The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-11-20
@anamahrr's.

you skip what he says and take
what he does.
No the practical business.
man believes in the maxim just
|about enough to quote it. He
quotes it possibly out of the in
efectual glimpse he has of its
truth, possibly out of the habit
of paying a certain court to abb
stract goodness, possibly out of
an amiable Difference to Mrs.
Grundy, possibly out of a dis
position to seem to be honest
when he hasn't the least inten-
ton of making any sacrifice in
that direction.
No; there isn't much honesty
in business. There is a sort of
substitute for it that passes un-
der the name-a fair substitute,
better than none /; SO fair that
you may think it hardly polite
to penetrate the disguise.
Complain of a trick-ma-
chine-made shoes handmade"
for instance. The dealer will
say "they are just as good as
handmade and nobody knows
the difference. Everybody calls
them handmade but Wanamak
er-he makes capital out of
not lying but he lies as much
as the rest of u.s."
Split-leather calf for anoth-
erinstance. The dealer will say.
Everybody calls it calf why
shouldn't | ? Besides we don't
always know which is which
ourselves nowadays" Leather
hash heels and soles for anoth-
er instance. The shoeman will
say Everybody knows we can't
get good leather for nothing
ridiculous Who expects it?
Why the making ought to cost
more than | get for this shoe"
Cotton-and-linen "linen" for an
other instance. The merchant
pleads guilty ofnothing. Every
body knows" says he that lin
en- costs money; but if | tell
people there's cotton in it they'll
only go to somebody else that'll
lie with a straighter face" So
of all-wool in clothing. So Of
everything else in trade.
These examples betray the &C
cepted standard. Do as others
do. That is the standard. Mer-
camille integrity reaches no high
er than that. In social matters |
the corresponding standard is
fear of Mrs. Grundy. A very |
different thing from righteous
ness.
But we said 1t isn't a perso-
sonal question, a question of
morals. What is it? Expediencv.
Honesty that comes of being
paid for it isn't morals and
needn't be talked about.
Merchants don't believe it
pays to be honest; and that is
the why there is sand in sugar
and something wrong about
everything. That is the why of
the eminent standing of Lupin
in dress-stufs, Alfred Wright in
perfumery, Winsor & Newton
in artists materials, Rodgers
and Wostenholm in cutlery,
Lowell in carpets, Crane in writ
lng-paPer--we scarcely like to
mention names, so many more
have got to be left out-a hun
dred names or SO in the whole
world. There are
a few who do believe that it
pays to be fair in manufactur-
ing.
There is room for a name
merchants. Makers
have to be watched. Good mer-
chandise is rare the bulk of it
faulty. But faulty merchandise
IS good enough if honestly sold.
There is room for a name
merchants. We mean
to furnish that name, If we
ever get to be proud of what
we have done, we hope it will
not be of acreage, tonnage,
power, or wealth but Of selling
linen for linen, wool for wool,
silk for silk, leather for leather,
fashion for fashion, last years
for last years.
We have scarcely begun,
Ohm WANAMAKER.
Chestnut, Thirteenth and Market streets.
md City-hall square.