Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-24

what they know to be wrong. Yor
say that you are selling at less thar
cost. II 80, then it is right to say it
But did that cost you less than wha
you ask for itl If not, then you hav'
falsified You say that chat article
cost you twenty-five dollars. Did it
If so, then all right. If it did not, ther
you have falshed.
Suppose you are purchaser Yor
are beating down" the goods. Yor
say that that article for which five dol
lars is charged is not worth more thar
four. Is it worth no more than foul
dollars2 Then all right. If it be worth
more, and for the sake of getting it fol
less than it's value you willfully depre
ciate you have falsi6ed. You may cal
it q sharp trade. The recording ange
writes it down on the ponderous TONES
of eternity, "Mr. Soandso, merchant
in Water street or in Eighth street OF
in State street, or hrs. So-andsC
keeping house on Beacon street or on
Madison avenue or Rittenhouse square
or Brooklyn heights or Brooklyn Hill,
told one falsehood. You may con
slider it insignificant, because relating
to an insignificant purchase. You would
despise the man who would falsify in
regard to some great matter in which
the city or the whole country was con-
cerned; but this is only q box of but
tons, or a row of pins, or a case OF
needles Be not deceived. The article
purchased may be 30 small you can put
it in your vest pocket, but the sin was
bigger than the Pyramids and the echo
of the dishonor will reverberate through
all the mountains of eternity.
You throw on your counter some
specimens OF handkerchiefs. Your Gus
toner asks; rs this all silk? No cot
ton in it2" You answer, "It is all
silk" Was it all silk2 If so, all right.
But was it partly cotton2 Then you
have falsifed Moreover. you lost by
the falsehood. The customer, though
he may live Mt Lynn or Doylestown or
Poughkeepsie, will find out that you
have defrauded him, and next spring
when he again comes shopping ne will
look at your sign and say; 81 will not
try there. That is the place where l
got that handkerchief. So that by
that one dishonest bargain you picked
your own pocket and insulted the Al
mighty.
Would you dare to make an estimate
of how many falsehoods in trade were
yesterday told Ly hardware men and
clothiers and fruit dealers and dry
goods establishments and importers and
jewellers and lumbermen and coal mer-
chants and stationers and tobacconists
Lies about saddles, about buckles,
about ribbons, about carpets, about
gloves, about coats, about shoes, about
hats, about watches, about carriages,
about books-about everything. In
the namo OF the Lord Almighty | ar
raign commercial falsehoods as one of
the greatest plaques in city and town.
THE LIES OF THE ARTISANS.
In the next place l 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 must
look for the building that shelters us,
for the garments that clothe us, for the
car that carries us. They WELD wide
spread influence. There Is much de
rision of what is called Muscular
Christianity" but in the latter day of
the worlds prosperity think that the
Christian will be muscular We have
a right TO expect of those stalwart men
of toll the highest possible integrity.
Many of them answer all our expecta-
tions, and stand Mt the front of relig-
ious and philanthropic enterprises. But
this class, like the Others that have
named, has i'm it those who lack in the
element of veracity. They cannot all
be trusted. In times when the demand
for labor is great it is impossible to
meet tho demands OF the public or do
work with that promptness and perfec-
ton that would mt other times be posi-.
bic.
But there are mechanics whose word
cannot DO trusted at any time. No
man has a right TO promise more work
than he can do. There are mechanics
who say that they will come on Mon,
day, but they do not come until Wed
nesday, You put work ir their hands
that they tell you shall be completed
in ten days, but 1t is thirty, There
have been houses built of which it
might be said that every nail driven,
every foot of plastering put ON, every
yard of pipe laid, every shingle ham
mered, every brick mortared, could tell
of falsehood connected Herewith.
There are men attempting TO do ten or
fifteen pieces OF work who have not the
time or strength 10 do more than five
or six pieces, but by promises never
fulfilled keep all the undertakings
within their own grasp. This is what
they call Nursing the job.
How much wrong TO his soul and in
suit To God mechanic would save il
he promised only SO much rs he expect
ed to bo able to do. Society has no
right TO ask OF you impoSSibilIties, You
cannot always calculate cornectly, and
you may fail because you cannot get
the help that you anticipate. But now
ann speaking ot the willful making of
promises that you know you cannot
keep. Did YOU say that thar shoe
should be mended, that coat repaired,
those bricks laid, that harness sewed,
-lhnA na,nr ,,r,,innd tint smut fixed or