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Investment  in  Mines. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1917. 
sort  of  a  game,  to  be  played  either  over  the  table  or  out  of  doors.  It 
is  not  an  amusement  or  recreation  or  dishonest  mode  of  making  a 
living ;  but  it  is  a  serious  calling  and  must  be  contemplated  seriously 
if  it  is  to  be  successful.  The  work  may  be  pleasant  or  enjoyable,  as 
any  good  successful  work  should  be,  whether  that  work  is  mental  or 
physical;  but  it  is  none  the  less  strenuous  on  that  account. 
Everyone  will  of  course  recognize  that  the  actual  supervision  and 
operation  of  mines  is  serious  and  strenuous  work,  but  many  think 
that  the  investment  of  money  in  these  same  mines  is  gaming.  This 
may  be  true  or  untrue,  just  as  one  may  see  fit  to  make  it. 
If  the  purchaser  is  willing  to  take  the  trouble  to  be  an  investor, 
and  not  a  gambler,  in  mining  stocks  he  must  exercise  the  ordinary 
precautions  that  he  would  take  if  he  were  to  put  his  money  into  any 
other  business  enterprise.  He  must  remember  that  a  mine,  in  what- 
ever stage  of  its  development,  is  a  natural  feature  which  embraces 
a  definite  portion  of  the  earth's  crust,  and  that  it  can  be  examined 
and  valued  by  those  who  are  accustomed  to  perform  such  work,  just 
as  a  house  or  garden  or  farm  can  be  valued,  and  that  the  men  who 
invest  on  the  advice  of  such  valuators  are  reasonably  certain  to  make 
good  profits  on  their  investments. 
Most  men  who  buy  stock  in  mining  companies  buy  on  the  advice 
of  men  interested  in  selling  stock  to  them.  The  sellers  may  be  quite 
honest,  and  their  opinions  may  be  backed  up  by  those  of  others  who 
are  also  honest,  but  nevertheless  it  is  the  duty  of  an  intelliegnt  busi- 
ness man  to  inspect  what  he  buys,  or  to  get  some  competent  person 
in  whom  he  can  place  confidence  to  inspect  it  for  him,  whether  the 
object  is  a  mine,  a  timber  limit,  a  farm,  a  horse,  or  whatever  it  may 
be.  If  he  does  not  have  such  inspection  made  he  deserves  to  lose 
his  money.  Some  people  may  argue  that  opportunities  for  good  in- 
vestments in  mining  properties  are  seldom  offered,  and  when  offered 
must  be  seized  quickly  or  they  will  be  snatched  up  by  others.  Take 
your  time,  and  if  a  man  tries  to  hurry  you  into  a  quick  purchase 
without  sufficient  time  for  careful  examination,  no  matter  what  pre- 
text he  may  offer  for  the  shortness  of  time  at  his  disposal,  refuse  to 
do  business  with  him ;  you  will  save  money  in  the  long  run. 
It  may  also  be  thought  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  make  favor- 
able investments  in  good  mining  properties  or  in  stocks  of  good  min- 
ing companies  on  account  of  the  keen  competition  for  such  invest- 
ments. But  competition  to  be  effective  must  be  intelligent,  and  most 
of  the  so-called  competition  is  neither  the  one  nor  the  other.  Unin- 
