News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-03-26

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debtors fleeing the town, or his
landlord raising the rent, or the fires
kindling on the block that contains
all his estates. Easy! Is it2 God help
the merchants 1t is hard to have
the palms of the hands blistered with
outdoor work, but a more dreadful
process when, through mercantile ankle
ties, the brain is consumed!
THE LIES OF THE TRADERS.
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 devil
alton from truthfulness because of what
thev call commercial custom. In other
words, the multiplication and univer-
salitv of a sin turns it into q 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; lot one drop of needle
|
plush; while there are other great es-
| 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 until the skin came off, should
be placed against the elegant wall
paper, leaving its mark of blood-four
fingers and thumb; or that some day,
walking the halls, there should be a
voice accosting the occupant, saying,
six cents for making shirt" and.
| flying the room, another voice should
say, Twelve cents for an army blank
| et;" 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's"
One Sabbath night, in the vestibule
of my church after service, a woman
fell in commissions. The doctor said
she needed medicine not SO much as
something to eat. As she began to re-
vive in her deliriuln she said gasping-
ly Eight centsl eight cents! eight
centsl l wish 1 could get it done; l
am so tired! l wish l could get some
sleep, but I must get it donel Eight
cents eight cents!" We found after
ward that she was making garments
for 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 honest
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. The
woman must deposit dollar or two
before she gets the garments to work
on. When the work is done it is sharp
ly inspected, the most insignificant flaws
picked out and the wages refused, and
sometimes the dollar deposit is not
given back The Women's Protective
union reports a case where one of these
poor souls, finding place where she
could get more wages, resolved to change
employers, and went to get her pay for
work done The employer says; Il
hear you are going to leave me-"
Eyes, " she said, land 1 am come to get
what you owe me- He made no an
swer She said, Are you not going to
pay mer' Yes" he said, Il will pay
you, and he kicked her down the stairs.
There are thousands of fortunes made
in commercial spheres that are through
out 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 chiIdren's quick feet patterinS
through the hall, will utter the con-
graduation of men and the approval of
God.
LIES ARE UNNECESSARY.
A merchant can, to the last item, be
thoroughly honest. There is never
any need of falsehood. Yet how many
viii, day by day, hour by hour, utter
what they know to be wrong. You
say that you are selling at less than
cost. If SO, then it is right to say it.
But did that cost you less than what
you ask for it2 If not, then you have
falsifed. You say that that article
cost you twenty-five dollars. Did it2
If so, then all right. If it did not, then
you have falsified.
Suppose you are purchaser. You
are beating down" the goods. You
say that that article for which five dol
lars is charged is not worth more than
four. Is it worth no more than four
dollars? Then all right. If it be worth
more, and for the sake of getting it for
less than its value you willfully depre-
ciate you have falsificd. You may call
it a sharp trade The recording angel
writes it down on the ponderous tones
OF eternity, Mr.. So-and-so, merchant
In 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 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 box of but
tons, or 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: rs this all silk? No cot |
ton in it," You answer, at is all |
silk" Was it all silk? If so, all right.
But was it partly cotton? Then you
have falsified. 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 and say: II will not
try there. That is the place where |
got that handkerchief" So that by
oiieI' oAo oisAoneSC OafSiIll 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
jewelers. and lumbermen and coal mer-
chants and stationers and tobacconists2
Lies about saddles, about buckles