with so many customers, small though they were, added much to our
prestige.

With more time now at my disposal I mapped out a campaign having
for its objective the gathering of a speculative clientele.

The first step was the sending of a carefully prepared letter to
a dozen or so of the wealthiest men in New York. No replies were
received. Probably their secretaries tossed them in the waste-basket
with many others. I know now better than I did then that the mail
of even moderately rich men is crowded with schemes.

A second lot of letters was mailed to men a grade lower in wealth.
Some of these brought replies but no business. We tried a third
lot, this time to men estimated at half million to a million; same
result.

That settled it as far as New York was concerned. Evidently the
rich men of New York did not want to speculate in our commodity.
Well, fortunately we could get on without them.

Now for the broader field. We had one thousand letters prepared
and mailed at one time. These were addressed to a list of alleged
wealthy out-of-town investors, which we had purchased from an
addressing agency. Not one single reply did we receive.

Then we took our "Bradstreet's" and at random selected the names
of five hundred firms, scattered over the United States, rating not
less than five hundred thousand dollars. The letters were addressed
to the senior partner of each firm. Before the end of the year