The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-04-16

sleep for the !clatter OF decanters, and
coarse carousals Of these 'hail fellows
we'll met" WAKES louder. But they sit
not all night at the wine cup. They must
see the sights. They stagger forth with
cheeks flushed and eyes bloodshot. The
onter gates Of hell open to let in the
victims. The wings of lost souls fit
among the lights, and the steps Of the
carousers sound with the erumbling thun-
der OF the damned. Farewell TO all the
sanctities of homel Could mother, sister
father, slumbering in the inland home,
in some vision of that night catch q
glimpse of the ruin wrought they would
rend out their hair by the roots and bite
the tongue till the blood spurted, shrek
ing out: "God save him!"
What, suppose you, will come upon
such business establishments? and there
are hundreds of them in the cities.
They may boast of fabulous sales, and
they may have an unprecedented run OF
buyers, and the name Of the house may
be a terror to all rivals, and from this
thrifty root there may spring up branch
houses in other cities, and all the part
ners Of the firm may move into their
mansions and drive their full-blooded
span, and the families may sweep the
street with the most elegant apparel
that human art ever wove, or earthly
magnificence ever achieved But curse
is gathering somewhere for those men,
and II 1t does not seize hold of the pill
lars and in one wild ruin bring down
the temple of commercial glory, 1t will
break up their peace, and they will
tremble with sickness and bloat with
designations, and, pushed to the preci-
pice of this life, they will try to hold
back, and cry for help, but no one will
come; and they will clutch their gold to
take it along with them, but it will be
snatched from their grasp, and q voice
will sound through their soul, "Not q
farthing, thou beggared spiritP' And the
Judgment will come and they will stand
aghast before it, and all the business in
iquities of lifetime will gather around
them saying: "Do you remember this?"
and, "Do you remember that?' And
clerks that they compelled to dishon-
esty, and runners and draymen and
book-keepers who saw behind the scenes,
will bear testimony to their nefarious
deeds, and some virtuous soul that once
stood aghast at the splendor and power
OF these business men will say: "Alas!
this is all that is left Of that great firm
that occupied block with their mer-
chandise and overshadowed the city
with their influence, and made righteous
ness and truth and purity fall under
the CALLING fire OF avarice and crime"
While we admire and approve OF all
acuteness and tact in the sale Of goods
we must condemn any process by which
q fabric or product is represented as
possessing a value which it really does
not have. Nothing but sheer falsehood
can represent as perfection boots that
rip, silks that speedily lose their luster
calicoes that Immediately wash out
stoves that crack under the first ho'
fire, books insuffciently bound, carpets
that unravel, old furniture rejuvenatet
with putty and glue, and sold as having
been recently manufactured, golt
watches made out Of brass, barrels o.
fruit, the biggest apples on the top
wine adulterated with strychnine, no
siery poorly woven, cloths Of domesti
manufacture shining with foreign labels
imported goods represented as rare ant
hard to get because foreign exchange Il
80 high, rolled out on the counter will
matchless display. Imported indeed
but from the factory in the next street
A pattern already Questionable AM
unstable palmed off as new prin
upon some country merchant who ha
come TO town to make his frst purchas
Of dry goods and going home with
large stock OF goods warranted to keep
Again, business men are often temples
TO make the habits and customs OF othe
traders their law Of rectitude. Their
are commercial usages which will no
stand the test OF the last day. Yet me-
In business are apt TO do as their neigh
bors do. II the majority Of the trader
In any locality are lax in principle, tn
commercial code in that community vii
, be spurious and dishonest II is har
, thing TO stand close by the law Of righ
when your next-door neighbor by hi
looseness Of dealing is enabled to SCI
, goods st cheaper rate and decoy you
, customers. OF course you who prompt
? meet all your business engagements, pa
: ing when you promise to pay, will I'm
! II hard TO compete with that merchar
who Is hopelessly in debt to the imports
I for the goods purchased, and 70 the LAM
; lord whose store he occupies, and TO II
clerks who serve him. I'd, e5rrrf
1 There are hundred practices prev
1 lent In the world OF traffic which ougl
|. never TO become the rule for hone
4 men. Their. wrong does not make yo'
: riRht. Sin never becomes virtue by b
Q ing multiplied and admitted at broker
b board or merohants' exchange. Becau
. others smuggle few things In passe
q ger trunlss, because others take usul
0 whom men are in tight places, beoau
Q others deal in fancy stocks, becau
n others palm Of worthless Endorsement
|. because others do nothing but bio
!. bubbles, do not. therefore. be overcon
n Of temptation. Hollow pretension ai
v fictitious credit, and commercial gai
. bling may awhile prosper, but the d'
Of reckoning cometh, and In addition
q the horror and condemnation Of OF
v ragged communities, the curse OF G.
/. | will come, blow after blow. Gods W
q forever and forever is the only standa
4 Of right and wrong, and not commerci
d ethics. ~ -'* ~tU
n Youna business man, avoid the I'll
Z. .f-.-. IG.l a..o. and xrot, mi IN avoid ,