piano should be an improvement upon the one which preceded it;
perfection was his aim. To the end of his life he gave the finishing
touch to each of his instruments, and would trust it to no one else.
He permitted no irregularity in workmanship or sales, and was
characterized by simplicity, transparency, and straightforwardness.

He distanced all competitors. Chickering's name was such a power that
one piano-maker had his name changed to Chickering by the Massachusetts
legislature, and put it on his pianos; but Jonas Chickering sent a
petition to the legislature, and the name was changed back. Character
has a commercial as well as an ethical value.

Joseph M. W. Turner was intended by his father for a barber, but he
showed such a taste for drawing that a reluctant permission was given
for him to follow art as a profession. He soon became skilful, but as
he lacked means he took anything to do that came in his way, frequently
illustrating guide-books and almanacs. But although the pay was very
small the work was never careless. His labor was worth several times
what he received for it, but the price was increased and work of higher
grade given him simply because men seek the services of those who are
known to be faithful, and employ them in as lofty work as they seem
able to do. And so he toiled upward until he began to employ himself,
his work sure of a market at some price, and the price increasing as
other men began to get glimpses of the transcendent art revealed in his
paintings, an art not fully comprehended even in our day. He surpassed
the acknowledged masters in various fields of landscape work, and left
matchless studies of natural scenery in lines never before attempted.
What Shakespeare is in literature, Turner is in his special field, the
greatest name on record.

The demand for perfection in the nature of Wendell Phillips was
wonderful. Every word must exactly express the shade of his thought;
every phrase must be of due length and cadence; every sentence must be
perfectly balanced before it left his lips. Exact precision
characterized his style. He was easily the first forensic orator
America has produced. The rhythmical fulness and poise of his periods
are remarkable.

Alexandre Dumas prepared his manuscript with the greatest care. When
consulted by a friend whose article had been rejected by several
publishers, he advised him to have it handsomely copied by a
professional penman, and the