The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-07-30
SERMON TO CLERKS.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Formulates Lit
tie Sound Advice.
Punctuality, Industry and Obedience Car.
dInal Principles - Patience Under
Trisls-ChristIan and UnchrIs-
than Employers.

\ Ard certain woman named Lydia, seller
/ Or purple, of the city of Thvatira, which wor-
| SHIPPED God heard us: whose heart the Lord
| Vpened-ActS xvi, IA
Seest thou a man diligent In his business lie
shall stand before kings.-PreverbA; xSii., %.
The first passaged introduce to you
! Lydia, a Christian merchantess. Her
business is to deal in purple cloths or
silks. She is not giggling nenehtity,
but practical woman, not ashamed to
work for her living. All the other
wenen of Philippi and Thyatira have
been forgotten; but God has made i'm
mortal in our text Lydia, the Christian
saleSwomen. The other text shows
you a man with head, and hand, and
heart and foot all busy toiling on up
until he gains a princely success.
'Seest thou man diligent in his BUSH
ness? 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 waiting for good luck to show
them, at the foot of the rainbow, a
casket of buried gold. 1t is folly for
anybody in this world to wait for
something to turn up. 1t will turn
down. The law of thrift is as inexor-
able 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 the splendors
will vanish into thin air.
There are certain styles of behavior
which lead to usefulness, honor and
loo
tain styles of behavior which lead to
lust, dishonor and moral default. l
would like to fire the ambition of young
people. l have no sympathy with those
who would prepare young folks for
life by whiting down their expecta-
ions. That man or woman will be
worth nothing to church or state who
begins life cowed down. The business
IF Christianity is not to quench but
70 direct human ambition. There
lore, it is that l utter words of
encouragement to those who are occu-
pied as clerks in the stores, and shops,
md banking houses of the country.
They are not an exceptional class.
They belong to great company of
ems of thousands who are in this
country, amid circumstances which
will either make or break them for
lime and for eternity. Many of these
people have already achieved a Chris
ian manliness and Christian woman
iness which will be their passport to
my position. l 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.
In the first place, 1 counsel clerks to
remember that for the most part their
:lerl1ship is only a school from which
they are to be graduated. 1t takes
about eight years to get into one of
the learned professions. 1t takes
about eight years to get to be a mer-
chant. Some of you will be clerks all
your lives, but the vast majority of you
are only in a transient position. At
ter awhile, some December day, the
head men of the firm will call you
INTO the back Office, and they will
say to you: Now, 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
sdict very gracefully. Getting into a
street car to go home, an old comrade
will meet you and say: what makes
you look SO happy tonight" oh"
you will say, nothing, nothing" But
in few days your name will blossom
On the sign. Either in the store or
bank where you are nov, or in some
other store or bank, you will take
higher position than that which you
now occupy. Sol feel am not address
ing people who will yet have their
hand on the helm of the worlds COM
merce, and you will turn it this way or
that; now clerks, but to be bankers,
importers, insurance company direc-
tors, shippers, contractors, superin-
tendents of railroads voice
mighty ION change fore
most in the great financial and relig-
ious enterprises of the day. For, though
we who are in the professions may. on
the platform, plead for the philan-
thropies, after all, the merchants must |
come forward with their millions to |
suspend 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 affluent father some day come down |
q prominent street with his son who |
has just graduated from the university, |
and establishing him in business, put
ting $50, 900 of capital in the store. |
Well, you are envious. You say: "Oh, |
f l only had chance like that young |
nan-if l only had a father to put $780,, |
200 in business for me, then l would |
nave some chance in the world" Be |
not envious. You have advantages |
over that young man which he has not |
over you. As well might come down
10 the docks when a vessel is about to
'ail for Valparaiso, and say: Let me
pilot this ship out to sea-" Why, I
would sink crew and cargo before
rot out of the harbor, simply because
know nothing about pilotage.
Wealthy sea captains put their sons be-
ore the mast for the reason that they
AN learn to be successful sailors. 1t
S only under drill that people get to
pilotage and navigation,
md want you to understand that it
axes no more skill to conduct YES
el out of the harbor and across the
ga, than to steer commercial estab-
ishment clear of the rocks. You
zee every day the folly of peo-
lie going into business they
NOW nothing about A man makes
fortune in one business; thinks
here is another occupation more COM
ortable; goes into it and sinks all.
dany of the commercial establishments
f our cities are giving their clerks a
lcrcan tile education as Yale, or Har-
ard, or Princeton are giving scientific
ttainment to the students matricu-
ated. The reason there are so many
hen laundering in business from year
o year. is because their early mercan-