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

falsehood. The customer, though no
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
that one dishonest bargain you picked
your own pocket and insulted the Al
mighty.
Would you dare to make an estimate
Of how mary falsehoods in trade were
yesterday told by hardware men, and
clothiers, and fruit dealers, and dry
goods establishments, and importers,
and jewelers., and lumbermen, and coal
merchants, and stationers, and tobac-
conistsp Lies about saddles, about buck
les, abou ribbons, about carpets, about
gloves, about coats, about shoes, about
hats, about watches, about carriages,
about bools-about everything. In the
name of the Lord Almighty, arraign
commercial falsehoods as one of the
greatest plaques in city and town.
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 q wide
spread influence. There is much de-
rision Of what is called muscular Chris
tianity;" but in the latter day Of the
worlds prosperity, I think that the
Christian will be muscular. We have
a 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 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 pos
sible. But there are mechanics whose
word cannot be trusted atany 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 not come until
Wednesday. You put 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 plaster
ing put on, every yard of pipe laid, every
shingle hammered, every brick NOR
tared could tell of falsehood connected
Herewith. There are men attempting
to do ten or fifteen pieces of work whit
have not the time or strength TO do mor'
than five or six pieces, but by promises
never fulfilled keep all the undertak
taleings within their grasp. This Il
what they call nursing" the job.
How much wrong to his soul and In
suit to God a mechanic would save II h
promised only so much as he expecte'
to be able to do Society has no righ
to ask Of you impossibilities. You can
not always calculate correctly, and 20,
may fail because you cannot get tn
help that you anticipate. But now
am speaking of the wilful making o
promises that you know you canno
keep. Did you say that that shoe woul
be mended, that coat repaired, thos
bricks laid, that harness sewed. tina
door grained, that spout fixed, or tina
window glazed by Saturday, KNOWN
that you would neither'be able TO do !
yourself nor get any one else TO do II
Then, before God and man you are
liar. You may say that 1t makes n
particular difference, and that II 20
had told the truth you would have los
the job, and that people expect to b
disappointed. But that excuse will nc
: answer. There is n voice of thunde
rolling among the drills, and planes
and shoe lasts, and shears, which say
, "All liars shall have their part in tn
lake that burneth with fire and brin
stone"
next notice ecclesiastical lies; this
Is, falsehoods told for the purpose {
, advancing churches and sects, or for tn
purpose Of depicting them. There is n
: use in asking many Calvinist what a
| Arminian believes, for he will be apt
, tell you that the Arminian believes this
n man can convert himself; or TO as
the Arminian what the Calvinist b,
, lieves, for he will tell you that the Ca
whist believes that God made some me
Just to damn them. There is no nee
, of asking pedo- Baptist what Baptii
believes, for he will be apt to say ths
the Baptist believes immersion TO b
! positively necessary to salvation. II
/ almost impossible for one denominatio
of Christians, without prejudice or mi
/ representation, TO state the sentimer
? of an opposing sect II a man hate
, Presbyterians he will tell you that the
believe that there are infants in hell
) span long!
= 1t Is strange also how individui
churches will sometimes make mistats
ments about other individual churches
/ It is especially so in regard to falls,
l hoods told with reference TO prosperou
, enterprises. As long as church is fe,
, BILE, and the singing Is diseordant, an
: the minister, through the poverty {
? the church, must go with threadbar
l coat, and here and there a worshipe