Connecticut western news., 1891-03-25
CANAAN, CONN. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25.

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 box of but tons, 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 will reverberate through all the mountains of eternity.
 You throw on your counter some specimens of handkerchiefs. Your GUS toner asks: "Is this all silk2 No cot ton ln it2' You answer, ''It is all silk" Was it all silk2 If so, all right
 But was it partly cotton2 Then you have falsifled. Moreover. you lost by the falsehood. The customer, though he may live at Lynn or Doylestown or Poughkeepsie, will find out that you have defrauded him, and next spring when he again comes shopping he will look at your sign affd say: II wifi not try there. That is the place where I 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 lu,nbermen and coal mer-
 chants and stationers and tobacconists7
 Lies about saddles, about buckles,
 about ribbons, about carpets, about
 gloves, about coats, about shoes, about
 hats, about watches, about carriages
 about books-;lbout everything. In
 the name 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 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 wield 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 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 relig- ious and philanthropic enterprises. But this class, like the others that 1 have
 named, has in 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 the demands of the public or do work with that pro1nptness and perfec- ton that would at other times be possi. ble.
 But there are mechanics whose word cannot be trusted at any time. No man has right to promise more work than he can do. There are mechanics who say that they will come on Mon day, but they do nct come until Wed
 nesday. You put work iE their hands that they tell you shall be completed in ten days, but it is thirty. There have been houses built of which it might be said that every nail driven, every foot of clustering 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 to 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. t... How much wrong to his soul and in
 suit to God mechanic would save if
 he promised only so much as he expect ed to be able to do. Society has no right to ask of you impossibilities. You cannot always calculate correctly, and you may fail because you cannot get
 the help that you anticipate But now
 I am speaking of the willful making of
 promises that you know you cannot
 keep. Did you say that that shoe should be mended, that coat repaired, those bricks laid, that harness sewed,
 that door grained, that spout fixed, or that window glazed, by Saturday, knowing that you would neither be
 able to do it yourself nor get any one
 else to do it? Then, before God and
 man, you are liar. You may say that it makes no particular difference, and that if you had told the truth you
 would have lost the job, and that
 people expect to be disappointed. But that excuse will not answer. There is a voice of thunder rolling among the drills and planes and shoe lasts and shears which says. ''Au liars shall
 have their part in the lake that burn eth with fire and birthstone.
 MEASUREMENTS ABOUT CHURCHES I next notice ecclesiastical ies-that is, falsehoods told for the purpose of advancing churches and sects, or for the purpose of depicting them. There
 is no use in asking many a Calvinist
 what an Arlninian believes, for he will
 be apt to tell you that the Arminian
 believes that a man can convert him.
 self; or to ask the Ar1ninian what the
 Calvinist believes, for he will tell you
 that the Calvinist believes that God
 made some men just to damn them.
 There is no need of asking pedo-
 Baptist what Baptist believes, for he
 will be apt to say that the Baptist be-
 lieves immersion to be positively neces-
 sary to salvation. It is almost impos.
 sible for one denomination of Chris
 tians, without prejudice or misrepre
 sentation, to state the sentiment of an
 opposing sect. If man hates Presby