A Particular Lien holds the property of another because of labor bestowed upon it or money expended for it.

A General Lien includes a particular lien and consists in a right to retain the property of another because of a general balance due from the owner.

Parties Having a Particular Lien without Special Statute.— Every Mechanic has a particular lien on any article on which he has expended labor and money.

Carriers also have a lien on all goods consigned them for special services rendered.

Lawyers have a lien on all the papers in a case for their pay. Pawnbrokers have a right of lien in case where the person pawning the goods has authority to pledge, but not otherwise. All Venders have a lien on goods for their pay as long as they are not delivered, but not after that.

Commission Merchants and Brokers have a general lien on goods for commission due.

Hotel Keepers have a lien upon the baggage of their guests for accommodation charges.

Liens by Express Agreement.-This occurs when goods are placed into the hands of a person for some special purpose with an express contract that the goods shall be a pledge for the labor or expense incurred or where property is delivered to another with the express understanding that it is security for a loan made on the credit of it.

Other Important Liens are: the lien upon the land of a debtor created in favor of his creditor by the judgment or other process of a court; the equitable lien of a seller of real estate for the unpaid balance of the purchase price, which is recognized only in some of the States; and the statutory lien of mechanics on the houses and ships which they build or repair.

Special Statutes.-In many States liens are given by special statutes to boarding-house keepers, livery men and others.

Requisites of a Lien.-The essential requisite of a personal property lien consists in the lawful delivery of the property to the party claiming the lien or to his authorized agent. Whenever possession is voluntarily given up the lien is lost.

Rights of Creditor.-A creditor can by lien retain possession of goods even against the assignee of debtor, provided they have been placed honestly into his hands.

Enforcement of Liens.-A person holding a lien under the common law has in general not the power to sell the property,

it is only a right to force payment by holding the property and thereby depriving the owner from the use of it until he renders justice where it is due. Where property is held as security for a loan the lender may sell, but he must give due notice of the time and manner of sale so as to give the owner of the property all possible chance to redeem or to waive rights. Many States have special statutes for the enforcement of liens and it is safest to consult these where enforcement becomes necessary.

MECHANICS' LIENS

Liens created by statutes, although based upon the principles of common law are designed to go further, namely: to give liens even where the possession is not with the consent of the owner or where exclusive possession is impossible.

Mechanics' liens are exclusively created by statutes; and no matter how just the claim may seem the lien will not exist unless the party brings himself under the provisions of the statute.

The statute is based upon the principle that the party who has increased the value of the property by his labor or material furnished should have security upon the property although changed in form.

Mechanics are here assured of their right to a lien upon the property for their labor and material furnished, but as to details concerning the conditions of the lien and the manner of enforcing it they will do well to consult the statutes of their particular State.

Before bringing åction to enforce such a lien, notice must be given in writing by the holder of the lien to the owner of the property, and in order to guard against fraud to third parties, the certificate of the claim must be filed with the county clerk or other officer as provided by the statute. The following form may be used:

Notice of Mechanic's Lien

CLERK OF THE COOK COUNTY COURT,

Chicago, Ill.

SIR: Please take notice, that I, Frank Greene, residing at 4550 Wentworth Ave., in the City of Chicago, County of Cook, have a claim against Charles Hudson, owner (or only contractor, as the case may be) of a new four-story brick dwelling house, amounting to Fifteen Hundred and Forty Dollars and Fifty Cents, now due to me, and that the claim is made for and on account of material furnished and labor done, and that such work was

done and materials furnished in pursuance of a contract entered into the 15th day of April, 1911. (here describe the contract,) between the undersigned and the said Chas. Hudson. The said building is situated on Lot —— in Block, in Stone's addition to the City of Chicago, on the east side of Halsted Street, and is known as No. 3242 of said street. The following is a diagram of said premises.

(Insert diagram.)

And that I have and claim a lien upon said building and the appurtenances and lot on which said building stands, subject to the provisions of an Act of the Legislature of the State of Illinois entitled "An Act to Secure the Payment of Mechanics, Laborers, and Persons Furnishing Material Toward the Erection, Altering, or Repairing of Buildings in the City of Chicago," passed. 19, and of the acts amending the same.

Dated this 15th day of October, 1911.

FRANK GREENE.

Frank Greene, being duly sworn, says that he is the claimant mentioned in the foregoing notice of lien; that he has read the said notice and knows the contents; and that the same is true to his own knowledge, except as to those matters stated on information and belief, as to those matters he believes to be true.

FRANK GREENE.

Sworn before me this 15th day of October, A. D. 1911.

GEORGE FERGUSON,
Police Justice.

MAIL ORDER BUSINESS

Origin. The mail order business is an evolution of the department store, or the concentration under one management of the sale of every imaginable article for which a customer can be found. It is simply the department store universalized by means of the postoffice establishment.

The Postal Service of the United States is the greatest business concern in the world. It is estimated that it handles eight thousand pieces of mail matter a minute, and in the course of a year from four to five billion pieces, including letters, papers, books and parcels.

It was a master stroke to convert this great institution into a business agent for a commercial house, and a fortune was realized from it almost immediately. Men and women are stil! making fortunes through the operation of this great posta! department store system.

The mail order mercantile business originated in Chicago, where it is now carried on the most extensively. In 1910 the mail order houses of that city did a total business of $112,000.000 How to Engage in the Business.-One who has made a success

of it furnishes the following rules for the guidance of others who may wish to engage in the business:

First.-Go slowly. Don't decide to embark upon a mail order career and then resign your present position without knowing definitely in what direction you are going to work. A few months of quiet consideration and planning won't do any harm. There will be as many customers for you after that period as there are now.

Second.-Choose carefully a "leader" or article upon which you will base your main campaign and upon which you can get all the profit. To do this, unless you are already the possessor of an exclusive idea, run carefully over the entire list of what people wear, eat, drink, or need from the cradle to the grave. Nothing is too small or too large to be included in this vast catalogue, and your eventual choice will probably come in a flash of inspiration.

Third. Having chosen your leader, investigate carefully the price at which you will be able to offer it to successfully compete with other similar articles. Be sure that you can sell it through the mails cheaply enough to meet competition.

Fourth.-Plan your advertising. Consultation with an expert is a safe precaution, as an advertising man possesses experience that will be valuable to you even if you are brilliant enough to Euccessfully word your own advertisement.

Fifth.-As a general rule one-fifth of a small capital is not too much to expend in experimenting. When you begin to get results resign your position, devote your whole time to your new business, and develop it economically and judiciously upon the lines originally decided upon.

Sixth.-Do not be content with a single leader. Get from supply houses a number of specialties, and inclose circulars for them in all your letters. Any orders thus gained cost merely the two-cent stamp that carries the bait.

These are simple rules to write, but it takes business capacity to carry them out. The days of the "fake" mail business are over. Every now and then a swindle is brought to light, but the government is stern and relentless in ferreting out and suppressing such enterprises. It was the government that gave the mail order business its first great impetus by reducing the rate of postage, and it is the government that has doubled the total trade in the last few years by establishing the rural free delivery system. (For rates of postage on merchandise, etc, see Postal Information.)

MERCANTILE AGENCIES

A Mercantile Agency is an establishment for supplying mer chants, bankers, and all who do a more or less credit business, with information as to the financial standing of persons engaged in business.

How they Operate.-These agencies obtain from local correspondents in all parts of the country information as to the character and personal responsibility of individuals, firms, and corporations, and make such information readily available at all business centers.

Commercial Ratings.-From the information thus obtained is deduced what are known and recognized as "commercial ratings." The names of the various merchants, with the ratings, are issued quarterly, in book form, and are classified, first by states and provinces, then by cities and towns, all arranged in alphabetical order. These volumes, covering the United States and Canada, embrace a million and a quarter of distinctive business organizations, and yet so simply are they classified that a reference can be had with as much readiness as the finding of a subject in a cyclopedia.

Leading Agencies.-The Bradstreet and R. G. Dun & Co. concerns are the leading agencies for the United States and Canada. They have headquarters in New York, and sub-agencies in all principal cities. Agencies also exist in Europe, and importing and exporting houses on opposite sides of the globe are thus kept informed as to each other's commercial standing.

Benefit to Merchants.-This system enables the solvent merchant to purchase goods anywhere with reasonable certainty that they will be delivered promptly, avoiding undue delay consequent to investigating his credit. The agency thus serves as a sort of clearing-house for credit, and good ratings are much sought after in the business world.

Credit Books are also issued, furnishing the same sort of information to those selling to particular trades.