jectors of schemes intended for the
benefit of the projectors alone. At the expense of a little temporary
obloquy, a man can thus conquer the right to mind his own business; and
having done this, he has shown his possession of that nerve which, in
his business, puts inexorable purpose into clear conceptions, follows
out a plan of operations with sturdy intelligence, and conducts to
fortune by the road of real enterprise. Many others may evince equal
shrewdness in framing a project, but they hesitate, become timid, become
confused, at some step in its development. Their character is not strong
enough to back up their intellect. But the iron-like tenacity of the
merchant of grit holds on to the successful end.

You can watch the operation of this quality in every-day business
transactions. Your man of grit seems never deficient in news of the
markets, though he may employ no telegraph-operator. Thus, about two
years ago, a great Boston holder of flour went to considerable expense
in obtaining special intelligence, which would, when generally known,
carry flour up to ten dollars and a half a barrel. Another dealer,
suspecting something, went to him and said, "What do you say flour's
worth to-day?"--"Oh," was the careless answer, "I suppose it might bring
ten dollars."--"Well," retorted the querist, gruffly, "I've got five
thousand barrels on hand, and I should like to _see_ the man who would
give me ten dollars barrel for it!"--"I will," said the other, quickly,
disclosing his secret by the eagerness of his manner, "Well," was the
reply, "all I can say is, then, that I have _seen_ the man."

The importance of this quality as a business power is most apparent in
those frightful panics which periodically occur in our country, and
which sometimes tax the people more severely than wars and standing
armies. In regard to one of the last of these financial hurricanes, that
of 1857, there can be little doubt, that, if the acknowledged holders of
financial power had been men of real grit, it might have been averted;
there can be as little doubt, that, when it burst, if they had been men
of real grit, it might have been made less disastrous. But they kept
nearly all their sails set up to the point of danger, and when the
tempest was on them ignominiously took to their boats and abandoned the
ship. And as for the crew and passengers, it was the old spectacle of a
shipwreck,--individuals squabbling to get a plank, instead of combining