A corporation, being a machine, can succeed by this method for the reason that it must follow a certain outlined course and cannot, and dare not, deviate from it by a hair's breadth.
The individual left to himself in Wall Street soon finds himself figuring, speculating, making forecasts, listening to tipsters, reading financial newspapers, living with one eye on the ticker, and pretty soon he has forgotten all about the method he intended to follow, and is a plain, ordinary Wall Street gambler—and the shrewd and cautious wise heads of the Street soon get his money.
The marginal operator is always at the mercy of the market instead of having the market at his mercy.
The wonder is not that so many of them lose so much money, but that any of them win at all.
It is only a question of time until they are wiped out. The odds against them are altogether too great, and while they may weather a few slight squalls and run along smoothly for a time, sooner or later disaster comes, generally unexpected and overwhelming.
What is the use of trying to make money in Wall Street by marginal speculation when the odds against you are so great?
If you want to undertake to make money, why not make your attempt a scientific one? Why not place the money you wish to invest where it will be handled in a manner by which, as shown by the statistics of twenty years, cannot fail to win.
It is no more speculation than it is for a banker to loan money to his friends and associate business men.
In fact, it is not so speculative for the reason that we make investments in the stocks of companies of standing—stocks which are just as good as gold, and represent vast enterprises, enormous properties and great earning power.
It may be asked, what will occur at the end of a year's business if some of the stocks are selling below the price at which they were bought. The answer is that they are kept in our vaults because they are safe, sound, dividend-paying stocks, but the dealings in the securities will show a handsome profit, more than enough to pay for the shares on hand because the numerous little purchases and the accompanying reactions in these very stocks have already resulted in a large number of profits.