The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-10-29

unrequited toll, and not one spark OF
bad temper flashes from the bronze
bracket, and there is not one drop OF
needlewoman hearts blood on the
crimson plush, while there are other
fortunes about which it may be said
that on every doorknob, and ON every
figure of the carpet, and on every wall
there is the mark of dishonor. What II
the hand wrung by toll and bllstered
until the skin comes off should be
placed on the exquisite wall paper, leav-
ing it's mark of blood-four fingers and
a thumb-or if in the night the man
should be aroused from his slumber
again and again by his own conscience,
getting himself up on elbow and cry
ing out into the darkness, "Who is
there?"
There are large fortunes upon which
Gods favor comes down, and 1t is just
as honest and Just as Christian to be
affiuent as it is to be poor. In many a
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 show
ers in the music and that dances IN the
quick feet of the children patterlng
through the hall has in it the favor OF
God ard the approval of man, and there
are thousands and tens of thousands OF
merchants who, from the first day they
sold a ward of cloth or firkin of butter,
have maintained their integrity. They
were born 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 dishon-
estes of speech. A merchant says, II
am selling these goods at less than
cost" Is he getting for those goods a
price inferior to that which he paid for
them? Then he has spoken the truth.
Is he getting more? Then he lies. A
merchant says, II paid $25 for this
article" Is that the price he paid for
it? All right. But suppose he paid for
it $23 instead of $50? Then he lies
But there are just as many falsehoods
before the counter as there are behind
the counter A customer comes in and
asks, "How much is this article?' "It
is So" II can get that for 81 some
where else" Can he get it for $4 some
where else, or did he say that just for
the purpose of getting it cheap by de-
preciating the value of the goods? If SO,
he lied. There are just as many false
hoods before the counter as there are
behind the counter.
A man unrolls upon the counter a
bale of handkerchiefs. The customer
says, care those all silk?" Eyes. "No
cotton in them?'' "No cotton in them. "
Are those handkerchiefs all silk? Then
the merchant told the truth Is there
any cotton in them? Then he lied.
Moreover, he defrauds himself, for this
customer coming in will after awhile
find out thaS he has been defrauded,
and the next time he comes to town
and goes shopping he will look up at
that sign and say: "No, l won't go
there. That's the place where | got
those handkerchiefs :" First, the mer-
chant insulted God, and, secondly. he
picked his own pocket.
Who would take the responsibility
of saying how many falsehoods were
yesterday told by hardware men and
clothiers and lumbermen and tobacco
nists and jewellers and importers and
shippers and dealers in furniture and
dealers in coal and dealers in groceries?
Lies about buckles, about saddles, about
harness, about Shoes about hats, about
coats about shovels, about tongs, about
forks, about chairs, about sofas, about
horses, about lands, about everything.
| arraign commercial falsehood as one
of the crying sins of our time.
The Lying Mechanic.
l pass ON to speak of mechanical
falsehoods Among the artisans are
those upon whom we are dependent for
the houses in which we live, the gar
ments we wear, the cars in which we
ride. The vast majority of them are, so
far as know them, men who speak the
truth, and they are upright, and many
of them are foremost in great philan-
thropies and in churches, but that they
all do not belong to that class every one
knows In times when there Is a great
demand for labor it is not so easy for
such men to keep their obligations, be-
cause they may miscalculate in regard
to the weather, or they may not be able
to get the help they anticipated in their
enterprise l am speaking now of those
who promise to do that which they
know they will not be able to do. They
say they will come ON Monday; they do
not come until Wednesday. They say
they will come ON Wednesday; they do
not come until Saturday. They say they
will have the job done in 10 days; they
do not get it done before 80 And when
a man becomes irritated and will not
stand it any longer, then they go and
work for him day or two and keep
the job along, and then some one else
gets irritated and outraged and they go
and work for that man and get him
pacified, and then they go somewhere
else. believe they call that nursing
the job. "
All, my friends, how much dishonor
such men would save their souls if they
would promise to do only that which
they know they can do. "Oh, they
say, "it's of no Importance; everybody
expects to be deceived and disappoint-
ed. - There is voice of thunder sound
ing among the saws and the hammers