Marble Hill press., 1890-06-05
BUYERS and SELLERS,
a Practical S.rmon on the Difficulties of
Business Life.

Temptations Which Besst Busine,, Nen
Tho staid Clothier -Alluremsnt, to
Catch the unvsry countrymau-Ths
sanetity Of Home Forgotten
Sunday morning at the brooklyn Acade-
my OF Music DR.. Talmage preached from
the text-Proverbs 20:l4. at is naught. it
is naught saith the buyer: but when he is
gone his way, then he boasteth." Palaces
are not such prisons as the world imagines
Ii you think that the only time kings and
queens come forth from the royal gates is
in procession and gorgeously attended, you
are mistaken Incognito, by day or
by night, and clothed in citizens apparel,
or the dress of q 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 everything that
was going on. From my text am sure he
must, In disguise, some day have walked
into store OF ready-made clothing, in
Jerusalem, and stood near the counter and
overheard conversation between u buyer
and seller The merchant put 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 ut the
coarseness OF the fabric! See that
spot on the collar! BESIDES that
it does not fit. Twenty dollars
Tor thati Why, it isn't worth more than
ten. They have better article than that,
and for cheaper price, down at Cloathem,
titem Il Brothers. Besides that, l don't
want it at ary 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
tho money. Come now, how much will you
give for that cOat!" "n ell" says the Gus
toner, II will split the difference. You
asked twenty dollars, ana said ten. Now,
will give you fifteen" :" ell" says the
merchant, ''it's a great sacrifice, but take
it at that price" Then Solomon saw the
customer with a roll under his arm start
and 10 out and enter his own place of bust
ness, ana Solomon 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" SWELL" says on :,
wishing to compliment his enterprise, ''you
gave thirty dollars for It," Another says,
II should think you got it cheap il you gave
twenty-five dollars" mo" says the buyer
in triumph, II got it for fifteen dollars. l
beat him down and pointed out the imper-
fectiOns, until really made him believe it
was not worth hardly anything 1t takes
me to make bargain Ha! Haw 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 had put off his disguise, that h
Sat down at his writing, desk and made for
all ages q crayon sketch Of you; "It is
naught, it is naught, satin the buyer, but
when he is gone his way, then he boast
eth"
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 CONT.
nent. Their casual promise is as good as II
bond with piles of collaterals. Their repu.
tation for integrity isas we'll established
as that Of Fetrarch residing in the family
of Cardinal Colonna, and when there was
great disturbance in the family the Cardi.
nal called all his people together and put
them under oath to tell the truth, except
f'etrarch, 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 been so many merchants
whose transactions can stand the test of
the Ten Commandments. Such bargain
makers are all the more TO be honored be-.
cause they have withstood. year after year,
temptations which have flung many so fiat,
and flung them so hard, they can never re-
cover themselves. VI hlle all positions in
life have powerful besetments to evil,
there are specific forms of alurement
which are peculiar to each occupation and
profession, and it viii be useful to speak
OF the peculiar temptations of business
men.
First, as in the scene of the text, business
men are often tempted to sacrifice plain
truth, the seller by exaggerating the value
OF goods, and the buyer BY depreciating
them. we cannot but admire an expert
salesman. See how he first induces the
customer into a mood favorable to the
proper consideration Of the value OF the
goods. He shows himself to be an honest
and fr.nk 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 Nuke 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 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 salesman 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 whicr
goods are sometimes disposed or A glance
at the morning paper shows the arrival al
one of our hotels Of young merchant from
one Of the inland cities He is compare
tive stranger in the great city, and, OF
course, must be shown around, and it will
be the duty Of some of our enterprizine
houses 10 escort him. lie is a large pur
chaser and has plenty Of time and money
and it will pay to he very attentive. The
evening is spent at n place o.
doubtful amusement They go bach
to the hotel. Having just CONT
to town, they must of course
drink. A friend from the same mercantile
establishment drops in, and usage ant
generosity suggest that they must drink
Business prospects are talked over, ant
the stranger Is warned against certain
dilapidated mercantile establishments tina
are about to fail, and for such kindness
and magnanimity of caution against tn,
dishonesty of ether business houses, o
course it is expected they willard so the.
do-they take a drink. Other merchants
lodging in adjoining rooms find i
hard to sleep for the clatter o
decanters, and the coarse carousa
of these "hal fellows well met" wake
louder. But they sit not all night at tn
wine cup. They must see the sights. The.
stagger forth with checks flushed and eye
blood shot The outer gates Of hell open t.
let In the victims. The wings Of lost soul
fit among the lights, and the steps Of tn
carousers sound with the rutnbling tnun
ders Of the damned. Farewell to all tn
sanctities Of homel Could mother, sister
father, slumbering in the inland home Il
some vision Of that night catch glimps
Of the ruin wrought they would rend on
| THAR hnir by tho roots and bite the tOugu