Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-07-19
BEHIND THECOUNTER
REV. Or. TALMAGE TO statesmen AND
SALESWCMEN

Eloquent Exhortation.
WASHINGTON, July 1S.-This sermon
of DR.. Talmage, addressed to the great
host of clerks in stores and offices and
factories, will inspire such persons with
healthful ambition and allay many Of
their annoyances. Text, Acts xvi IA,
"And certain woman named Lydia, a
seller of purple. of the city of Thyatira,
which worshiped God, heard US, whose
heart the Lord opened" Proverbs xii,
80, "Seest thou man diligent III his
business? He shall stand before kings"
The first passage introduces to you
Lydia, 8 Christian meFchantess. Her
business is to deal in purple cloths or
silks. She is not giggling nOnentity,
but practical woman, not ashamed to
work for her living All the other wo-
men of Philippi and Thyatira have been
forgotten, but God has made immortal
In our text Lydia, the Christian sales
woman. The other text shows you a
man with head and hand and heart and
foot all busy toiling on up until he
gains princely success. 'Seest thou
man diIigent in his business? He shall
stand before kings.
Great encouragement III these two
passages for men and women who will
be busy, but no solace for those who are
waiting for good luck to show them, at
the foot OF the rainbow. casl1et of
buried gold 1t is folly for anybody in
this world to wait for something to
turn up It will turn down. The law
of thrift is as memorable as the law OF
the tides. Fortune, the magician, may
~, +lo+
castles and palaces come, but she will
after awhile invert the same wand, and
all the splendors will vanish into thin
air.
There are certain styles Of behavior
which lead to usefulness, honor and
permanent success, and there are GER
tain styles Of behavior which lead to
dust, dishonor and moral default. I
would like to fire the ambition Of young
people I have no sympathy with those
who would prepare young folks for life
by whiting down their expectations.
-That man or woman will be worth moth
ing to church or state who begins life
cowed down. The business Of Christian
ity is rot to quench but to direct human
ambition. Therefore it is that I utter
words of encouragement to those who
are occupied as clerks il the stores and
shops and banking houses of the coun-
try. They are not an exceptional class.
They belong to q great company Of tens
of thousads who arc in this country,
amid circumstances which Will either
make or break them for time and for
eternity. Many CT these people have al
ready achieved q Christian manliness
and Christian Womanliness which will
be their passport to any position. have
seen their trials. have watched their
perplexities. There are evils abroad
which need to be hunted down and
dragged out into the MONDAY light.
Patience and Diligence.
In the first place, I counsel clerks to
remember that for the most part their
clerkship is only school from which
they are to be graduated. It takes about
eight years to get into one of the learn
ed professions. 1t takes about eight
years to get to be a merchant Some of
you VIII be clerks all your lives, but
the vast majority of you are only in a
transient position. After awhile, some
December day, the head men Of the
firm will call you into the back Office.
and they will say to you: CHOW, you
have done we'll by US, we are going to
do well by you. We invite you to have
an interest in our concern You will
bow to that edict very gracefully. Get
ting into q street car to go home, an
old comrade Will meet you and say,
"What makes you look so happy to-
night?'' "Oh,' you will say, '+uoth-
ing, nothing" But in few days your
mill blossom, ON, no cir EI+,o,r
in the store or bank where you are now,
or in some other store or bank, you will
take higher position than that which
you now occupy. So I feel I am now
addressing people who Will yet have
their hand on the helm of the worlds
commerce and you will turn it this way
er that. Now clerks, but to be bankers,
importers, insurance company directors,
shippers, contractors, superintendent
of railroads-your voice mighty ION
Change" foremost in the
great financial and religious enterprises
Of the day. For, though we who are in
the professions may, on the platform,
plead for the philanthropies, after all,
the merchants must come forward with
their millions to sustain the movement.
Be therefore patient and diligent in
THIS transient position. You are now
where you can learn things you can
never learn in any other place. What
you consider your disadvantages are
your grand opportunity. You see an
Eff1uent father some day come down a
prominent street with his son who has
Just graduated from the university and
establishing him in business, putting
$40, 600 Of capital in the store. Well,
you are envious You say: "Oh, if I
only had chance like that young man!