FOREWORD

v

who  compensated  him  accordingly.  His  experience ­
  in  that  line  alone  took  him  all  over
the  world  and  the  ramifications  of  the  business
brought  him  into  close  contact  with  the  marketing ­
  of  nearly  every  other  commodity.  But
even  had  this  not  been  so,  he  is  the  sort  of
man  who  would  have  sensed  a  business  opportunity ­
  because  he  is  naturally  a  keen  observer
and  everything  interests  him.  He  is  the  type
of  man  who  absorbs  information;  he  does  not
have  to  be  shown—he  sees.
Here,  then,  is  a  man  possessed  of  a  fund  of
particularly  desirable  information—especially
valuable  to-day  when  Europe  is  war-mad  and,
in  her  sanguinary  frenzy,  has  left  open  the
door  of  opportunity  to  peaceful  Uncle  Sam.
Why  not  put  this  information  in  concrete
form  for  the  benefit  of  American  commerce?
These  considerations  were  put  up  to  the
author  by  some  of  his  friends  who  knew  him
to  be  a  keen,  accurate,  analytical  observer,  a
writer  and  a  raconteur  of  more  than  ordinary
ability,  and  this  book  was  the  result.
Probably  never—let  us  fervently  hope  never