Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-03-27


tains all his estate. Easy! Is it? Cod
help the merchant. 1t is hard to have the
palms OF the hands blistered with out
door work, but more dreadful process
when through mercantile anXietles the
brain is consumed
] In the next place we notice mercantile
| nes' those before the counter and be-
nina the counter. l will not ATTEMPT to
! specify the different forms of CONNER
c1al falsehood. There are merchants
who excuse themselves for deviation
IRON truthfulness because of what thew
call commercial custom. In othor words.
the multiplication and universally of a
sin turns it into virtue There have
been large fortunes gathered where
there was not one drop of unreouited
toll IN the wine; not one spark of bad
temper flashing from the bronze bracket:
not one drop of needle woman's heart
blood in the crimson plush, while there
are other great establishments in which
there is not one door knob, not one brick.
not one trinket, not one thread of lace
but has upon it the mark of dishonor.
What wonder if, some day, hand of
toll that had been wrung and worn out
and blistered till the skin came off
should be placed against the elegant wall
paper, leaving its mark of blood-four
fingers and thumb-or shat some day,
walking the halls, there should be voice
accosting the occupant, saying, .sSx
cents for making a Shirt and, flying
the room, another voice should say,
Twelve cents for all army blanket,'
and the man should try to sleep at night,
but ever an anon be aroused, until, get
ting up on one elbow, he should Shrek
out, ''Who's there?''
One Sabbath night, in the vestibule of
my church, after service, a woman fell in
commissions. The doctors said she needed
medicine not SO much as something to
eat. AS She began to revive in her delir-
ium. she said gasping: "Eight cents!
Eight cents! Eight cents! l wish l
could get it done; am so tired! wish
could get some sleep, but l must get it
done! Eight cents! Eight cents!" We found
afterward she was making garments tor
eight cents apiece, and that she could
make but three of them in day! Three
times eight are tWenty-four! Hear it,
men and women who have comfortable
homes!
Some of the worst Williams 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 wo-
man must deposit dollar or two before
she gets the garments to work on. When
the work is done it is sharply inspected,
the most insignificant flaws picked out,
and the wages refused, and sometimes
the dollar deposited not given back.
The Women's Protective Union reports a
case where one of these poor souls find
ing a place where she could get more
: wages, resolved to change employers, and
went to get her pay for work done. The
employer says, 81 hear you are going to
leave me.'' eyes," she said, land am
come to get what you owe me-" He
made no answer. She said, care you
not going to pay me?" eyes," he said
: II will pay you,'' and he kicked hel
3 down the stairs.
There are thousands of fortunes made
In commercial spheres that are through
4 out righteous. God will let his favor
rest upon every scroll, every pictured
, wall, every traceried window, and thu
: Joy that flashes from the lights. an,
$ showers from the music and dances il
. the children's quick feet, PATTERN
l through the hall, will utter the congrat
/, ulation of men and the approval of God
, A merchant can, to the last item, b.
: thoroughly honest. There is never an,
: day by day, hour by hour, utter wha
8 they know to be wrong. You say tina
r you are selling at less than cost. If so
thon it is right to say it. But did tina
!, cost you less than what you ask for it:
j If not, then you have falsifed. You say
that that article cost you twenty five
t dollars. Did it? If so, then all right
9 If it did not, then you have falsified.
I Suppose you are a purchaser. YOU
J. are cheating down" the goods. You say
that that article for which five dollars i:
e charged is not worth more than four. L
, it worth no more than four dollars? Their
: all right. If it be worth more. and fol
the sake of getting it for less than its
8 value, you willfully depreciate it, you
5 have falsified. You may call in sharI
r trade. The recording angel writes il
5 down on the ponderous tones of eternity
8 ssMr. So-and-so, merchant on water
l street or in Eighth street or in State
street, or Mrs. So-and-so, keeping house
) on Beacon street, or on Madison avenue
} or Rittenhouse square, or Brooklyn
( Heights or Brooklyn Hill, told one false
hood" You may consider it insignificant
! because 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 the whole
) country was concerned; but this is only
: box of buttons, or row of pins, or a
I 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 will reverberate
} through all the mountains of eternity.
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
, must look for the building that shelters
us, for the garments that clothe US, for
, the car that carries US. They WELD a
widespread influence. There is much
derision of what is called "Muscular
: Christianity but in the latter day of
| the worlds prosperity think that the
J Christian will be muscular. We have
!, right to expect Of those stalwart men
of toll the highest possible integrity.
Many of them answer all our eXpecta-
tions, and stand at the front of religious
!, and philanthropic enterprises. But this
, class, like the others that have named,
has in it those who lack in the element
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