Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1895-07-11


tile Wnysidc-The Value of "a Human
Soul.
NEW YORK, july I'm his sermon for
today DR.. Talnagc, who is still absent on
his western lccturng tour, chose IL subject
of universal intcrcst-viz, "gusincss Trou-
blcs'-tho text selected being Ezekiel
xvii "a "Thcsc were thy merchants in all
sort, Of things
We are at the opening door of returning
national prosperity. The coming crops tho
rc-C.tabishmcut of public confidence and,
above all, the blessing of God will turn in
upon all sections of America the widest,
greatest prosperity this country has ever
seen. But that door of successes is not yet
fully open, and thousands of business
men are yet suffering from the distressing
times through which we have been pass
ing.
Some of the hest men in the land havo
faltCrcd, mon whose hearts are enlisted in
every good work and whose hands havo
blessed every great charity. The church Of
God can afford to cStcnd to them her sym
rathios and plead before heaven with all
availing prayer. Tho schools such men
have established, the churches they have
built, tho asylums and bcucficout iustitu-
tiunS they have fOstcrcd, will be their Gu
logy long after heir banking institutions
arr forgotten. such men can never fail
Jhcy have their treasures in banks that
never break and will be millonaircs for
ever But ! thought it would be unpro-
pirate today, and useful, for me to tall,
about the trials and temptations Of our
business men and try to offer some cura-
tive prescriptions
Limited Capital.
In the first place, l have to remark that
a great many Of our business men feel
ruinous trials and temptations coming to
them from small and limited capital in
business. i is everywhere understood
that it takes now three or four time, as
much to do business well rs once it did
Once Il few hundred dollars were turned
into goods-tho merchant would he iii,
own store sweeper, his own salesman, his
own hoolkccper; he would manage all tho
affairs himself, and everything would be
net profit. Wonderful changes have come;
costly apparatus, extensive advertising, OK
brilliant store rents, heavy taxation, cX-
ICnsiYC agencies are only parts of the de
mand made upon our commercial men,
and when they have found themselves in
such circumstances with small capital.
they have sometimes been tempted to run
against the rocks Of moral and financial
destruction. This temptation of limited
capital has ruined men in two ways.
Sometimes they have shrunli down under
the tcmptati1n They have yielded the
battle before the first shot was fired AT
the first hard dun they surrendered. Their
knees knocked together at the fall of the
auctionccr's hammer. They blanchcd at
the financial peril. They did not under
stand that there is such thing as hcroism
in merchandise and that there arc Water
loOs Of the counter and that Il man can
fight no Drawer battle with the sword than
he can with tho yardstck. Their souls
melted in them because sugars were up
when they wanted to buy and down whcr
thcy wanted to sell and unstable goods
were on the shelf and bad debts in their
ledger. The gloom of their countcnanccs
ovcrshadowcd even their dry goods and
groceries. Dependency. coming from linn
tied capital, blasted them. Others have
felt it in u different way They have said:
"Iicrc l have been trudging along | have
been trying to he honest all these years. l
find it is of no use. Now it is make or
break" The small craft that could have
stood the stream is put out beyond the
lighthouse on the great sea- of speculation.
He borroWs II few thousand dollars from
friends who dare not refuse him, and he
goes bartcriEg on q large scale.
He reasons in this way: Perhaps nav
succeed and if l don't | will be no worse
off than | am now for 300 600 taken
from nothing nothing remains Stocks
ARE the dice with which he CANDLES He
bought for a few dollars vast tracts Of
western land. Some man at the cast, liy-
ing on II fat homestead, meets this gam
bier Of fortune aud Is persuaded to trade
off his estate for lots in a western city
with large avenues, and costly palaces,
and lake steamers smCkingat he Wharvcs.
and rail trains coming down with light
ming speed from every direction There it
is ali on paper. The city has never been
built, nor the railroads constructed but
everything points that way, and the thing
will he done rs sure Us you live. Well, tho
man goes on, stopping at no fraud Dr out
rage. In his splendid cquipagc he dashcs
past, while the honest laborcr looks llp
and wipes the sweat from his brow aud
says Il wonder where that man got all
his money" After awhile the bubble
bursts, Creditors rush in. The law
clutches, but finds nothing in its grasp.
The men who were swindlcd say Il don't
know how | could have ever been deceived
by that man. and the pictorials in hand
some wood cuts set forth the hero who IN
ten years had genius enough to fail for
$50. 600.
And that is the process by which many
have been tempted through Limitation uf
capital To rush into labyrnths from which
they could not be oxtricatcG | would not
want to chain honest enterprise | would
not want To block up any of the avenues
tor honest accumulation that open before
young men, On the contrary, ! would Ike
To cheer them on and rejoice when they
reach the goal, but when there are such
multltudcs of men going to ruin for this
life and the life that is to como, through
wrong notions Of what are lawful spheres
of enterprise, it is the duty of the church
If God, and the ministers of religion. and
the friends Of AL young men to utter a
plain, emphatic, unmistakable protest.
These are the influences that drown men
in destruction and pcrtlition.
OVcranxiety.
Again, a great many Of our business
I 'n are tempted 20 OycIunxicty and care.
You know tnnt nearly all commercial bust
nr,seS are oTvrdune in this day Smittcn
with the love of quick gain, our cities are
crowded with men resolved to be rich at
all hazards, They do not care how money
comes, If it only comes. Our best mcr-
chants are thrown into competition with
men Of more mean, and less conscience
and II an opportunity Of accumulation be
Gcglected ule hour some one else picks
VI up. From January to December the
struggle goes on. Night gives no quiet to