Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-07-23
BEHIND THE COUNTER
REV. DR.. TALMAee TO statesmen AND
SALESWOMEN.


of DR.. Talmaec, 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, IL,
And certain woman named Ly,lia, a
seller Of purple, of the city of Thyatira,
which worshiped God. heard us, whose
heart the Lord opened" Proverbs xii,
20, "seest thou a man diligent in his
businessy He shall stand before kings. "
The first passage introduces to you
Lydia, q Christian merchantess. Her
business is to deal in purple cloths or
silks She is not a giggling nonentity,
but a practical woman, not ashamed to
work for her living. All the other wo-
men Of Philippi and Thyatira have bcel
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 q
man diligent in his business? He shall
stand before kings.
Great encouragement In these two
passages for men and women who will
be busy, but no solace for those who are
Whiting for good luck to show them, at
the foot OF the rainbow. a casket of
barred 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 inexorable as the law OF
the tides Fortune, the magician, may
wave her wand in that direction until
castles and palaces come, but she will
after awhile invert the same wand, and
all tho 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 tC
dust, dishonor and moral default
would like TO fire the ambition Of young
people. | 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 not to quench but to direct human
ambition. Therefore it is that | utter
words Of encouragement to those who
are occupied as clerks in the stores and
shops and banking houses Of the coun-
try. They are not an exceptional class.
They belong to a great company OF tens
Of thousads who are in this country,
amid circumstances which will either
make or break them for time and for
eternity. Many Of these people have al
ready achieved a Christian manliness
and Christian womanliness which will
be their passport to any position. Ihaye
seen their trials. have watched theil
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, counsel clerks tC
remember that for the most part theil
clerkship is only a school from which
they are to be graduated. Ittakes about
eight years TO get into one Of the learn
ed professions. It takes about eigh
wears to get to be a merchant. Some oi
YOU will be clerks all your lives, bu
the vast majority Of you are only III
transient position. After awhile, somt
December day, the head meu of the
firm will call you into the back Office
and they viii say to you; Z" Now, yoJ
have done well by us, we are going t'
do we'll by yea. We invite you to hay'
an interest in our concern. ~ You VII
bow TO that ciict very gracefully. Get
ting into a street car to go home, AZ
old comrado will meet you and say
What makes you look so happy to
night?" "Oh," you will say, moth
ing. nothing" But in a few days you
name will blossom on the sign. Eithe
in the store or bank where you are now
or in some other store or bank, you vii
take a higher position than that whicl
YOU now occupy. So l feel am nov
addressing people who will yet hay
their hand on the helm Of the world
commerce and you will turn 1t this wa
or that Now clerks, but TO be bankers
importers, insurance company directors
shippers, contractors, superintendent
of railroads-yOur voice mighty 20
'Change"-standing foremost III tn
great financial and religious enterprise
of the day. For, though we who are
the professions may, on the platform
plead for the philanthropies, after all
/ the merchants must come forward wit
their millions to sustain the movement
Be therefore patient and diligent
this transient position. You are no.
where you can learn things you ca
never learn in any other place. VIVA
you consider your disadvantages al
your grand opportunity. You see a
affluent father some day come down
prominent street with his son who hi
inst graduated from the university an
establishing him in business, putin
$50. 600 of capital in the store. wei
Won are euvious. You say: ION, If
only had chance like that young MAJ
If | only had father to put $50, GOO
n business for me, then | would ha'
some chance in the world. " BE not el
yions. You have advantages over tn
vourg mau which he has not over yo'
AS well might | como down to Il
docks when "A vessel is about to sail f
Valparaiso and sag, Let me pilot tn
shin out to sea. Why, would siI
crew and cargo before | got out Of Il
harbor simply because | know nothii
about pilotage. Wealthy sea captai
mt their sons before the mast for q
reason that they know it is the OH
placo where they can learn to be su
cessful sailors. 1t is only under dr.
that pecple get to understand pilotai
and navigation, and l want you to u
derstand that il takes no more skill
conduct vessel out of harbor al
seross the sea than TO steer CONNIE
eial establishment clear OF the roci
You see every day the folly OF peoI
going into a business they know not
ing about. A man makes a fortune
! one business, thinks there is anotn
occupation more comfortable, goes II