Tancsok fiatal kereskedknek Irta: ber Antal

Ltjuk magunk krl rajzani azt a fiatalsgot, amelyik most remnyteljesen, de egyttal gond oktl terhelve indul neki a kereskedi plynak. rezzk, hogy azok, akik egy letet tltttek el a gyakorlati gazdasgi letben, tartoznnak ket a fiatal, j kereskedket tettel s tanccsal tmogatni. Csak a tancsads nehz s felel es feladat. Klnsen a mai idben, amikor a kereskedelmi tevkenysget vilgszerte kevsb a zersgek, mint inkbb a trvnyek irnytjk.

Viszont vannak rk igazsgok, amelyek minden idben, brmily krlmnyek kztt is l, elev maradnak. Ezeket az igazsgokat foglalta ssze Franklin Benjamin, a nagy, a blcs, aki klasszikus s mgis rkk ifj s rkk modern, egy fiatal bartjhoz 1748-ban intzett levelet azutn nyomtatsban is kzztette. Ugy reztem, hogy taln hasznlok valamit keresked plyra indul fiatalsgunknak, ha ezt a levelet magyarra fordtva itt kzzteszem. A levl szvege a kvetkez: Tancsok egy fiatal kereskednek. 1748-ban rtam A. B. bartomnak.

Amint kvntad tlem, megrom a kvetkez szrevteleket, amelyek j szolglatot tettek nekem k tenni ha megfogadod ket neked is:

Gondold meg, hogy az id pnz. Aki munkjval naponta 10 shillinget tud keresni s a nap felt elstlja vagy ellustlkodja, akkor, ha stja vagy lustlkodsa kzben csak 6 pennyt klt is, ne szmoljon gy, mintha csa z volna a kiadsa, valsgban ezen kvl mg elklttt vagy inkbb kidobott 5 shillinget.

Gondold meg, hogy a hitel pnz. Ha valaki a pnzt lejrat utn is kezeim kztt hagyja, a pnz kamatjt, vagy annyit, amenny asznot avval elrhetek ezalatt az id alatt, nekem ajndkozza. Ez tekintlyes sszegre megy , ha az embernek j s nagy hitele van s azt jl felhasznlja.

Gondold meg, hogy a pnz termkenyen szaporodik. A pnz pnzt szl, ivadka megint tovbb szaporodik s gy tovbb. Ha 5 shillinget megforgats abbl 6 lesz, ha jbl megforgatod, akkor 7 shilling s 3 penny lesz s tovbb, mindaddig, m 100 font lesz belle. (Egy font kb. 20 peng =20 shilling; 1 shilling = 12 penny; 1 korona 5 shilling; 1 groat = 4 penny.) Minl tbb van belle, annl tbbet termel minden fordulban, gy, hogy a haszon egyre gyorsabban emelkedik. Aki megl egy tenyszkoct, elp uszttja annak minden ivadkt egszen az ezredik generciig. Aki meggyilkol egy koront, el uszttja mindazt, amit az kpes lett volna termelni, a fontoknak egsz tmegeit.

Gondold meg, hogy vi 6 font csak napi egy groat. Ezrt a kis sszegrt (amennyit az ember szrevtlenl vesztegethet el akr idben, akr pnz olyan ember, akinek hitele van, llandan brhat s hasznlhat 100 font tkt. (vi 100 font 6% alapon vi kamata 6 font. Napi 1 groat pedig 360 napon t egytt szintn 6 font.) En nyi tke, ha ezt egy szorgalmas ember gyesen megforgatja, nagy hasznot jelent.

Gondold meg ezt a mondst: a j fizet egy ms ember pnztrcjnak az ura . Akirl tudjk, hogy pontosan s rendesen fizet, gy, ahogy azt grte, brmikor s brmely al mal megkaphatja bartai sszes megtakartott pnzt. Ez gyakran nagyon elnys. A szorgalmon takarkossgon kvl semmi sem jrul jobban hozz, hogy egy fiatal ember emelkedjk a vilgba mint az, ha sszes cselekedeteiben pontos s igazsgos. Sohase tarts meg klcsnvett pnzt c sak egy rval is tovbb, mint ahogy grted, nehogy bartod csaldsa rkre bezrja eltted A legkisebb dolgokra is, amelyek rintik az ember hitelt, figyelemmel kell lenned. Ha hitelezd reggel tkor vagy este kilenckor meghallja kalapcsod tst, tovbbi 6 hnapra

ngulatban fogja tartani. De a billirdasztalnl lt, vagy egy kocsmban tall olyankor, am ikor munkban kellene lenned, gy msnap elkld a pnzrt mr elbb visszakri, mieltt az . Ezenkvl a pontossg mutatja, hogy tudod, mivel tartozol, gondos s tisztessges embern ek mutatkozol s ez mindig nveli hiteledet.

Vigyzz nagyon, hogy ne tekintsd sajtodnak mindazt, ami kezeidben van, nehogy azutn eszerint lj. Sok ember, akinek hitele van, elkveti ezt a tvedst. Ennek megelzsre vezess pontos szma t kiadsaidrl s bevteleidrl is. Ha fradsg rn is ezt rszletesen megteszed, annak a k tsa lesz: fel fogod fedezni, hogy dagadnak fel csudlatosan jelentktelen aprsgok nagy s szegekre s szre fogod venni, hogy minden nagyobb kellemetlensg nlkl mennyit lehetett volna s mennyit lehet majd a jvben megtakartanod.

Rviden: a gazdagsghoz vezet t, ha akarod, ppen oly sima, mint a piacra vezet t. Lnyegileg kt szn mlik: szorgalom s takarkossg. Vagyis, ne pocskolj sem idt, sem pnz nld fel legjobban mind a kettt. Szorgalom s takarkossg nlkl semmi sem megy, szorgalomm l s takarkossggal minden. Az, aki mindent megszerez, amit tisztessggel megszerezhet, s aki a szksges kiadsokat kivve mindent megtakart, amit megszerez, bizonyosan gazd lesz ha csak az a Lny, aki a vilgot kormnyozza, akihez mindenki fohszkodik ldsrt bec es igyekezetre, blcs gondoskodssal mskppen nem hatroz. Egy reg keresked Amit ez az reg keresked ajnlott (D. B. Franklin s Essays. London, 1820. I. ktet 85. l. ), az taln nem minden, amit a mai kereskednek tudnia s tennie kell ahhoz, hogy bold oguljon. Az azonban bizonyos, hogy aki a Franklin tancsait megfogadja, abbl sohase m lehet kra, abbl mindig csak haszna, elnye s erklcsi megnyugvsa fakadhat.

Advice to a Young Tradesman, Written by an Old One As you have desired it of me, I write the following Hints, which have been of Se rvice to me, and may, if observed, be so to you. Remember that TIME is Money. He that can earn Ten Shillings a Day by his Labour, and goes abroad, or sits idle one half of that Day, tho' he spends but Sixpence during his Diversion or Idleness, ought not to reckon That the only Expence; he has really spent or rather thrown away Five Shillings besides.Remember that CRE DIT is Money. If a Man lets his Money lie in my Hands after it is due, he gives me the Interest, or so much as I can make of it during that Time. This amounts t o a considerable Sum where a Man has good and large Credit, and makes good Use o f it. Remember that Money is of a prolific generating Nature. Money can beget Money, a nd its Offspring can beget more, and so on. Five Shillings turn'd, is Six: Turn' d again, 'tis Seven and Three Pence; and so on 'til it becomes an Hundred Pound. The more there is of it, the more it produces every Turning, so that the Profit s rise quicker and quicker. He that kills a breeding Sow, destroys all her Offsp ring to the thousandth Generation. He that murders a Crown, destroys all it migh t have produc'd, even Scores of Pounds. Remember that Six Pounds a Year is but a Groat a Day. For this little Sum (which may be daily wasted either in Time or Expence unperceiv'd) a Man of Credit may on his own Security have the constant Possession and Use of an Hundred Pounds. S o much in Stock briskly turn'd by an industrious Man, produces great Advantage. Remember this Saying, That the good Paymaster is Lord of another Man's Purse. He that is known to pay punctually and exactly to the Time he promises, may at any Time, and on any Occasion, raise all the Money his Friends can spare. This is s ometimes of great Use: Therefore never keep borrow'd Money an Hour beyond the Ti

me you promis'd, lest a Disappointment shuts up your Friends Purse forever. The most trifling Actions that affect a Man's Credit, are to be regarded. The So und of your Hammer at Five in the Morning or Nine at Night, heard by a Creditor, makes him easy Six Months longer. But if he sees you at a Billiard Table, or he ars your Voice in a Tavern, when you should be at Work, he sends for his Money t he next Day. Finer Cloaths than he or his Wife wears, or greater Expence in any particular than he affords himself, shocks his Pride, and he duns you to humble you. Creditors are a kind of People, that have the sharpest Eyes and Ears, as we ll as the best Memories of any in the World. Good-natur'd Creditors (and such one would always chuse to deal with if one coul d) feel Pain when they are oblig'd to ask for Money. Spare 'em that Pain, and th ey will love you. When you receive a Sum of Money, divide it among 'em in Propor tion to your Debts. Don't be asham'd of paying a small Sum because you owe a gre ater. Money, more or less, is always welcome; and your Creditor had rather be at the Trouble of receiving Ten Pounds voluntarily brought him, tho' at ten differ ent Times or Payments, than be oblig'd to go ten Times to demand it before he ca n receive it in a Lump. It shews, besides, that you are mindful of what you owe; it makes you appear a careful as well as an honest Man; and that still encrease s your Credit. Beware of thinking all your own that you possess, and of living accordingly. 'Ti s a mistake that many People who have Credit fall into. To prevent this, keep an exact Account for some Time of both your Expences and your Incomes. If you take the Pains at first to mention Particulars, it will have this good Effect; you w ill discover how wonderfully small trifling Expences mount up to large Sums, and will discern what might have been, and may for the future be saved, without occ asioning any great Inconvenience. In short, the Way to Wealth, if you desire it, is as plain as the Way to Market. It depends chiefly on two Words, INDUSTRY and FRUGALITY; i. e. Waste neither Ti me nor Money, but make the best Use of both. He that gets all he can honestly, a nd saves all he gets (necessary Expences excepted) will certainly become RICH; I f that Being who governs the World, to whom all should look for a Blessing on th eir Honest Endeavours, doth not in his wise Providence otherwise determine.