The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-12-16
The Early Closing Movement.

The Early Closing Movement.
For several months past the question OF
early closing has been agitated by the Clerks
Union of this city. That their movement
has been successful thus far can be seen
when 1t is started that nearly every firm OH
this side of the river has signed an agree
ment to close four evenings in week at
O'Clock, keeping open Monday and Saturday.
Early closing will take effect in January.
To acquaint the citizens of OwOssO with
the objects of the movement and the resulting
good to the employees in the various stores,
public meeting was held in Opera House
on Tuesday evening. The bad weather
kept away large number who otherwise
would have attended.
President Fred Carpenter presided. Music
was furnished by the OwOssO Mandolin Club.
The first speaker of the evening was the
secretary of the Union, Mr.. L. l.. Jones,
who briefly stated the object of the gather
ing, as follows: We meet to night to ac-
quaint the public with the purpose of the
clerks union and to discuss the feasibility
OF executing that purpose. The clerks un-
ION Is not an organization of anarchists, but
has for its end the accomplishment Of nObler
and better things; to bring the employer
and emplOye to an understanding of the re-
latiOrs between them. The union has for
its consideration the interests of the employ
ers as well as the clerks, and the present
step in trying to shorten the hours of labor
is unquestionably as much of benefit to the
employer as to the clerk.
Rev. j. r. Reitzel followed with very
earnest talk on the subject, summary of
which Is given herewith.
On receiving the invitation to speak at
this meeting, 1t came to me that 1t would be
both an honor and pleasure to address a
gathering in which the ladies and gentlemen
of the Retail Clerks Union figured so large
ly. Having some opportunity to form an
opinion, 1t is given as my judgment that In
appearance, intelligence and all those quail
ties which make good society, the ladies and
gentlemen of the Retail Clerks Union In
OwOSsO are very much above the average of
those In like pursuits in other cities, espec-
tally those i'm older cities. This is mostly
true because they have not been in this line
of work for several generations. In the
older and larger cities where families for
two, three and four generations have fol-
lowed this class of work for long hours, 1t
reduced the individual and made the person
inferior. This would be more noticeable
where, in these last years, both father and
mother are in the stain of the taxing hours
for the long days.
That deep and sacred sentiment which
holds lives in beautiful union, making the
family, has its foundations divinely laid,
and all our business must be so managed as
to allow this sentiment to grow. If were
an artist, my ambition leading me to paint
that beauty which would find response i'm
every heart, my subject the hOme-just such
an ideal home as is possible among us honor
able Americans. If it be at the coming of the
long winter evenings, the lamp is lighted.
the fire is cheerful, the children are at play
about the room, the wife and mother busy
the meal and waiting the return
of the one loved and respected. That scene
comes before business. To found, preserve
and cultivate that home needs time. What
does shorter hours mean to such a scene?
To cultivate that beautiful, mutual home
life we need certain choice of our time and
our business hours mus: be modified with
respect to this. which with all of us comes
first This is not only our first business.
but it is the divine and sacred part of busi
Dess fed by the strongest sentiment.
But there art some objections to closing
the stores early. These objections, how
ever, are mostly ill-fOunded or of sinister
nature.
One person remarked, "If saloons are
open and stores closed, men will come down
own and go into these places that are OPEN"
Lessening the likelihood of going into the
saloon is good thing, but wearing people
)ut and degenerating them by long business
hours is an evil thing. Now must we do
evil that good may com.? Certainly wives
oh tI,h
and fathers come down street and 60 into
but we must rest assured first that
he many good ladies employed i'm our
stores will make the best use of their time
It home, and they will exert lively IN
iuence in occupying the gentlemen so they
'emain at home or i'm other good places.
Then besides that, there are very few en-
DlOyees in our stores who are of that inferior
,lass who visit saloons.
The other objection is that it will hurt
business. Here in our mOney-mdking
America we call money-making business,
md nothing, however good and sacred, can
tand in the way of money-making. But
he idea that early closing will hurt busi-
less Is based OH the suppOsitiOn that people
)uy for fun and because the store Is open.
{ is stern fact that eighty-five per cent. of
,ur people buy because 1t is necessity,
md the mere incident that your store is open
will make very little additional business.
If, however, it Is mere cold business
natter, is IL good business that you may sell
few yards of calico or few pounds of
and out of your large profit make
few cents, but it will not offset the light
md extra fuel and on close count you
,ain very little.
Then above all i'm mere cold business
matters, the soul. high manhood and woman
IOOd, has scarcely fair chance. When we
eek first the kingdom of business, other
ligher and nObler things escape US. Our
upreme command now is, ''seek first the
,ingdOm of the family" Our gold of earth
les i'm your and my home and family. High
moral, high intellectual high social aims,
ender, lovely, religious graces and the SER
ice of bumanity-these are the divine
of business We are not here
o handle goods simply, nor to build up bus
ness blocks, but we are here to keep life on
Is true basis and build up character, man.
OOd, wOmanhOOd, homes and families
Ind the business men on our streets who
would sacrifice these to mere mOney-making
re few. The true business man always
nOdifies his business by such principles as
will first secure the true life.
Foremost in this movement our Sunday
est question Is involved and the movement
hould encourage and secure The closing of
ls,ta ,f Jnx