The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-03-27

often think it no wrong to snatch rom
the trader; and they say to the bargain
maker, You get your money easy
Do they get 1t easy? Let those who IN
the quiet field and barn get their living
exchange places with those who stand
to-day amid the excitements Of CONNER
cisl life and see II they End it 50 very
easy.
In the next place we notice mercan-
tile lies, those before the counter and
behind the counter. I viii not attempt
to specify the forms of commercial
falsehOod- 7 here are merchants who
excuse themselves for deviation from
truthfulness because of what they call
commercial custom In other words,
the multiplication and universally of a
sin turns 1t into a virtue There have
been large fortunes gathered where
there was not one drop of unrequited
toll in the wine; not one spark of bad
temper flashing from the bronze
bracket; not one drop of needle
VyOman's heart blood in the
crimson plush; while there are
other great establishments in which
there Is not one dOCrknob, not one
brick, not one trinket, not one thread
of lace, but has upon 1t the mark Of
dishonOr. What wonder if some day a
hand of toll that had been wrung and
worn out and blistered until the skin
came o-f should be placed against the
elegant wall paper, leaving its mark of
blOOd-fOur fingers and thumb; or
that, some day, walking the halls, there
should be voice accCsting the Occu-
pant, saying, six cents for making a
shirt" and, flying the room, another
voice should say, Twelve cents for an
army blanket and the man should try
to sleep at night, but ever and anon be
aroused, until getting up on one elbow,
he should shrek out, ''Who's there?"
Some of the worst villains OF the city
are the employers of these women
They beat them down to the last penny,
and try to cheat them out of that. The
woman must deposit dollar or two be
fore she gets the garments to work on
When the work is done it is sharply in
spected, the most insignificant flaws
picked out, and the wages refused and
sometimes the dollar deposited not
given back.
a merchant can, to the last item, be
thoroughly honest There is never any
need of falsehoOd. Yet how many Will,
day by day, hour by hour, utter what
they know to be wrong? You say that
you are selling at less than cost If so,
then it is right to say it. But did that
cost you less than what you ask for it?
If not, then you have falsified-
You may consider it insignificant be
cause relating to an insignificant Pur-
chase. You would despise the man
who would falsify in regard to some
great matter in which the city or whole
/ country was concerned, but this is only
/ a box of buttons or a row of pins or a
| case of needles Be not deceived The
article purchased may be so small you
can put it in your vest pocket, but the
| sin was bigger than the pyramids and
the echo OF the dishOnor viii reverber
| ate through all the mountains of eter
nifty.
| In the next place notice mechanical
| lies There is no class of men who ad
| minister more to the welfare OF the city
| than artisans To their hand we
US, the garments that clOthe Us, for the
car that carries as. They WELD a wide
| spread influence. There is much deris-
| ion of what is called muscular Christi
anity,'' but in the latter day of this
| worlds prosperity I think that the
Christian viii be muscular. We have
| the right TO expect of those staigart
men OF toll the highest possible integ
| rity. Many of them answer our high
! est expectations and stand at the front
| of religious and phiianthrOpic enter
prises-
But this class, like the others that
have named, has in it those who lack II
the element of veracity- They can no
all be trusted In times when the de
to meet the demands of the public o.
do work with that promptness or per
lection that would at other times b,
possible But there are mechanic
whose word cannot be trusted at an
time No man has a right TO prOmis,
more work than he can do There ar,
mechanics who say that they viii com,
on Monday, but they do not come anti
| Wednesday, You Put work In theil
hands that they tell you shall be com
pIeted in ten days, but it Is thirty
There have been houses built of vvhicl
it might be said that every nail driven
every foot OF plastering put on, ever.
yard of pipe laid, every shingle ham
mered. everv brick mOrtared, could tel
of falsehOOd connected Herewith
How much wrong TO his soul and IN
suit to God a mechanic would save. If h
promised only 50 much as he expects
to be able to do Society has no RICH
to ask of you impOssi 5iHties- You ca
not always calculate correctly, and 20