ing to perfect the system; to make it a system worthy of a better origin; yea, worthy of the authority of inspiration. Prayer is a powerful aid to success in two ways. It prepares the mind for great undertakings; it gives an earnestness and seriousness to the character; it curbs that levity and frivolity which trifle with important concerns, viewing every thing as a game; it gives a restraining power in the hour of temptation, and makes simple faith mightier than wisdom; it creates a subdued enthusiasm, a calm confidence in eventual success that no present danger can overthrow-a lofty reliance on an unseen power which the prayerless cannot comprehend; it fits the mind to conceive great thoughts, and the man to do great deeds. Secondly: It invokes to human exertions the favor and influence of the Most High. God will hear and answer sincere prayer. "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." Ps. cii. 17. "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Fear not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Genius and revelation harmonize in commendation of the efficacy of prayer. The most splendid genius of the nineteenth century, in speaking of the French Revolution, says: "The despoilers of all that beautifies and hallows life had desecrated the altar and denied God; they had removed from the last hour of their victims the Priest, the Scripture, and the Cross. But Faith builds, in the dungeon and the lazar-house, its sublimest shrines; and up through roofs of stone that shut out the eye of heaven, ascends the ladder where the angels glide to and fro-prayer." * * * "When science falls as a firework from the sky it would invade—when genius withers as a flower in the breath of the icy charncl-the hope of a childlike soul wraps the air in light, and the innocence of unquestionable belief covers the grave with blossoms."

Revelation invites men every where, and in every thing, to place their trust in their Creator, and not on their own strength. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Prov. iii. 5, 6. "Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Ps. 1. 15.

'He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor; but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” Prov. xi. 27, 28. Sublime system! The wit of man has never conceived a better, and withal so practical as to be within the reach of the humblest individual in the land. What immense influences it centres upon one man and one business! On the one hand, the humble aspirant calls to his aid the powerful influence of money and the favor of the opulent; on the other he draws to himself the still greater power of talent and knowledge; and above all, he invokes, by prayer and an upright life, the blessing of "Him that sitteth on the circle of the earth; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in."

I must close this chapter, and the whole subject of "Getting Money;" and I cannot do so more appropriately than with the following truthful quotation :

"If we were to consult the annals of commercial life, we should find that, in most instances, the men who have been distinguished for success in business are of the same stamp as those who have been eminent in the walks of literature and science. They have been characterized by self-denying habits, by simple tastes, and by unpretending manners; whilst the bold, the vain, the presumptuous, and the reckless have done immense mischief to themselves and others, in the department of trade, dissevering the bonds of confidence and good feeling, and often scattering havoc and ruin around them. The same principles and motives of action prevail in the good, the wise, and the prudent, among all sorts of men. It is that wisdom which is unpretending and boasteth not, and that quiet sort of penetration and sagacity, which is little deceived by self-flatteries and delusions, which are often more injurious and ruinous than all the worldly artifices and deceptions which are practised upon us."

CHAPTER XIV.

LOSING MONEY.

CHANCES OF SUCCESS-CAUSES OF FAILURE.

It was the custom of Napoleon, says Bourrienne, after a hard battle had been won, to ride over the field of contest, to see the extent of the destruction. That is our solemn task at this time. We have heard the shouts of the victorious; we have listened to the proud boasts of the conquerors, the Napoleons of wealth, and have recorded their wise sayings. Now, it is our painful duty to go over the field where their triumphs were won, and see how many, with minds as great, and aspirations as high, have fallen in the strife. Perchance, we may learn there greater lessons of wisdom; perchance, we may see our way clearer, and possibly discover the post of safety, if not of honor. "Wouldst thou be rich? Consult not the rich man, but the bankrupt. 'Tis more to know what to avoid than what to do."

We have chosen to consult both. We will inquire, first, as to our chances of success; and, secondly, as to the causes of failures and their remedies, if any.

CHANCES OF SUCCESS IN MERCANTILE LIFE IN BOSTON.

On the evening of the 28th of February, 1840, GENERAL HENRY A. S. DEARBORN delivered an address at an agricultural meeting of the members of the Legislature, which embraced a statement that startled many, and attracted the attention of business men in all parts of the country. Freeman Hunt, Esq., of the Merchant's Magazine, wrote to General Dearborn for a copy of his remarks, made in connection with that statement, which he placed at his disposal. General Dearborn was Collector of the Port of Boston for nearly twenty years, and was therefore enabled to notice the vicis

situdes in trade, and his statements are confirmed by the remarks of a Boston merchant, which are here appended. He is speaking of the superior advantages of a residence in the country, and ob

serves:

"In England, the pleasures, and privileges, and blessings of the country seem properly understood and valued. No man there considers himself a freeman unless he has a right in the soil. Merchants, bankers, citizens, men of every description, whose condition of life allows them to aspire after any thing better, are looking forward always to retirement in the country-to the possession of a garden or a farm, and to the full enjoyment of rural pleasures. The taste of the nobility of England is eminently in that direction. There are none of them who, with all the means which the most enormous wealth can afford, even think of spending the year in London, or of remaining in the confinement, noise, and confusion of the city, a day longer than they are compelled to do by their parliamentary or other public duties.

"There is, in this respect, a marked difference between England and France. Formerly, the nobility of France were scattered broadcast over the territory, and had their villas, their castles, and chateaux in all the provinces of the kingdom. But the monarchs, anxious to increase the splendor of their courts, and to concentrate around them all that was imposing and beautiful in fashion, luxury, and wealth, collected the aristocracy in the capital. The natural consequence was that the country was badly tilled, and agriculture made no advancement, while England was making rapid and extraordinary progress in the useful and beautiful arts of agriculture and horticulture, and now, in her cultivation, presents an example of all that is interesting in embellishment and important in production. We are the descendants of England; yet on these subjects we have reversed the order of taste and sentiment which there prevails.

66

Happy would it be for us if our gentlemen of wealth and intelligence would copy the bright example of the affluent and exalted men of England. If, after having accumulated immense fortunes in cities, they would carry their riches and science into the country, and seek to reclaim, to improve, and render it more productive and beautiful, Massachusetts might be transformed into a garden, and rival the best cultivated regions on the globe.

"It is an inexplicable fact that even men who have grown rich in any manner in the country should rush into cities to spend their

wealth; and it is equally as remarkable, that those who have accumulated fortunes in the city shudder at the idea of going into the country, where wealth might be safely appropriated to purposes of the highest utility, pleasure, and refinement.

"There prevails, in this, rather too much ignorance, false sentiment, and unworthy prejudice. The city must, of course, be regarded as the proper seat of active business, in all the branches of commerce and navigation. But when a large portion of life has been spent in these harassing pursuits, and men have acquired the means of competence and independence in the country, why they should not seek to enjoy the refreshing exercise, the delightful recreations, and the privileged hours of retirement and reflection which a rural residence affords, was a mystery which it was impossible to solve.

"It was not merely the ungovernable influence of a city life upon health that was most deeply to be regretted. Many an uncorrupted young man from the country, impelled by a reckless passion for gain, has there early found the grave of his virtues. But too many instances might be pointed out, in which the acquisition of property has proved as great a curse as could have befallen them. The chances of success in trade are likewise much less numerous, and are more uncertain than men generally believe, or are willing to allow. After an extensive acquaintance with business men, and having long been an attentive observer of the course of events in the mercantile community, I am satisfied that, AMONG ONE HUNDRED MERCHANTS AND TRADERS, NOT MORE THAN THREE, IN THIS CITY, EVER ACQUIRE INDEPENDENCE. It was with great distrust that I came to this conclusion; but, after consulting with an experienced merchant, he fully admitted its truth. Infinitely better, therefore, would it be for a vast portion of the young men who leave the country for the city, if they could be satisfied with a farmer's life. How preferable would it have been for many of those who have sought wealth and distinction in cities, if they had been satisfied with the comforts, innocent amusements, and soothing quietude of the country; and, instead of the sad tale of their disasters, which must go back to the parental fireside, the future traveller, as he passed the humble churchyard in which they had been laid at rest with their laborious ancestors, might truthfully repeat these emphatic words of England's gifted bard :—

"Some village Hampden that, with dauntless breast,

The little tyrant of his fields withstood;

Some mute, inglorious Milton here may rest;

Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood.' ”