The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1897-10-29

spoken the truth. Is he getting more? |
Then he lies. A merchant says: II |
paid SIS for this article Is thar the
price he paid for it? All right hut
suppose he paid for il SIS instead Of S.?
Then he lies.
But there are just as many false
hoods before the counter as there are
behind the codnter. A customer comes
in and asks: "llow much Is this ar
ticlct?- 1t is five dollars. Il can get
it for four dollars somewhere else
Can he get il for four dollars some
where else, or did he say that just for
the purpose Of getting it cheap by de-
preciating the value OF the goo.ls? II
so, he lied There are just as many
falsehoods before the counter ~ there
are behind the counter.
A man unrolls upon the counter a
bale of handkerchief. The customer
says: Are these all silk -YcS
mo cotton in them2r mo cotton in
them" Are those handkerchief all
silk? Then the merchant told the
truth. Is there any cotton in them?
Then he lied Moreover he defrau Is
himself, for this customer coming in
viii after while find out that he has
been defrauded. and the next time he
comes TO town and goes shopping he
will look up at that sign and say: mo;
won't go in there; that's the place
where l got those handkerchiefs.
First, the merchant insulted God. and.
secondly, nc picked his own pocket
Who would take the responsibility OF
saying how many falsehOods were yes
terday told by hardware men, and
clothiers, and lumbcrinen, and tobae-
conists, and jewellers, and importers.
and shippers, and dealers in furniture.
and dealers in coal, and dealers in gro
ceries? Lies about bundles. about sad
dies. about harness, about shoes, about
hats, abont coats, about shovels, about
tongs. about forks, about chairs about
sofas, about horses, about lands, about
everything. arraign commercial
falsehood as ono Of the crying sins of
our time.
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
philanthropies and in churches; but
that they all do not belong 10 that
Dclass every one knows. In times when
there is great demand for labor il
is not so easy for such men TO keep
their obligations, because they may
miscalcnlate in regard to the weather,
or they may not be able to get the help
they anticipated in their enterprise.
am speaking now OF those who promise
TO do shat which they know they will
not be able to do They say they will
come on Monday; they dc not come un-
Ill 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 il done before 80. And when
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
pacifcd, 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 70 DO only that
which they know they can do "oh, >
they say, ''it's of no Importance; every
body expects to be deceived and disap-
pointed There is voice of thunder
sounding among the saws and ham
meEs and the shears, saying: .All
liars shall have their place in the lake
that burns with fire and birthstone.
pass on TO speak Of social lies. How
much of society is insincerc? You
hardly know what to believe They
send their regards; you do not exactly
know whether it is an expression of
the heart or an external civility. They
ask you TO come to their house: you
hardly know whether they really want
you to come. We-are all accustomed
TO take discount off what we hear
mot at home" very often means too
lazy TO dress | was reading of a
lady who said she had told her last
fashionable lie. There was a knock
at her door and she sent word down,
''Not at home.r That night her hus-
4 tmu1 e..sl D. - =
dead. rs it possiblei7 she said.
YES, and she died in great anguish of
mind; she wanted TO see you so very
much; she had something very impor-
tant TO disclose TO you in her last hour;
and she sent three times to-day, but
found you absent every time Then
this woman bethought herself that she
had had a bargain with her neighbor
that when the -protracted sickness
was about to come TO an end she would
appear at her bedside and take the
secret that was to be disclosed. And
she had said she was Not at home
Social life IS struck through with in
sincerity. 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
decry their most luxuriant entertain.
ment TO win a shower OF approval
from you. They point at picture
ON the wall as the work OF one
Of the old masters. They say it is az
heirloom in the family. II. hung or
the wall Of castle. A duke gave it TO
their gra9dfatherl People that will
lie about nothing else will lie about q
picture. On small income we want the
world to believe we are affluent, and
society to-day is struck through with
cheat and counterfeit and sham. How
few people are natural. Frigidity
sails around, iceberg grinding against
iceberg. You must not laugh out
right; that is vulgar. You must smile
You must not dash quickly across the
room; that is vulgar. You mus
glide. Much OF society is a rount
OF bows and grins and grimaees an,
obs and abs and he. he. he's, and sim
perings and namby-pambyism, Who'll,
world OF which is not worth one good
honest round Of laughter From sucl
a hollow scene the tortured guest re
tires at the close of the evening, assur
ing the host that he has enioved him