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472 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



Januauy 3, 1907. 



never occurred to us to consider seriously 

 the means and ways and the best meth- 

 ods of modernizing our credit system. 

 A question of momentous importance to 

 our own interests, strange to say, seems 

 to have escaped our attention. Viewed 

 from whatever standpoint and whatever 

 arguments we may bring to bear upon 



who in years gone by had made his first 

 start in life by building his first little 

 greenhouse on a paltry few dollars, bor- 

 rowed fr6m either friend or shark, stock- 

 ing it with a few geraniums and other 

 truck, obtained on credit from some 

 reputable establishment or other? 



If we trace the history of the suc- 



The Poinsettia in this Style is One of the Best Sellers. 



the subject, it is undeniably true that 

 our credit system is in its primitive 

 state, lacking those sound, fundamental 

 business principles which are at the basis 

 of every sound financial or industrial 

 institution. 



A Fundamental of Success. 



It is said of the late Marshall Field, 

 the merchant prince of two generations, 

 that his first step, at the very outset of 

 his brilliant business career, was to es- 

 tablish a sound credit system. A rule 

 from which he never deviated and which, 

 perhaps more than any other factor, was 

 responsible for and contributed so largely 

 towards his colossal fortune, was to col- 

 lect his outstanding accounts and to meet 

 his own obligations upon maturity. 



What is true of Marshall Field, the 

 merchant prince, holds equally true of 

 John Smith, once upon a time the strug- 

 gling market gardener, whom we now 

 see making rapid strides along the high- 

 way of progress. The reason? Easily 

 explained: "I pay as I go," says Mr. 

 Smith, "and in order to be able to 

 do this, I collect my own accounts 

 promptly. ' ' 



Simple enough in itself, yet a rule of 

 this sort seems to constitute the corner- 

 stone, the very foundation of one 's suc- 

 cess. 



Necessity of Oedit. 



* * To pay as one goes ' ' does not im- 

 ply, however, spot csish transactions. 

 Such a modus operandi is no longer 

 tenable under our present business con- 

 ditions. Nor is credit as such to be 

 despised or condemned on general prin- 

 ciples. On the contrary, credit, well 

 regulated and judiciously used, is a 

 blessing and a privilege that can scarcely 

 be overestimated. Were it not for this 

 privilege, I venture to say, there are 

 many among us today who would never 

 have achieved the success they enjoy. 



How often do we hear of the man. 



cessful florist of today, we can see at a 

 glance that credit has in a large measure 

 contributed towards his success. I say 

 " in a large measure ' ' advisedly, because 

 other qualifications, such as hard work, 

 perseverance, will-power and energy, 

 were of equal importance as a means to 

 his successful business career. 



I reiterate, credit is a privilege that is 

 not to be despised by any business man, 



no matter how conservative in his enter- 

 prise or how determined to steer clear 

 of debt. 



Credit Inspired by G}nfidence. 



Broadly speaking, it is credit, inspired 

 by confidence and backed by enterprise, 

 that is responsible for the remarkable 

 development of our natural resources — 

 the wonder of the world. It is credit in- 

 spired by confidence, that is accountable 

 for the prosperity which we enjoy today. 

 Credit has been the means of launching 

 many a successful industry, giving em- 

 ployment to hundreds and thousands of 

 men. Credit has been the means of en- 

 abling many an individual to stem the 

 tide of adversity and to rise to affluence 

 and wealth. The struggling market gar- 

 dener of a few years ago would have 

 never, perhaps, become the successful 

 grower of today if it were not for that 

 blessed privilege — credit. I will go fur- 

 ther and say that credit has been the 

 means whereby most of our modern, 

 mammoth greenhouse establishments have 

 come into existence. 



Credit, coupled with hard work, energy 

 and business integrity, has made it pos- 

 sible for the enterprising man of today 

 to achieve his success in much less time 

 than it took the florist of a generation 

 sgo> by tl*© slow "pay as you go" 

 process in its literal sense. We are pro- 

 gressing, so to speak, in a geometrical 

 ratio, by leaps and bounds, as it were, 

 no longer satisfied to let well enough 

 alone, no longer content, like the immor- 

 tal Micawber, to wait until something 

 turns up. We must create our own op- 

 portunities and we are doing it to our 

 heart 's content, thanks to that blessed 

 privilege — credit. 



If there is anything to be turned up 

 we are generally inclined to take a hand 

 in the turning process ourselves. We 

 seem to realize that faint heart never 

 won success; hence, fear and hesitation 

 no longer keep us in check. If we are 

 determined to "get there" it is seldom, 

 indeed, that we fail in our object. But 



How Sam Murray, Kansas City, Sent Out His 8-inch Lorratnes at Christmas. 



