The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-14
BUYERS AND SELLERS.
TALMAcE ON THE DIFFICULTIES
OF BUSINESS LIFE.

Palaces Not the Prisons some People
Imaeine-The Mercantile Kings of
the Great cities High Types of In
terriry-some Of the Temptations
They Resist.
BRooKLYN, April 13.-At the service in
the Academy of Music this morning DIR.
Talmage. after reading appropriate pass
ages of Scripture, gave out the hymn:
So let our lips and lives express
The holy Gospel we profess.
He announced as his text Proverbs Xxx,
IA: at is naught, it is 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
smagines. If you think that the only time
kings and queens come forth from the royal
gates is in procession and gorgeously at
tended, you are mistaken. Incognito, by
day or by night, and clothed in citizens
apparel or the dress of a 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 astore of ready-made clothing
in Jerusalem, and stood near the counter
and overheard a conversation between
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 at the coarseness of
the fabric See that spot on the collarl
Besides that, it does not fit. Twenty dollars
for thatl Why, it isn't worth more than
ten. They have better article than that,
and for cheaper price, down at Cloathem,
Fitem g. Brothers. Besides that, l don't
want it at any price. Good morning"
tHold" says the merchant; don't 60 off
in that way. ] want to sell you that coat
i have some payments to make and | want
THE money. Come now, how much will
you give for that coatp "Well," says the
customer, 81 will split the difference. You
asked twenty dollars, and | said ten. Now,
/ will give you fifteen" ''Well," says the
merchant, sits great sacrifice, but take it
at that price," Then Solomon saw the
customer with a roll under his arm start
and go out and enter his own place of bust
ness, and Solomon in disguise followed him.
He heard the customer as he unrolled the
coat say: "Boys, | have made a great
bargain. How much do you guess / gave
for that coat" well, says one, wishing
to compliment his enterprise, ''you gave
thirty dollars for it." Another says, 81
should think you got it cheap if you gave
4wenty-fiye dollars" mo" says the buyer
in triumph, II got it for fifteen dollars.
beat him down and pointed out the imper-
fections until really made him believe it
was not worth hardly anything, It takes
me to make bargain. Hal ham 0, man,
you got the goods for less than they were
worth by positive falsehood; and no won
der when Solomon went back to his palace
and had put off his disguise, that he sat
down at his writing desk and made for all
ages crayon sketch of you: ut is naught,
st is naught, saith the buyer, but when he
hath gone his way, then 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 CONT
nent. Their casual promise is as good as a
bond with piles of collaterals. Their repu-
tation for integrity is as well established as
that of Petrarch residing in the family of
Cardinal Colonna, and when there was
great disturbance in the family the cardinal
called all his people 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.
las 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 because they
have withstood, year after year, tempta-
lions which have flung many so fat, and
flung them so hard they can never recover
themselves Willis all positions in life
have powerful besetments to evil, there are
specific forms of allurement which are pc
cular to each occupation and profession,
and it will 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 the goods, and the buyer by depreciating
them. We cannot but admire an expert
salesman. See how he first induces the Gus
toner into mood favorable to the proper
Consideration Of the value of the goods. He
shows himself to be an honest and frank
S alesman. How carefully the lights are
a ranged till they fall just right upon the
fabric Beginning with goods of medium
q uality, he gradually advances toward those
u ( more thorough make and of more attract
i've pattern. How he watches the moods
and whinls of his customer With what
perfect calmness he takes the order and
bows the purchaser from mis- presence, who
goes away, having made up his mind that
he has bought the goods at price which
xviii allow him a living margin when he
again sells them The goods were worth
what the salesman said they WERE and
were sold at price which viii 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 strategems by which
goods are sometimes disposed of. glance
at the morning papers shows the arrival at
ONE of our hotels of a young merchant from
one of the inland cities. He is a compare
tive stranger in the great city, and, of
course, he must be shown around, and it
viii be the duty of some of our enterprising
houses to escort him. He is a large pur-
chaser and has plenty of time and money,
and it will pay to be very attentive. The
evening is spent at place of doubtful
amusement. Then they go back to the
hotel. Having just come to town, they
must, of course, drink. A friend from the
same mercantile establishment drops in, and
usage and generosity suggest that they
must drink. Business prospects are talked
over, and the stranger is warned against
certain dilapidated mercantile establish
ments that are about to fail, and for such
kindness and magnanimity of caution
against the dishonesty of other business
houses, of course it is expected they will
and so they do-they take a drink. Other
merchants lodging in adjoining rooms find
1t hard to sleep for the chatter OF decanters,
and the coarse carousal of these ''hail fell
lows well metz wakes louder. But they sit
not all night at the wine cup. They must
see the sights. They stagger forth