Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-04-17

At the service in the Academy Of Mu-
sic, Brooklyn. N. Y. Sunday morning.
April Is, DR.. Talmage, after reading ap-
propriate passages of Scripture, gave
out the hymn:
So let our lips aud lives express
The holy Gospel we profess.
He announced as his text Proverbs II,
IA; 1T is naught, it is naught, saith the
buyer. but when he is gone his way, then
he boasteth." Following is his sermon
| in full
THE HAGGLING OF BUYER AND SELLER.
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 OF 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 au-
thor of my text, have known everything
| thatwas going on. From my text l 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 a buyer and seller. The mer-
chant put price on the coat, and the
customer began to dieker and said: Alb
surd! 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 bet
ter article than that, and for q cheaper
price, down at Cloathem, Fitem & Broth
ers. 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. / have
some payments to make and want the
money. Come now, how much will you
give me for that coat?" well" says
the customer, Il will split the difference.
You asked twenty dollars, and said
ten. Now, I will give you fifteen"
We'll, says the merchant, it's great
sacrifice; but take it at that price" Then
Solomon saw the customer with o roll
under his arm start and go out and en-
ter his own place of business, and Solo
mon, in disguise. followed him. He
heard the customer as he unrolled the
coat say: Boys, have made great
bargain. How much do you guess gave
for that coat?" WELL" says one, wish
ing to compliment his enterprise, you
gave thirty dollars for it." Another
says, Il should think you got it cheap if
you gave twenty-five dollars" No."
says the buyer, in triumph; Il got it for
fifteen dollars. / beat him down and
pointed ont the imperfections until
really made him believe itwas not worth
hardly anything. It 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 ut his writing desk and made for all
ages crayon sketch of you: 1t is naught,
it is naught, saith the buyer, but when
he is gone his way, 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 this continent. Their casual promise
is as good as bond with piles of COL
laterais. Their reputation for integrity
is as we'll established as that Of Petrarch
residing in the family Cardinal CoIonna.
and when there was great disturbance
in the family the Cardinal called all his
people together, and put theme 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 isl suf-
ffcient."
Never since the world stood have there
been 30 many merchants whose transact
tions can stand the test of the Ten Com
mandments. Such bargain makers are
all the more to be honored because they
have withstood year after year tempta-
tions which have flung many SO fiat and
flung them SO hard they can never re-
cover themselves. While all positions
in life have powerful besetments to
evil, there are specific forms of allure
ment which are peculiar to each occu-
patton and profession, and it will be
useful to speak of the peculiar tempta-
tions of business men.
First, as in the scene Of the text, busi-
ness men are often tempted to sacrifice
plain truth, the seller by exaggerating
the value of goods, and the buyer by de-
preciating them. We cannot 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
himself to be an honest and frank sales
man. How carefully the lights are ar
ranged 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 attractive pattern. How he
watches the moods and whims of his
customer: With what perfect calmness
he takes the order and bows the pur-
chaser from his presence, who goes
away having made up his mind that he
has bought the goods at q price which
will allow him living margin when he
again sells them. The goods were
worth what the salesman said they were.
and were sold at aprice 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 ubiquitous stratagems by
which goods are sometimes disposed Of.
A glance at the morning papers shows
the arrival at one of our hotels of o
young merchant from one of the inland
cities. He is a comparative stranger in
the great city, and, Of course, he must
be shown around, and twill be the duty
of some of our enterprising houses to
escort him. He is q large purchaser and
has plenty of time and money, and 1t
will pay to be very attentive. The even
ing is spent at o place OF doubtful
amusement. Then they 60 back TO the
hotel. Having just come to town. they
must, of course, drink. A friend from
the seme mercantile establishment drops
in, and usage and generosity suggest
that they must drink. Business pros i
poets are talked over, and the stranger
Id warned a0ninat certain dilanidatad.