The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-03-25

bargain-maker: "You get your money
easy" Do they get it 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
commercial life, and see If they find 1t
SO very easy. While the farmer goes to
sleep with the assurance that his corn
and barley will be growing all the
night, moment by moment adding to
his revenue, the merchant tries to go to
sleep, conscious that that moment his
cargo may be broken on the rocks, or
damaged by the wave that swept clear
across the hurricane deck; or that reck-
less spectators may, that very hour,
be plotting some monetary revolution,
or the burglars be prying open his safe,
or his debtors fleeing the town, or his
landlord raising the rent, or the fires
kindling on the block that contains all
his estates. Easy! Is it? God help the
merchantst 1t is hard to have the
palms Of the hands blistered with out
door work; but more dreadful process
when, through mercantile anxieties, tho
brain is consumed!
In the next place we notice mercan-
tile lies, those before the counter and
behind the counter. / will not attempt
to specify the different forms Of com
mercial falsehood. There are mer-
chants who excuse themselves for devi-
alton from truthfulness because Of what
they call commercial custom. In other
words, the multiplication and univer-
salty Of sin turns it into a virtue.
There have been large fortunes gath
cred 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
woman's heartblood in the crimson
plush; while there are other great es-
tablishments in which there is not one
door-knob, not one brick, not one trim
ket, not one thread of lace, but has up
on it the mark of dishonor. What Won
der il, some day, hand Of toll, that
had been wrung, and worn out, and
blistered until the skin came off, should
be placed against the elegant wallpaper,
leaving its mark of blood-four fingers
and thumb; or that, some day, walk
ing the halls, there should be voice ac-
costing the occupant, saying, "Sixcents
for making 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?"
One Sabbath night in the vestibule OF
my church after service, a woman fell
in convulsions. The doctor said she
needed medicine not so much as some
thing to eat. As she began TO revive, in
her delirium she said, gaspingly: Eight
centsl Eight cents! Eight cents! I wish
could get it done; ! am SO tired!
wish I could get some sleep, but must
get II donel Eight cents. Eight cents'
We found afterwards she was making
garments for eight cents apiece, ant
that she could make but three of then
in a day. Three times eight are twenty
fourl Hear it, men and women whC
have comfortable homes!
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 tn,
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 flaw
picked out, and the wages refused. AM
sometimes the dollar deposited not Civ
en- back. The Women's Protectiv
, Union reports case where one of thes
poor souls, finding place where sh
could get more wages, resolved L
, change employers, and went to get he
pay for work done. The employer says
81 hear you are going to leave" "Yes,
she said, land am come to get wha
, you owe me-" He made no answer. Sh
r said: "Are you not going to pay me?
| "Yes," he said, 81 will pay you;" and h
| kicked her down the stairs.
There are thousands OF fortunes mad
in commercial spheres that are through
out righteous. God will let his favo
rest upon every scroll, every picture
wall, every traceried window; and tn
Joy that flashes from the lights, an
showers from the music, and dances i
|, the children's quick feet, patterin
, through the hall, will utter the congrat
ulation of men and the approval of Goo
, A merchant can, 10 the last item, b
, thoroughly honest. There is xever an
, need of falsehood Yet how many will
; day by day, hour by hour, utter wha
} they know TO be wrong. You say tina
, you are selling at less than cost. II sc
y then IL is right to say II, But did tina
? cost you less than what you ask for 1t
4 II not, then you have falsified. Yo
say that that article cost you twenty
, Ave dollars. Did IL. II so, then all
I right. II IL did not, then you have faI
. sified. Suppose you are q purchaser
/ You are beating down" the goodr
I You say that Che article for whic
r FIVE dollars is charged is not wort
E more than four. Is II worth no NOR
: than four dollars? Then all right. Fit b
6 worth more, and for the sake of gettin
. IL for less than It's value, you willfull
\ depreciate Il, you have falsifed. Yo
' may call it n sharp trade. The RECORD
! ing angel writes II down on the ponder
: Gus tones of eternity-"Mr. SO and Sc
; merchant on Water street. or in Eight
a street, or In State street; or Mrs. SO an
n SO, keeping house on Beacon street, @
: | IN Madiaon avenue mr. Rittanhous