Marble Hill press., 1890-06-05

no help will come; aad they will clutch
their gold to take it Al ing with them, but II
will be snatchel from their grasp, AMI
voice will SOUND through their soul, ''Not
farthing, thou bsggsred spirit" An
the judgment wall come and they will stand
aghast before it, and all the business iniqai-
ties CT a life time Will gather around them,
saying, "Do you remember this!" and,
"DO you remember that!' And clerks taat
they compelled to dishonesty, and runners
and draymen and boOkkeepers who saw be-
hind the scenes, will bear testimony to their
nefar Gus deeds, and some virtu0us soul that
once stood aghast at the spleudor and power
of these business men will say, "Alas! this
is all that is left of that great firm that oc-
cupied block with their merchandise and
overshadowed the city with their influence,
and made righteousness 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
fabric or product is represented as possess
ing value which it really does not have.
Nothing but sheer falsehood can represent
as perfection boots that rip, silks that
mediately wash OUT, stoves that crack
under the first hot fire, books insuffcienily
bound, carpets that unravel, old furniture
reiuvenated with patty aud glue, and sold
as having been recently manu-
factured, gold watches made out
of brass, barrels OF fruit the big lest
apples on the top, wine adulterated with
rychnine, hosiery poorly woven, cloths OF
domestic manufacture shining with foreign
labels, imported gools represented as rare
and hard to get, because foreign exchange
is SO high, rolled out Oh the counter with
matchless display. Imported ind,el! but
from the factory in the next street A
pattern already questionable AMI unsal-
able paine off as Il new print upon soma
country merchant WHO has come to town
to make his first purchase of dry goods and
going home with large stock OF goods
warranted to keep.
Again, bus.n ,ss men are often tempted
to make the habits and customs OF other
traders their law of rectituje. There are
commercial usages which will not stand the
test Of the last day. Yet mea in business
arc apt to do as their neighb0rs do. Ii the
majority of the traders in any locality are
lax in principle, the commercial code in
that community will he spurious and dis
honest. 1t is hard thing to stand close
by the law of right when your next-door
neighbor by his looseness OF dealing is en-
abled to sell goods at cheaper rate and
decOy your customers. OF course yOl who
promptly meet all your business engage.
ments, paying when you promise to pay,
will find it hard to compete with that mer-
chant who Is hope.essly in debt to the i'm
porter for the goods purchased, and to thu
landlord whose store he occupies and TO
the clerks vino serve him.
There are a hundred practices prevail
ent in the world of traffic which ought
never to become the rule for honest men.
Their wrong does not make your right.
Sin never becomes virtue by being multi
piled and admitted at brokers' board or
merchants exchange. Because others
smuggle few things in p ssseuger trunks,
because others take usury when men are
in tight places, because others deal in fancy
stocks. because others palm off worthless
Endorsements, because others do nothing
but blow bubbles, do not, therefore, be
overcome Of temptation. Hollow preten-
sion and fictitious credit, and commercial
gambling may awhile prosper, but the day
OF reckoning cometh, and in ad lition to the
horror aud condemnation of outraged COM
munities, the curse Of God will come, blow
after blow. Gods will forever and forever
is the only standard OF right and wrong,
and not commercial ethics.
Young business man, avOil the first
business dishonor, and you will avoid all
the rest. The captain of vessel was
walking near the mouth Of river when
the tide was low, and there wasa 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
loosoned nor filed off in time and a surgeon
was called to amputate the limb, but before
the work could be done, the tide rolled over
the victim and his life was gone And
have to tell you. young mln, that just one
wrong into which you slip may be link Of
long chain of circumstances from
which you cannot be extricated by any
ingenuity Of your own, or any help from
others, and the tide, will roll over you as
they have over many When Pompey, the
warrior, wanted to take possession of a
city, and they would not open the gates, he
persuaded them to admit sick soldier.
But the sick soldier after a while got we'll
and strong, and he threw open the gates
and let the devastating army come in One
wrong admitted into the soul may gain in
strength until, after whils, it filings open
all the avenues of the immortal ature and
the surrender Is complete.
Again, business men are sometimes tempt
ed to throw of personal responsibility upon
the monied institution to which they bs-
long Directors in banks and railroad and
insurance companies sometimes shirk per.
sonal responsibility underneath the action
of the corporation. Aud how often, when
some banking house or financial institution
explodes through fraud, respectable men
in the Board of Directors sly, "Why,
thought all was going on in an honest
way, and am utterly confOuudel
with this misdemeanor The banks, and
the fire and life and marine insurance com
panies, and the railroad companies, will moi
stand up for Judgment in tha list day, but
these who in them acted righteously will
receive, each for himself, IL reward, and
those who acted the part OF neglect or
trickery will, each for himself, receive d
condemnation. Unlawful dividends are no,
clean before God because there are those
associated with you who grab just as big
pile as you do. He who countenances the
dishonesty of the firm, or of the corpora
ton, or Of the association, takes upon him
self all the moral liabilities. Ii the finan-
cial institution steals. he steals II they 60
into wild speculations, he himself is q
gambler. II they needlessly embarrass q
creditor, he himself Is guilty OF cruelty.
II they swindle the uninitiated,
he himself is defrauder. No
financial institution ever had q money
vault strong enough, or credit staunch
enough, or dividends large enough, or pol
icy acute enough 10 hide the individual sins
Of its members. The old adage, that cor
porations have no souls, is mislea aiding
Every corporation has as many souls as i
has members.
Again, many business men have been
tempted to postpone their enioyments and
duties to future season Of entire leisure.
What sedative the Christian religion
would be to all our business men
II, instead Of postponiny its uses
to old age or death, they
would take 1t into the store or factory or
worldly engagements now! 1t is folly IL
20 amid the uncertainties OF business life
with no God to help. A merchant In .
| No,, UNs,Ulnn1 xyilln,r Suua atoudirn ~, 1,