The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-04-24
and wrong, and not commercial

and wrong, and not commercial
ethics.
Young business man, avoid the first
business dishonor, and you will avoid
all the rest. The captain of vessel
was walking near the mouth of q
river when the tide was low, and there
was long stout anchor chain, into
one of the great links of which his
foot slipped, and it began to swell
and he could not withdraw it. The
tide began to rise. The chain could
not be loosened nor filed off Iii Il n.
and surgeon was called to amput,,tc
the limb, but before the work could
be done, the tide rolled over the vic
tim, and his life was gone And L
have to tell you, young man, that just
one wrong into which you slip may
be II link of long chain of circum-
stances from which you cannot be ex-
tricated by any ingenuity of your
own, OF any help from others, and
the tides will roll over you rs they
have over many. When Pompey, the
warrior, wanted to take possession of
Il city, and they would not open the
gates, he persuaded them to admit
sick soldier. But the sick soldier
after u while got well and strong, and
he threw open the gates and let the
devastating army come III. One
wrong admitted into the soul may
gain i'll strength until after a while, it
tilngS open all the avenues of the I'M
| mortal nature, and the surrender is
| complete.
Again, business men are sometimes
tempted to throw off persOnalrcspon-
slbllity upon the moneyed institution
to which they belong. Directors in
banks and railroads and insurance
companies sometimes shirk personal
| responsibility underneath the action
OF the corporation. And how often,
when some banking house or financial
institution explodes through fraud,
respectable men in the board of direc-
tors say: "Why, [ thought all was
going on in an honest way, and I am
utterly conformdcd with this msdc-
meanor!" The banks, and the fire
and life and marine insurance COM
| panies, and the railroad companies,
will not stand up for Judgment in the
| last day, but those who in them
acted rigitcously will receive, each for
himself, reward. and those who
acted the part Of neglect or trickery
WILL each for himself, receive n con
dcmnatiOn.
Again, many business mon have
been tempted to postpone their en-
| joymcnts and duties to q future seas
Oh OF entire leisure. What soda
tive the Christian religion would be
| to all our business men If, instead Of
| pOstpOning it's uses to old age or
death, they would take it into store
or factory, or worldly engagements
now! 1t is folly to go amid the un-
certainties of business life with no
God to help! A merchant in New
| England village was standing by
horse, and the horse lifted his foot to
stamp it in pool of water, and the
merchant, to escape the splash,
stepped into the door of an insurance
agent, and the agent said II suppose
you have come to renew your fire in
surance?" "Oh," said the merchant,
| II had forgotten that" The insur-
ance was renewed, and the next day
the house that had been insured was
burned. Was it all accidental that
the merchant, 70 escape splash from a
| horses foot, stepped into the insur-
ancc Office! No, it was providential
And what o mighty solacc for a busi-
ness man to feel that things are provi-
dental! What peace and equilibrium
in such q consideration, and what u
| grand thing if all business men could
realize it,
Many, although now comparatively
1 OF ifyht
ces, have q goodly establishment in
the future planned out. They have
in imagination built about twenty
years ahead q house III the country
not difficult of access from the great
town, for they will often have busi-
ness, or old accounts to settle, and
Investments to look after. The house
il large enough to accommodate all
their friends. The halls are wide
and hung with pictures of huntine
scenes and branch Of mtlers, and
are comfortable with chairs that can
| be rolled out on the veranda when
the weather IS inviting, or set out I'M
der some OF the oaks that stand SEN
| tlnel about the house, and rustling in
the cool breeze, and songful with the
robins. There is just land enough to
keep them interested, and it's crops of
almost fabulous richness sprinSing
up under application of the best
theories to be found III the agricdltu-
ral journals. The farm is well stock
ed with cattle and horses, an / sheep
that know the voice and have q kindly
bleat when one goes forth to look at
them. In this blissful abode their
chill ,tren will be instructed in art and
science and religion. This shall be
the old homestead to which the boys
at college will direct theirlettcrs, and
the hill on which the house stands
will bo called Gukwood or Ivy Hill or
Pleasant Retreat or Eagle Eyrie
May the future have for every bust
ness man here all that and more be-
side! But ore you postponing your
happiness to that time? Are you
adjoulning your joys to that consum-
nation?
Suppose that you achieve all yon
cXpcct-nnd the vision | mention is
not up to the reality, because the
fountains will be brighter, the house
granper, and the scenery more pic