The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-04-15

sometimes the dollar deposived not given
back. The Women's Protective Union re-
portsa case where one Of these poor souls,
finding place where she could get more
went to get her pay for work done. The
employer says, II hear you are going to
leave me-" "Yes," she said, land am come
to get what you owe me-" He made no
answer. She said, "Are you not going to
pay me?' "Yes," he said, II will pay you;"
and he kicked her down the stairs.
There are thousands Of fortunes made IN
commercial spheres that are throughout
righteous. God will let His favor rest upon
every scroll, every pictured wall, every
traceried window, and the joy that flashes
from the lights, and showers from the music
] and dances in the children's quick feet, pat
| tering through the hall, will utter the con-
graduation Of men and the approval Of God.
A merchant can, to the last item, be tht :.
| oughly honest. There Is never any need of
| faisshood Yet how many will day by day,
hour by hour, utter what they know to DE
wrong. You say that you are selling at less
than cost. II 81, then 1t Is right to say it.
But did that cost you less than what you ask
for it? II not, then you have falsified. You
! say that that article cost you twenty-five
| dollars. Did it? II so, then all right. II 1t
| did not then you have falsifed-
Suppose you are a purchaser. You are
ssbeating down" the goods. You say that
| that article for which five dollars is charged
! is not worth more than four. Is it worth no
more than four dollars' Then all right. II
! it be worth more, and for the sake OF fgetting
1t for less than its value, YOU willeully de-
preciate it, you have falsifled, You may
call it sharp trade. The recording angel
writes it down on the ponderous tones OF
eternity, "Mr. So-and.so, merchant on Water
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 falsehood." You may consider
| 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 whole coun-
Try was concerned; but thisis only a box OF
buttons. or row Of pins, or case OF
needles. Be not deceived. The article pur-
chased may be so small you can put 1t In
than the Pyramids, and the echo Of the dis
honor will reverberate through all the
mountains Of eternity.
You throw on your counter some specimens
Of handkerchiefs. Your customer asks:
SIS that all silk? No cotton iu in" You
answer, ut is all silk Was it all silkP II
so, all right. But was it partly cotton,
Then you have falsihed. Moreover, you
lost by the falsehood. The customer, though
he may live at Lynn or Doylestown or
Poughkeepsie. will find out that you have de-
frauded him, and next spring when be again
comes shopping he will look at your sign
and say: II will not try there That is the
place where I got that handkerchief." So
that by that one dishonest bargain you
pick your own pocket and insulted the
Almighty.
Would you dare to make an estimate OF
! how many fa,sehoods in trade were yester-
day told by hardware men and clothiers and
| fruit dealers and dry goods esta ablishment5
and importers and jewelers. and lumbermen
and coal merchants and stationers and
tobacconistss 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 name of
the Lord God Almighty, arraign COM
mercial falsehoods as one Of the greatest
| plaques in city and town.
In the next place l notice mechanical lies.
There is no class Of men who administer
! more to the welfare OF tbe 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
widespread influence. There Is much deris-
|
| ity" 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 posi-
BILE integrity. Many Of them answer all our
expectations, and stand at the front Of relig-
ious and philanthropic enterprises. But
this class, like the others that 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 promptness
| and perfection that would at other times be
possible.
But there are mechanics whose word can
not be trusted at any time No man has q
right to promise more work than he can do.
There are mechanics who say that they will
come on Monday, but they do not come until
Wednesday. You pitt work in 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 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 to
do more than five or six pieces, but by prom
ises 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 insult to
God mechanic would save If he promised
only SO much as he expected to be able to do.
Society has no right to ask Of you impossl-
bilities. You cannot always calculate cor
rectly, and you may fail because you cannot
get the help that you anticipate. But now
| am speaking of the willful making of
promises that you know you cannot keep.
Did you say that that shoe should bs 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 youself nor get anyone else to DO lt9
Then, before God and man you are liar.
You may say that it makes no particular
truth you would have lost the job. and that
people expect to be disappointed, but the e1-
cuse will not answer There is voice of
thunder rolling among the drills and planes
and shoe lasts and shears which says, "All
liars shall have their part in the lake that
burneth with fire and birthstone"
I next notice ecclesiastical lies-that Is,
falsehoods told for the purpose of advancing
churches and sects, or for the purpose Of de-
pleting them. There is no use in asking
many a Calvanist what an Arminian be-
lieves, for he will be apt to tell you that the
Arminian believes that man can convert
himself or to ask the Arminian what the
Calvinist believes, for he will tell you that
the Calyinist believes that God made some
men Just to damn them. There is no need
in asking q pado- Baptist what Baptist be-
lieves, for he will be apt to say that the
Baptist believes immersion to be positively
necessary to salvation. 1t is almost i'm
possible for one denomination of Christians.
without prejudice or misrepresentation, to
state the sentiment Of an opposing sect. II
man hates Presbyterians, and you ask him
| what Presbvterians believe he will tell you