest1 without soon being found out1 and that when his lack of principle is discovered1 nearly every avenue to success is closed against him forever4 ,the public very properly shun all whose integrity is doubted4 ,no matter how polite and pleasant and accommodating a man may be1 none of us dare to deal with him if we suspect false weights and measures4 ,strict honesty1 not only lies at the foundation of all success in life 7financially71 but in every other respect4 ,uncompromising integrity of character is invaluable4 ,it secures to its possessor a peace and joy which cannot be attained without it--which no amount of money1 or houses and lands can purchase4 ,a man who is known to be strictly honest1 may be ever so poor1 but he has the purses of all the community at his disposal--for all know that if he promises to return what he borrows1 he will never disappoint them4 ,as a mere matter of selfishness1 therefore1 if a man had no higher motive for being honest1 all will find that the maxim of ,dr4 ,franklin can never fail to be true1 that honesty is the best policy4 ,to get rich1 is not always equivalent to being successful4 ,there are many rich poor men1 while there are many others1 honest and devout men and women1 who have never possessed so much money as some rich persons squander in a week1 but who are nevertheless really richer and happier than any man can ever be while he is a transgressor of the higher laws of his being4 ,the inordinate love of money1 no doubt1 may be and is the root of all evil1 but money itself1 when properly used1 is not only a handy thing to have in the house1 but affords the gratification of blessing our race by enabling its possessor to enlarge the scope of human happiness and human influence4 ,the desire for wealth is nearly universal1 and none can say it is not laudable1 provided the possessor of it accepts its responsibilities1 and uses it as a friend to humanity4 ,the history of money-getting1 which is commerce1 is a history of civilization1 and wherever trade has flourished most1 there1 too1 have art and science produced the noblest fruits4 ,in fact1 as a general thing1 money-getters are the benefactors of our race4 ,to them1 in a great measure1 are we indebted for our institutions of learning and of art1 our academies1 colleges and churches4 ,it is no argument against the desire for1 or the possession of wealth1 to say that there are sometimes misers who hoard money only for the sake of hoarding and who have no higher aspiration than to grasp everything which comes within their reach4 ,as we have sometimes hypocrites in religion1 and demagogues in politics1 so there are occasionally misers among money-getters4 ,these1 however1 are only exceptions to the general rule4 ,but when1 in this country1 we find such a nuisance and stumbling block as a miser1 we remember with gratitude that in ,america we have no laws of primogeniture1 and that in the due course of nature the time will come when the hoarded dust will be scattered for the benefit of mankind4 ,to all men and women1 therefore1 do ,i conscientiously say1 make money honestly1 and not otherwise1 for ,shakespeare has truly said1 ,he that wants money1 means1 and content1 is without three good friends4