CHAPTER V.
THE DIVISION OF LABOUR.
There were two other chief matters to which it was now necessary thatthe Firm should attend; the first and primary being the stock ofadvertisements which should be issued; and the other, or secondary,being the stock of goods which should be obtained to answer theexpectations raised by those advertisements.
"But, George, we must have something to sell," said Mr. Brown, almostin despair. He did not then understand, and never since has learnedthe secrets of that commercial science which his younger partner wasat so much pains to teach. There are things which no elderly man canlearn; and there are lessons which are full of light for the newrecruit, but dark as death to the old veteran.
"It will be so doubtless with me also," said Robinson, soliloquizingon the subject in his melancholy mood. "The day will come when I toomust be pushed from my stool by the workings of younger genius, andshall sink, as poor Mr. Brown is now sinking, into the foggy depthsof fogeydom. But a man who is a man--" and then that melancholy moodleft him, "can surely make his fortune before that day comes. Whena merchant is known to be worth half a million, his fogeydom isrespected."
That necessity of having something to sell almost overcame Mr. Brownin those days. "What's the good of putting down 5,000 Kolinskiand Minx Boas in the bill, if we don't possess one in the shop?"he asked; "we must have some if they're asked for." He could notunderstand that for a first start effect is everything. If customersshould want Kolinski Boas, Kolinski Boas would of course beforthcoming,--to any number required; either Kolinski Boas, or quasiKolinski, which in trade is admitted to be the same thing. When a manadvertises that he has 40,000 new paletots, he does not mean that hehas got that number packed up in a box. If required to do so, he willsupply them to that extent,--or to any further extent. A long rowof figures in trade is but an elegant use of the superlative. If atradesman can induce a lady to buy a diagonal Osnabruck cashmereshawl by telling her that he has 1,200 of them, who is injured? Andif the shawl is not exactly a real diagonal Osnabruck cashmere, whatharm is done as long as the lady gets the value for her money? And ifshe don't get the value for her money, whose fault is that? Isn't ita fair stand-up fight? And when she tries to buy for 4_l._, a shawlwhich she thinks is worth about 8_l._, isn't she dealing on the sameprinciples herself? If she be lucky enough to possess credit, theshawl is sent home without payment, and three years afterwards fiftyper cent. is perhaps offered for settlement of the bill. It is a fairfight, and the ladies are very well able to take care of themselves.
And Jones also thought they must have something to sell. "Money ismoney," said he, "and goods is goods. What's the use of windows if wehaven't anything to dress them? And what's the use of capital unlesswe buy a stock?"
With Mr. Jones, George Robinson never cared to argue. The absoluteimpossibility of pouring the slightest ray of commercial light intothe dim chaos of that murky mind had long since come home to him. Hemerely shook his head, and went on with the composition on which hewas engaged. It need hardly be explained here that he had no ideaof encountering the public throng on their opening day, without anadequate assortment of goods. Of course there must be shawls andcloaks; of course there must be muffs and boas; of course there mustbe hose and handkerchiefs. That dressing of the windows was to be thespecial care of Mr. Jones, and Robinson would take care that thereshould be the wherewithal. The dressing of the windows, and theparading of the shop, was to be the work of Jones. His ambition hadnever soared above that, and while serving in the house on SnowHill, his utmost envy had been excited by the youthful aspirant whothere walked the boards, and with an oily courtesy handed chairs tothe ladies. For one short week he had been allowed to enter thisParadise. "And though I looked so sweet on them," said he, "I alwayshad my eye on them. It's a grand thing to be down on a well-dressedwoman as she's hiding a roll of ribbon under her cloak." That was hisidea of grandeur!
A stock of goods was of course necessary, but if the firm couldonly get their name sufficiently established, that matter would bearranged simply by written orders to two or three wholesale houses.Competition, that beautiful science of the present day, by whichevery plodding cart-horse is converted into a racer, makes this easyenough. When it should once become known that a firm was openingitself on a great scale in a good thoroughfare, and advertising onreal, intelligible principles, there would be no lack of goods.
"You can have any amount of hose you want, out of Cannon Street,"said Mr. Robinson, "in forty-five minutes. They can be brought in atthe back while you are selling them over the counter."
"Can they?" said Mr. Brown: "perhaps they can. But nevertheless,George, I think I'll buy a few. It'll be an ease to my mind."
He did so; but it was a suicidal act on his part. One thing was quiteclear, even to Mr. Jones. If the firm commenced business to theextent which they contemplated, it was out of the question thatthey should do everything on the ready-money principle. That such aprinciple is antiquated, absurd, and uncommercial; that it is opposedto the whole system of trade as now adopted in this metropolis,has been clearly shown in the preface to these memoirs. But inthis instance, in the case of Brown, Jones, and Robinson, thedoing so was as impracticable as it would have been foolish, ifpracticable. Credit and credit only was required. But of all modes ofextinguishing credit, of crushing, as it were, the young baby in itscradle, there is none equal to that of spending a little ready money,and then halting. In trade as in love, to doubt,--or rather, to seemto doubt,--is to be lost. When you order goods, do so as though thebank were at your back. Look your victim full in the face, and writedown your long numbers without a falter in your pen. And should thereseem a hesitation on his part, do not affect to understand it. Whenthe articles are secured, you give your bill at six months' date;then your credit at your bankers,--your discount system,--commences.That is another affair. When once your bank begins that withyou,--and the banks must do so, or they may put up theirshutters,--when once your bank has commenced, it must carry on thegame. You are floated then, placed well in the centre of the fullstream of commerce, and it must be your own fault if you do noteither retire with half a million, or become bankrupt with an eclat,which is worth more than any capital in refitting you for a furtherattempt. In the meantime it need hardly be said that you yourself areliving on the very fat of the land.
But birds of a feather should flock together, and Mr. Brown and Mr.Robinson were not exactly of the same plumage.
It was finally arranged that Mr. Robinson should have carte blancheat his own particular line of business, to the extent of fifteenhundred pounds, and that Mr. Brown should go into the warehouse andlay out a similar sum in goods. Both Jones and Mrs. Jones accompaniedthe old man, and a sore time he had of it. It may here be remarkedthat Mrs. Jones struggled very hard to get a footing in the shop, buton this point it should be acknowledged that her husband did his dutyfor a while.
"It must be you or I, Sarah Jane," said he; "but not both."
"I have no objection in life," said she; "you can stay at home, ifyou please."
"By no means," he replied. "If you come here, and your father permitsit, I shall go to America. Of course the firm will allow me for myshare." She tried it on very often after that, and gave the firm muchtrouble, but I don't think she got her hand into the cash drawerabove once or twice during the first twelve months.
The division of labour was finally arranged as follows. Mr. Brownwas to order the goods; to hire the young men and women, look aftertheir morality, and pay them their wages; to listen to any specialapplications when a desire might be expressed to see the firm; andto do the heavy respectable parental business. There was a littleback room with a sky-light, in which he was to sit; and when he wasproperly got up, his manner of shaking his head at the young peoplewho misbehaved themselves, was not ineffective. There is alwaysdanger when young men and women are employed together in the sameshop, and if possible this should be avoided. It is not in humannature that they should not fall in love, or at any rate amusethe
mselves with ordinary flirtations. Now the rule is that not a wordshall be spoken that does not refer to business. "Miss O'Brien, whereis the salmon-coloured sarsenet? or, Mr. Green, I'll trouble you forthe ladies' sevens." Nothing is ever spoken beyond that. "Morals,morals, above everything!" Mr. Brown was once heard to shout from hislittle room, when a whisper had been going round the shop as to aconcerted visit to the Crystal Palace. Why a visit to the CrystalPalace should be immoral, when talked of over the counter, Mr. Browndid not explain on that occasion.
"A very nice set of young women," the compiler of these memoirs onceremarked to a commercial gentleman in a large way, who was showinghim over his business, "and for the most part very good-looking."
"Yes, sir, yes; we attend to their morals especially. They generallymarry from us, and become the happy mothers of families."
"Ah," said I, really delighted in my innocence. "They've excellentopportunities for that, because there are so many decent young menabout."
He turned on me as though I had calumniated his establishment with alibel of the vilest description. "If a whisper of such a thing everreaches us, sir," said he, quite alive with virtuous indignation;"if such a suspicion is ever engendered, we send them packing atonce! The morals of our young women, sir--" And then he finished hissentence simply by a shake of his head. I tried to bring him into anargument, and endeavoured to make him understand that no young womancan become a happy wife unless she first be allowed to have a lover.He merely shook his head, and at last stamped his foot. "Morals,sir!" he repeated. "Morals above everything. In such an establishmentas this, if we are not moral, we are nothing." I supposed he wasright, but it seemed to me to be very hard on the young men andwomen. I could only hope that they walked home together in theevening.
In the new firm in Bishopsgate Street, Mr. Brown, of course, tookupon himself that branch of business, and some little trouble hehad, because his own son-in-law and partner would make eyes to thecustomers.
"Mr. Jones," he once said before them all; "you'll bring down my grayhairs with sorrow to the grave; you will, indeed." And then he put uphis fat hand, and gently stroked the white expanse of his bald pate.But that was a very memorable occasion.
Such was Mr. Brown's business. To Mr. Jones was allocated theduty of seeing that the shop was duly dressed, of looking afterthe customers, including that special duty of guarding againstshop-lifting, and of attending generally to the retail business. Itcannot be denied that for this sort of work he had some specialties.His eye was sharp, and his ear was keen, and his feelings were blunt.In a certain way, he was good-looking, and he knew how to handa chair with a bow and smile, which went far with the wives anddaughters of the East End little tradesmen,--and he was active enoughat his work. He was usually to be seen standing in the front of theshop, about six yards within the door, rubbing his hands together, orarranging his locks, or twiddling with his brass watch-chain. Nothingdisconcerted him, unless his wife walked into the place; and then,to the great delight of the young men and women, he was unable toconceal his misery. By them he was hated,--as was perhaps necessaryin his position. He was a tyrant, who liked to feel at every momentthe relish of his power. To the poor girls he was cruel, treatingthem as though they were dirt beneath his feet. For Mr. Jones, thoughhe affected the reputation of an admirer of the fair sex, neverforgot himself by being even civil to a female who was his paidservant. Woman's smile had a charm for him, but no charm equal to theservility of dependence.
But on the shoulders of Mr. Robinson fell the great burden of thebusiness. There was a question as to the accounts; these, however, heundertook to keep in his leisure moments, thinking but little of thetask. But the work of his life was to be the advertising department.He was to draw up the posters; he was to write those little bookswhich, printed on magenta-coloured paper, were to be thrown withreckless prodigality into every vehicle in the town; he was toarrange new methods of alluring the public into that emporium offashion. It was for him to make a credulous multitude believe thatat that shop, number Nine Times Nine in Bishopsgate Street, goods ofall sorts were to be purchased at prices considerably less than theoriginal cost of their manufacture. This he undertook to do; this fora time he did do; this for years to come he would have done, had henot experienced an interference in his own department, by which thewhole firm was ultimately ruined and sent adrift.
"The great thing is to get our bills into the hands of the public,"said Robinson.
"You can get men for one and nine a day to stand still and hand 'emout to the passers-by," said Mr. Brown.
"That's stale, sir, quite stale; novelty in advertising is what werequire;--something new and startling."
"Put a chimney-pot on the man's head," said Mr. Brown, "and make ittwo and three."
"That's been tried," said Robinson.
"Then put two chimney-pots," said Mr. Brown. Beyond that hisimagination did not carry him.
Chimney-pots and lanterns on men's heads avail nothing. To startlemen and women to any purpose, and drive them into Bishopsgate Street,you must startle them a great deal. It does not suffice to create amomentary wonder. Mr. Robinson, therefore, began with eight footmenin full livery, with powdered hair and gold tags to their shoulders.They had magenta-coloured plush knee-breeches, and magenta-colouredsilk stockings. It was in May, and the weather was fine, and theseeight excellently got-up London footmen were stationed at differentpoints in the city, each with a silken bag suspended round hisshoulder by a silken cord. From these bags they drew forth theadvertising cards of the house, and presented them to such of thepassers-by as appeared from their dress and physiognomy to beavailable for the purpose. The fact has now been ascertained thatmen and women who have money to spend will not put out their handsto accept common bills from street advertisers. In an ordinary waythe money so spent is thrown away. But from these men, arrayed ingorgeous livery, a duchess would have stayed her steps to accept acard. And duchesses did stay their steps, and cards from the youngfirm of Brown, Jones, and Robinson were, as the firm was crediblyinformed, placed beneath the eyes of a very illustrious personageindeed.
The nature of the card was this. It was folded into three, and whenso folded, was of the size of an ordinary playing card. On theoutside, which bore a satin glaze with a magenta tint, there was ablank space as though for an address, and the compliments of the firmin the corner; when opened there was a separate note inside, in whichthe public were informed in very few words, that "Messrs. Brown,Jones, and Robinson were prepared to open their house on the 15thof May, intending to carry on their trade on principles of commerceperfectly new, and hitherto untried. The present rate of money in thecity was five per cent., and it would be the practice of the firm tocharge five and a half per cent. on every article sold by them. Thevery quick return which this would give them, would enable B. J. andR. to realize princely fortunes, and at the same time to place withinthe reach of the public goods of the very best description at pricesmuch below any that had ever yet been quoted." This also was printedon magenta-coloured paper, and "nine times nine is eighty-one" wasinserted both at the top and the bottom.
On the inside of the card, on the three folds, were printed lists ofthe goods offered to the public. The three headings were "cloaks andshawls," "furs and velvets," "silks and satins;" and in a small noteat the bottom it was stated that the stock of hosiery, handkerchiefs,ribbons, and gloves, was sufficient to meet any demand which themetropolis could make upon the firm.
When that list was first read out in conclave to the partners,Mr. Brown begged almost with tears in his eyes, that it might bemodified. "George," said he, "we shall be exposed."
"I hope we shall," said Robinson. "Exposition is all that we desire."
"Eight thousand African monkey muffs! Oh, George, you must leave outthe monkey muffs."
"By no means, Mr. Brown."
"Or bring them down to a few hundreds. Two hundred African monkeymuffs would really be a great many."
"Mr. Brown," said Robinson on that occasion;--an
d it may be doubtedwhether he ever again spoke to the senior partner of his firm interms so imperious and decisive; "Mr. Brown, to you has been allottedyour share in our work, and when you insisted on throwing away ourready money on those cheap Manchester prints, I never said a word. Itlay in your department to do so. The composition of this card lies inmine, and I mean to exercise my own judgment." And then he went on,"Eight thousand real African monkey muffs; six thousand ditto, ditto,ditto, very superior, with long fine hair." Mr. Brown merely groaned,but he said nothing further.
"Couldn't you say that they are such as are worn by the PrincessAlice?" suggested Jones.
"No, I could not," answered Robinson. "You may tell them that in theshop if you please. That will lie in your department."
In this way was the first card of the firm drawn out, and in thespace of a fortnight, nineteen thousand of them were disseminatedthrough the metropolis. When it is declared that each of those cardscost B. J. and R. threepence three farthings, some idea may be formedof the style in which they commenced their operations.
The Struggles of Brown, Jones, and Robinson Page 5