HIS LIFE AND WORK 



established rule in business; but it was not so 

 sixty years ago. The Oriental method of 

 chaffering and bargaining was largely in vogue. 

 The buyer got as high a price as he could in 

 each case. Among merchants, A. T. Stewart 

 was probably the first to abolish this practice 

 of haggling, and to mark his goods in plain 

 figures. And in the selling of farm machinery, 

 it was McCormick who laid down the principle 

 of equal prices to all and special rebates to 

 none a principle which has been very gen- 

 erally followed ever since, except during periods 

 of over-strenuous competition. 



Third, he was one of the first American busi- 

 ness men who believed heartily in a policy of 

 Publicity. As early as September 28, 1833, he 

 began to advertise his Reaper; and his adver- 

 tisement was nearly a column in length. Also, 

 in the same paper, he had a half-column adver- 

 tisement of his hillside plow. This was pub- 

 licity on a large scale, according to the ideas of 

 advertising that were then prevalent. Even 

 George Washington, when advertising an ex- 

 tensive land scheme in 1773, had not thought 



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