The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-04-24
BUYERS AND SELLERS.
Or. TALMAGE IN THE TABERNACLE
PULPIT.

Idens.
At the service in the Academy of
Music Sunday morning DR.. Talmage
announced as his tsxtProverbs 2O:14:
cit is naught, it ID naught, saith the
buyer; but when he is gone his way,
then he boasteth." Following is his
sermon in full:
Palaces are not such prisons as the
world imagines. If you think that
the only time when kings and queens
come forth from the royal gates is in
procession and gorgeously attended,
you age mistaken. Incognito, by
day OF by night, and clothed in citi-
2ens' apparel, or the dress Of work
ing woman they come out and see
the world as it is. In no other way
could King Solomon, the author Of my
text, nave known everything that was
going on. From my text l am sure
he must, i'll disguise, some day have
walked into q store Of ready-mado
clothing, in Jerusalem, and stood
near the counter and overheard o.
conversation between q buyer and q
seller. The merchant put price on
Il coat, aud the customer begsn to
lickcr and said: "Absurd! that coat
il not worth what you ask for it.
Why, just look at the coarseness of
the fabric See that spot on the col
lar! Besides that it does not fit.
Twenty dollars for that! Why, it
isn't worth over ten. They have q
better article than that, and for
cheaper price, down at Cloathem,
iNite II X Brothers. Besides that, |
donS want it at any price Good
Hlorniag.' "Hold," says the MGR
chaut, "don't go off in that way. l
want to sell you that coat. / have
some payments to make and L vans
the money. Come now, how much
will you give me for that coat?"
"Weu," says the customer, II will
split the difference. You asked me
twenty dollars, and said ten Now,
[ will give you fifteen" "Well," SAWS
the merchant, cts great sacrifice,
but teksit at that price" Then Sol
omon saw the customer with roll
under his arm start and 60 out and
enter h;s own place OF business, and
Solomon in disguise followed him.
He heard the customer a3he unrolled
tho coat say: Boys, I have made q
great bargain. How much do you
guess [ gave for that coat?'
"Well," says one, wishing t. com
pliment his enterprise, 'you gave
$50 forit." Another says: Il should
think you got it cheap il you gave
$25.' "No," says the buyer in
triumph, II got it for $15. I beat
him down and pointed out the i'm
perfcctions, until I really made him
believe IL WAS not worth hardly any
thing. 1t takes ME to make a bar
gain. Ha! hal" Oh man, you got
the goods for less than they woro
worth by positive falsehood; and no
wonder when Solomon got back to
his palace andhad put offhis disguise,
that he sat down nj his writing-desk
and made for all ages a crayon sketch
of you: "It is naught, it is naught,
saith the buyer, but when he is gone
his way, then he boasteth."
There are no higher styles Of mon
in all the world than those now at
the head of merchandise in Brook
lyn and New York and the
other great cities Of this con-
tinent. Their casual promise il as
good IN a bond with piles OF collat-
erals. Then reputation for integ-
rity is as well established as that Of
Petrareh residing in the familyof Car
dlnal Colonna, and when there was q
great disturbance in the family the
cardinal called all hispeople 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 beon 30 many merchants whose
transactions can stand the test OF the
ton commandments. Such bargain
makers arc all the moro to be honored
because they havejwithstood, year Of
ter year, temptations which have
flung many so flat, land flung them SO
hard they can never recover them
selves. While all positions in life
have powerful besetments to evil,
thero are specific forms Of allure
ment which are peculiar to each oc-
cupatlOn and profession, and it will
be useful to speak Of the peculiar
temptations OF business mon.
First, az in the scene of the text,
business men are often tempted to
sacrifice plain truth, the seller by ex-
aggerating the value Of goods, and the
buyer by depreciating them. We
cannot but admire All expert sales
man. See how he first induces the
customer into q mood favorable to
the proper consideration OF the value
Of the goods. He shows himselfto
bo an honest and frank salesman.
How carefully thelghts are arranged
until they fall just right upon the
fabric! Beginning with the goods of
medium quality, he gradually advan-
cea toward those of moro thorough
anke, and Of more attractive pat
torn. How he watches the moods
and whims OF his customer! With
what perfect calmness he takos the
order and bows the purchaser from
his presence, who goes away having
made up his mind that he has
bought the goods at 4 price which
will allow him living margin when
, he again sells them. The goods are
worth what the salesman said they
We're, and were sold at price which
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