San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-05-17

liberation, and the chances are not
one in hundred that the appoint
ment will be kept punctually. You
will come promptly TO the place Of
meeting, Ieglecting other inn
portaut matters to be on time so
that the business may be dis
patched and the deferred work
resumed, and you wait, wait, wait,
until the minutes lengthen into an
hour, cooling your heels while
your temper grows hot at the in.
tolerable waste, and absolutely I'M
fitting you for the business in
hand when your long-expected-
come.at.lsst party puts in an ap-
pesrance.
1t is not particularly conducive
to restored good feeling to see
him come in unconcernedly,
drop into seat with cigar ready
to light in his hand, throw his leg
cody over a chair and remark,
"hope 1 haven't kept you waiting"
That man who has stolen an hour
of your time may have defrauded
you out of a hundred or a thous.
and dollars by his lack of punctual-
ity,, and yet if you charge him
with the theft he would take it as
an insult. Compelled to wait for
this business engagement throws
you behind with all others and the
result is that you are out Of sorts
all day; being yourself punctual
man, you are disturbed in your
business, close the day out OF tenn
per, go home wrong side out and
make your innocent wife and chill
dren pay the penalty for that I'M
punctual fellows cussedness.
Lack Of punctuality is a crime
in some business circles that Is
punished with the most severe PEN
alties; loss of confidence, loss OF
business engagements, withdrawal
Of commissions, distrust in all
things. Punctuality is the key
note Of business success and reli-
ability in most large commercial
centers. 1t has to be. Without it
there is no doing business with
thousands of agents. 1t is only in
small communities comparatively
that this looseness is habitual.
The man who contracts it is at a
terrible discount when he attempts
business in apunctual community.
AS business centers enlarge their
sphere OF operations the need of
punctuality is seen more and
more and the practice OF it is in
sisted upon. But there is wide
margin for improvement every
where.
Churches are unpunctual,
schools are unpunctual, lodges do
not commence business on time,
conventions are proverbially slow
in calling to order, excursions do
not start as advertised, courts are
slow in opening their dockets,
lawyers always say it Is ten until
it is eleven. This ha bit needs to
be corrected. The sun and the
moon give men. good examples of
punctuality. The railway trains
are usually punctual, and at least
wait for no man. Our public
schools are run with commend
able punctuallty. The large stores
require attendance to the minute.
Unpunctual clerks are marked,
locked for the first offences and
discharged if there is no reforma-
ton. Banks are examples OF
punctuality. The man who holds
a note against you is apt to pre-
sent it on time. Death is pune
tual.
1t is a little singular that the
pulpits that preach so powerfully
upon the value Of time, squander
30 much of it. Late in commenc-
ing, long in protracting their SER
vices, tedious in their prayers and
sermons, they do not consider what
an immense gain there would be
to church attendance were services
commenced at the last stroke of
the bell, and short sermons the
rule. The church, the school, the
convention, the lodge, the business
that is run like clock work, each