an "over-honest" man can not make money
in New York. Shut your ears to the calumny, young man, just staring out
in life. "Honesty _is_ the best policy;" and it is only by scrupulous
honesty that enduring success can be obtained. Trickery and sharp
practice may earn wealth rapidly, but depend upon it they have their
reward; for it is a curious fact in the history of man that wealth
acquired by knavery rarely stays with its possessors for more than a
generation, if so long.

In starting out, the young Harpers printed books to order, attempting
nothing at their own risk. They did a part of the composition and
press-work with their own hands, and were, perhaps, the hardest workers
in their establishment. Their first job was two thousand copies of
Seneca's Morals, and was intrusted to them by Evert Duyckinck, a famous
publisher of that day. The books were delivered in August, 1817, and
gave entire satisfaction.

Immediately after this, they undertook to stereotype an edition of the
"Book of Common Prayer" for the Protestant Episcopal Church of New York,
supposing that they would be able to make a fair profit at the rate at
which they had agreed to do the work. It was their original intention to
do the composition themselves, and have the stereotyping done at one of
the large establishments of the city; but upon a closer investigation
they found that this would cost them more than they had agreed to do the
work for. In this dilemma, they resolved to learn the art of
stereotyping themselves, and perform that portion of their contract on
their own premises. It was a tedious undertaking; but they went through
with it determinedly, and at the proper time delivered the books to the
officials of the Episcopal Church. Their profit was not very large, but
they had become stereotypers as well as printers, and had added a
valuable department to their business. Further than this, their Prayer
Book was pronounced the best piece of stereotyping that had ever been
seen in the city, and won the young men congratulations on all sides.
They next undertook twenty-five hundred copies of Mair's "Introduction
to Latin," which they delivered in December, 1817.

In April, 1818, they put forth their first venture on their own account.
This consisted of five hundred copies of Locke's "Essay upon the Human
Understanding." These were readily disposed of, and their success
encouraged them to further efforts. They proceeded very cautiously, and
it was