The Making of a Merchant

est natural capacity for it and who should have been able to convince themselves of their disabilities in this direction without paying for the knowledge in the dear coin of experience. The ability to play the game of barter and sale is no mysterious talent. On the other hand, it is found to come to the surface no matter what calling the possessor of it may be following at the moment. If he is a farmer he will find himself selling his produce to a little better advantage than his neighbors and he will acquire the reputation among his fellows of being a "close trader." If he swaps a horse or a cow he gets a little the better of the bargain?not once, by accident, but as ageneral rule. A man of this kind is a natural | merchant; he has the gift of trade, which I hold ! to be just as distinct a gift as the talent of the artist, the musician or the author. And right at the start let the young man who has the idea that he can become a merchant face the fact that if he has not this gift of trade by nature he cannot acquire it by seeking or striving; it is one of the things that cannot be put into a man. He must be born to a life of barter, else he stands but little chance of succeeding in it. I say little chance, for the reason that sometimes the circumstances surrounding a merchandising business may be so phenomenally favorable to it that the storekeeper will succeed in spite of his inherent incapacity. But these accidents are so infrequent that they do not justify any...