The Monmouth inquirer., 1890-04-17
BUYERS AND SELLERS.
A Practical Sermon by Rev. 7.
De Witt Talmage, D. D.
The Difficulties of Business Life-How
Dishonest Methods are Resorted to by
Merchants to Make Sales-A For
tune Obtained in That Way
Brings No Enjoyment.


Academy of Music DR.. Ta1mage an
nounced as his text Proverbs Xxx, IA:
''It is naught, it is naught, saith the
buyer, but when he has gone his way,
then he boasteth." Following is the
sermon:
Palaces are not such prisons as the
world imagines. If you think that the
only time Kings and Queens come forth
from the royal gates is in procession
and gorgeously attended, you are mis-
taken. 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 cloth
ing, in Jerusalem, and stood near the
counter and overheard conversation
between buyer and a 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 coarse
ness of the fabric! See that spot on the
collar! Besides that, it does not fit.
Twenty dollars for that? Why, it isn't
worth more than ten. They have a
better article than that and for cheaper
price, down at Cloathem, Fitem &
Brothers. Besides that, don't want it
at any price. Good morning" ''Hold, :"
says the merchant; ''don't go off in that
way. want to sell you that coat I
have usome payments to make and I
want the money. Come now, how much
will you give for that coat?" ssWell," !"
says the customer, 81 will split the diff
ference. You asked $40, and I said $40.
Now. will give you S15.' WELL" says
the merchant, 'it's great sacrifice, but
take it at that price" Then Solomon
saw the customer, with roll under his
arm, start and go out and enter his own
place of business, and Solomon in dis
guise followed him. He heard the Gus
toner as he unrolled the coat say:
"Boys, have made a great bargain.
How much do you guess gave for that
coat?" "Well." says one, "you gave $50
for it" Another says: II should think
you got it cheap if you gave Sa5." 'sNo,"
L
$15. beat him down and pointed out
the imperfections, until l really made
him believe it was not worth hardly
any thing. It takes me to make bar
gain. Ha! Hal" o, 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
had put off his disguise, that he sat
down at his writing desk and made for
all ages crayon sketch of you: SIT is
naught. it is naught, saith the buyer,
but when he is gone his way, then he
boasteth.''
all the world than those now at the head
of merchandise in Brooklyn and New
York and in the other great cities of
this continent. Their casual promise is
as good as bond with piles of collat-
erals. Their reputation for integrity is
as we'll established assthat of Petrarch
residing in the family of Cardinal Co.
lonna, and whom there was great dis
turbance 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 ava y his book and said:
"As to you, Petrarch, your word is suti-
cient." Never since the world stood
have there been so many merchants
whose actions 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
they can never recover themselves.
While all the positions in life have pow
erful besetments to evil, there are spe-
cific forms of allurement which are
peculiar to each occupation and profess
sion, and it will be useful to speak of
the peculiar temptations of business
men.
First, as in the scene of the text, bust
ness men are often tempted to sacrifice
plain truth, the seller by exaggerating
the value of goods, and the buyer by
depreciating them. We can not but ad-
mire an expert salesman. See how he
first induces the customer into mood
favorable to the proper consideration of
the value of the goods. He shows him
self to be an honest and frank salesman.
How carefully the lights are arranged
till they fall just right upon the fabric!
Beginning with goods of medium quality,
he gradually advances toward those of
more thorough make, and of more at
tractive pattern. How he watches the
moods and whims of his customer! With
what perfect calmness he takes the
order, and bows the purchaser from his
presence, who goes away having made
up his mind that he has bought the
goods at price which will allow him
living margin when he again sells them.
The goods were worth what the sales
man said they were, and were sold at
price which will not make it necessary
for the house to fail every ten years in
order to fix up 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
vnupcr N, arc h ant from ono of tho inland