Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-11-02

l pass on to consider commercial
lies. There are those who apologize
for deviations from the right and for
practical deception by saying it is COM
mercial custom. In other words, lie
by multiplication becomes virtue.
There are large fortunes gathered in
which there is not one drop of tho
sweat or unrequited toll, and not one
spark OF bad temper flashes from the
bronze bracket. and there is not one
drop of needlewoman' heart blood on
the crimson plush; while there are
other fortunes about which 1t may be
said that on every door knob and on
every figure of the carpet, and on ev-
cry wall there is the mark OF dishonor.
What if the hand wrung by toll and
blistered until the skin comes off
should be placed on the exquisite wall
paper, leaving it's mark Of blood-four
fingers and thumb? or, if in the night
the man should be aroused from his
slumber again and again by
his own conscience, getting him.
self up on elbow and cry
ing out into the darkness, who Is
there?"
There are large fortunes upon which
Gods favor comes down, and it is just
as honest and just as Christian to be af-
fluent as 1t is to be poor. In many 4
house there is blessing on every pic
tured wall and on every scroll, and on
every traceried window, and the joy
that flashes in the lights, and that
showers in the music and that dances
in the quick feet of the children pat
tering through the hall has in it the
favor OF God and the approval OF man.
And there are thousands and tens OF
thousands OF merchants who, from the
first day they sold yard of cloth, CT
frkin of butter, have maintained their
integrity. They were horn honest,
they will live honest, and they will die
honest. But you and l know that there
are in commercial life those who are
guilty OF great dishonesties of speech.
A merchant says, II am selling these
goods at less tran cost" Is he getting
for those goods q price inferior to that
which he paid for then? Then he has
spokea the truth. Is he getting more?
Thea he lies. A merchant says: II
paid S25 for this article" Is that the
price he paid for it? All right But
suppose he paid for it SO instead of
SIS? Then he lies.
But there are just as many false
hoods before the counter as there are
behind the counter. A customer comes
in and asks: How much is this arti-
cle?" 1T is five dollars 81 can get
that for four somewhere else" Can
he get it for four somewhere else, or
did he say that just for the purpose of
getting it cheap by depreciating the
value of the goods? If so, he lied.
There are just as many falsehoods be-
fore the counter as there are behind
the counter.
Social life is struck through with
insincerity. They apologize for the fact
that the furnace is out; they have not
had any fire IN it all winter. They
apologize for the fare on their table;
they never live any better. They de-
cry their most luxuriant entertainment
to win shower of approval from you.
They point at picture on the wall as
a work of one of the old masters. They
say it is an heirloom in the family. 1t
hung on the wall of a castle. A duke
gave it to their grandfather. People
that will lie about nothing else will
lie about picture. On small income
we want the world to believe we are
affluent, and society today is struck
through with cheat and counterfeit and
sham. How few people are natural!
Frigidity sails around, iceberg grind
ing against iceberg. You must not
laugh outright; that is vulgar. You
must smile. You must not dash quick
ly across the room; that is vulgar.
You must glide. Much of society Is a
round of bows, and grins and grimaces
and obs and abs and he, he's and
simperings and namby-pambyism, a
whole world OF which Is not worth one
good honest round of laughter. From
such hollow scene the tortured guest
retires at the close of the evening, as
surfing the host that he mas enjoyed
himself Society IS become SO contorted
and deformed in this respect that a
mountain cabin where the rustics gath
er at a quilting or an apple-paring, has
in 1t more good cheer than all the
frescoed refrigerators of the metrop-
oils.
I pass on to speak OF ecclesiastical
lies, those which are told for the adj
vancement or retarding of church or
sect. 1t Is hardly worth your while
to ask an extreme Calvinist what an
Arminian believes. He will tell you
that an Arminian believes that man
can save himself. An Arminian be-
lieves no such thing. 1t is hardly worth
your while to ask an extreme Arminian
what Calvinist believes. He will tell
you that Calvinist believes that God
made some men just to damn them. A
Calvinist believes no such thing. 1t Is
hardly worth your while to ask Pc
do-Bapt!st what Baptist believes. He
will tell you Baptist believes that
immersion is necessary for salvation.
A Baptist does not believe any such
thing. 1t is hardly worth your while
to ask man, who very much hates
PreShyterfans what n Presbyterian he