merchant never gave a guarantee as to the genuineness of the article he sold. It were needless to ask it. In New York, in Boston, and elsewhere, the rule of prosperity is plain. One of the best-known presidents of a New York bank began his career by blacking boots: he came to New York a penniless lad, and sought employment at a store. “What can you do?” said the merchant. “I can do anything,” replied the boy. “Take these boots and black them.” He did so, and he blacked them well, and did everything else well. Alexander Stewart (when alive, reputed to be the richest man in the world) was born in Ireland, came young to New York, and, with a little money that was left him by a relative in Ireland, took a small shop. He kept in it from fourteen to eighteen hours a day. He was his own errand-boy, porter, book-keeper, and salesman. He lived over his store, and, for a time, one room served as kitchen, bedroom, and parlour. Mr. Stewart began business when merchants relied on themselves, when banks gave little aid, when traders made money out of their customers, not out of their creditors. One day, while doing business in this little store, a note became due which he was unable to pay. The banks were unfriendly, and his friends, as is always the case when you want to borrow, were peculiarly hard up. Resolving not to be dishonoured, he met the crisis boldly. He made up his mind never to be in such a fix again. He marked every article in his shop below cost price; he flooded the city with hand-hills; they were everywhere—in basements, shops, steamboats, hotels, and cars, promised everybody a bargain, and took New York by storm. The little shop was crowded. Mr. Stewart presided in person. He said but little, offered his goods, and took the cash, all attempts to beat him down he quietly pointed to the price plainly written on each package. He had hardly time to eat or sleep; everyone came and bought, and when they got home customers were delighted to find that they were not cheated, but that they had secured a real bargain. Long before the time named for closing the sale in the hand-bill, the whole store was cleaned out, and every article sold for cash. The troublesome note was paid, and a handsome balance left over. For the future, he resolved to trade no more on credit. The market was dull, times were bad, cash was scarce; he would buy on his own terms the best of goods, and thus he laid down the foundation of a fortune which, long before he died, was reckoned at 30,000,000 dols. 1836, an American writer thus described his mode of doing business:—“Though Mr. Stewart sells goods on credit, as do other merchants, he buys solely for cash. If he takes a note, instead of getting it discounted at a bank, he throws it into a safe and lets it mature. It does not enter into his business, and the non-payment of it does not disturb him. He selects the style of carpet he wants, buys every yard made by the manufacturer, and pays cash.