Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-04-10

L. t.
of lace but has upon it the mark Of dishonor.
What wonder il, some day, hand Of toll
that had been wrung and worn out and bis
tered until the skin came off should be placed
against the elegant wall paper, leaving its
mark Of blooi-four fingers and a thumb
or that some day, walking the halls, there
should be a voice accostinG the occupant,
saying, six cents for making a shirt, and,
flying the room, another voice saOuld 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 convul-
sions. The doctor said she needed medicine
began to revive in her delirium, she said,
gaspingly: Eight cents! Eight centst
Eight cents. wish could get it done; lam
so tired, | wish could get some sleep, but
must get it done! Eight cents! Eight
centsr' We found out afterward she
cents apiece, and that she could make
but three Of them in dav! Three times
eight are twenty-four! Hear it, men and
women who have comfortable honest
Some of ths 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
garments to work on. When the work is done
it is sharply inspected, the most Insignificant
flaws picked out, and the wac@cs refused. aDd
sometimes the dollar deposited not given
back The Women's Protective Union re-
p1c-ts case where one of these poor souls,
finding a place where she could get more
wages, resolved to change employers, and
went to get her pay for work done. This
employer says, Il hear you going to
leave me-" Yes" she said, and am come
to get what you owe me" He made no
answer. She said, Are you not going to
pay me-" Yes" he said Il will pay you;"
ami 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
ever 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.
Il merchant can, to the last item, be thor
oughly honest. There is never any need of
falsehood. Yet how many will, 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 II not, then you have falsif1ed You
say that that article cost you twenty-five
dollars Did itP II SO, then all right. If 1t
did not, then you have falsif1ed.
Suppose you are a purchaser. You are
''beatiag 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. If
it be worth more, and for the sake of getting
it for less than its value, you willfully de-
preciate it, you have falsified, You may
call it sharp trade. The recording angel
writes II down on the ponderous tones OF
ore ifEy Mr. nd nhor1 FOR
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 folSehood." 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 this is only box Of
buttons, or row of pins, CT a case Of
needles. Be not deceived. The article pur-
chased may be so small you can put it in
your vesS pocket, but the sin was bigger
than the Pyramids and the echo of the dis
nopor will reverberate through all the
mountains Of eternity.
You throw on your cOunIer some specimens
of handkerchiefs. Your customer asks
'"Ls that all silk? No cotton in in?' You
nswer. ut is all silk" Was it all silk? II
50, all right. But was 1t partly cotton?
Then you have falsifed. 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 he again
comes shopping he will look at your sign
and say: Il 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
boI fol in fro
day told by hardware men and clothiers and
fruit dealers and dry goods estab lishments
and importers and jewelers. and lumbermen
and coal merchants and stationers and
tObacconists? 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, I arraign COM
mercial 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 administer
more to the welfare of the city than artisans.
To their hand we must look for the building
that shelters u.s. for the garments that clothe
Us, for the car that carries US. They WELD
widespread influence. There is much deris-
ion OF what Is called Muscular Christian
ity," but in the latter day of the worlds
prosperity think that the Christian will be
muscular. W0 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 phiIanthropic 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