The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-04-30
THE WORLD OF TRAFFIC.
Souls That Are Lost in the Desire
For Riches,
Making Investments In Salvation Away
Below Par-Business Integrity
Which Gives Way Before
Mammon-Dr. Tai
IMAGES Sermon.


IMAGES Sermon.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, d. D., preach
cd last Sunday in the Academy of Music,
Brooklyn, taking for his text Proverbs
TX. IA:
sit is naught, it is naught, saith the
buyer, but when no has gone his way
then he boasteth."
Palaces are not such prisons as the
world imagines. II you think that the
only time Kings and Queens come forth
from the royal gates is in procession and
gorgeously attended you are mistaken.
Incognito, by day or by night, and
clothed in citizens apparel or the dress
OF working woman, they come out and
see the world as it is. In no other way
could King Solomon, the author of my
text, have known every thing that was
going on. From my text am sure he
must in disguise, some day have walked
into store of ready-made clothing in
Jerusalem and stood near the counter
and overheard a conversation between
4 buyer and seller.
The merchant put a price on coat,
and the customer began to dicker and
said: "Absurd that coat is not worth
what you ask for it. Why, just look at
the coarseness OF the fabric! See that
spot on the collar! Besides that, it does
not fit. Twenty dollars for that? Why
1t isn't worth more than ten. They have
. better article than that, and far
cheaper price, down at Cloathem, Fitem
& Bros. Besides that, don't want it at
any price. Good morning." "Hold,"
says the merchant, don't 60 off in that
way. want to sell you that coat.
have some payments to make and want
the money. Come now, how much will
you give for that coat?" "Well," says
the customer, II will split the differ
ence. You asked $50, and l said $40.
Now, will give you SIS" "Well,"
says the merchant, 'itsa great sacrifice,
but take it at that price"
Then Solomon saw the customer with
q roll under his arm start and go out and
enter his own place of business, and Sol.
onion in disguise followed him. lie
heard the customer as he unrolled the
coat say, "Boys, have made a great
bargain. How much do you guess gave
for that coat?" "Well," says one, wish
ing to compliment his enterprise, you
gave $50 for it," Another says, 81
should think you got itcheap if you gave
S25." mo" says the buyer, in triumph,
81 got it for SIS l beat him down and
pointed out the imperfections until re-
ally made him believe it was not worth
hardly any thing. 1t takes me to make
bargain. Ha! Hal Oh man, you got
the goods for less than they were worth
by positive falsehood. And no wonder,
when Solomon went back to his palace
and put off his disguise that he sat down
ht his writing-deskt and mado fRr all
hges crayon sketch for you: at is
naught, it is naught, saith the buyer,
but when he is gone his way, then he
boasteth."
There are no higher styles of men in
all the world than those now at the head
of merchandise in Brooklyn and New
York and in the other great cities of
mis- continent. Their casual promise is
as good as bond with piles of collater-
ais. Their reputation for integrity is
as wall established as that of Petrarch
residing in the family of Cardinal Colon
ma, and when there was great disturb
ance in the family the Cardinal called
all his people together and put them
under oath to tell the truth except
Petrarch, for when he came up to swear
the Cardinal put away his book and
said; "As to you, Petrarch. Your
word is sufficient"
Never since the world stood have
there been so many merchants whose
transactions can stand the test of the
Ten Commandments. Such bargain
makers are all the more to be honored
because they have withstood, year after
year, temptations which have flung
many so fiat and flung them so hard,
that they can never recover themselves.
While all positions in life have power
full besetments to evil, there are specific
forms of allurement which are peculiar
to each occupation and profession, and
1t will be useful to speak of the peculiar
temptations of business men.
First, as in the scene of the text, bus
lness men are often tempted to sacrifice
plain truth, the seller by exaggerating
the value of goods, and the buyer by de.
preciating them. We can not but ad-
mlre an expert salesman. See how he
first induces the customer into mood
favorable to the proper consider.
alton of the value of the
goods. He shows himself to be an
honest and frank salesman. How care.
fully the lights are arranged till they
fall just right upon the fabric! Begin.
ming with goods of medium quality, he
gradually advances toward those OF
more thorough make and of more attrac.
tive pattern. How he watches the moods
ard whims of his customer! With what
perfect calmness he takes the order, and
tfws the purchaser from his presence
Sho goes away having made up his mind
hat he has bought the goods at price
which will allow him living margin
when he again sells them. The goods
were worth what the salesman said they
we're, and were sold at price which
will not make it necessary for the house
to fail every ten years in order to fix w
things.
But with what burning indignation
we think of the iniquitous stratagems
by which goods are sometimes disposed
of. A glance at the morning papers
shows the arrival at one of our hotels OF
a young merchant from one of the in.
land cities. He is comparative strang.
er in the great city, and, of course, he
must be shown around, and it will be