Connecticut western news., 1897-07-22

much store furniture. No consideration for their rights or interests. Not ono word of encouragement from sunrise to sunset, nor from January to December. But when anything goes wrong-a streak of dust on the counter or box with the cover off-thunder showers of scolding. Men imperious, capricious, cranky toward their clerks-their whole manner as much as to say, "All the in- terest have in you is to see what can get out of you" Then there are all the trials of incompetent wages, not in such times as these, when if a man gets half a salary for his services he ought to be thapkfu4, bat Isaneap ip ua9per- ous timek 6dnie ot you rsnastlbeKwhen the war broke out and all merchandise went Up, and merchants were made millionaires in six months by the sim pie rise in the value of goods. Did the clerks get advantage of that rise? Some times, not always. I saw estates gath cred in those times over which the curse of God has hung ever since. The cry Of unpaid men and women in those stores reached the Lord of Sabaoth, and the indignation of God has been around those establishments ever since, fash ing in the chandeliers, glowing from the crimson upholstery, rumbling in the long roll of the tenpin alley. Such men may build up palaces of merchant disc heaven high, but after awhile disaster will come along and will put one hand on this pillar and another hand on that pillar and throw itself for ward until down will come the whole structure, crushing the worshlpers as grapes are mashed in the winepress.
 Then there are boys ruined by lack of compensation. lii how many prosper ous stores it has been for the last 20 years that boys were given just enough money to teach them how to steali Some were seized upon by the police. The vast majority of instances were not known. The head of the firm asked, Where is George now?" ''Oh, he isn't here any more. !" A lad might better siarve to death on blasted heath than take one farthing from his employer. Woe be to that employer who unneces- sarily puts temptation i'll boy way. There have been great establishments in these cities, building marble palaces, their owners dying worth millions and millions and millions, who made a vast amount of their estate out of the blood and muscle and nerve of half paid clerks Such men as-well, l will not mention any name. But I mean men who have gathered up vast estates at the expense of the people who were ground under their heel. "Oh," say such merchants, Eff you don't like it here, then go and get better plaoe!" As much as to say: "I've got you in my grip, and l mean to hold you. You can't get any other place..
 True Sympathy.
 Oh, what a contrast between those men and Christian merchants who to- day are sympathetic with their clerks when they pay the salary, acting in this way: "This salary that I give you is not all my interest in you. You are an immortal man; you are an immortal woman. 1 am interested in your pre- sent and your everlasting welfare. l want you to understand that If l am little higher up in this store l am be- side you i'll Christian sympathy. Gc back 40 or 50 years to Arthur Tappen's store in New York, man whose worst euemies never questioned his honesty. Every morning he brought all the clerks and the accountants and the weighers into room for devotion, They sang, they prayed, they exhorted. On Monday morning the clerks were | asked where they had attended church on the previous day and what the ser mons were about. It must have sound ed strangely, that voice of praise along the streets where the devotees of Nam mon were counting their golden beads. You say, Arthur Happen failed. Yes. he was unfortunate, like great many | good men, but understand he met all l his obligations before he left this world, l and I know that he died in the peace of | the gospel and that he Is before the | throne of God today-forever blessed. | If that be failing, l wish you might all | fail.
 l There are a great many young men | and young women who want word of encouragemen encourage ! ment. One smile of good cheer would be worth more to them tomorrow morn ing in their places of business than q | present of $l5, 900 ten years hence. Oh, I remember the apprehension and the tremor of entering a profession. l re- member very we'll the man who greeted me in tho ecclesiastical court with the tip ends of the long fingers of the left hand, and I remember the other man ! who took my hand in both of his and said: "Cod bless you, my brother. You have entered glorious profession. Be faithful to God, and he will see you through" Why, I Ifeel this minute the thrill of that handshaking, though the man who gave mo the Christian grip has been in heaven 20 years. There are old men here today who can look back | to 40 years ago, when some one said a
 kind word to them. Now, old men, pay
 back what you got then. It is great 1 art for old men to be able to encourage
 the young. There are many young peo- | pie in our cities who have come from
 inland counties, from the granite hills of the north, from the savannas of the south, from the prairies of the west
 They are here to get their fortune. They
 are ill boarding houses where everybody seems to be thinking of himself. They
 want mpanionship. and they want
 Christian encouragement. Give it to
 them.
 | Balancing the Books.
 My word is to all clerks, Be mightier
 than your temptations A Sandwich Is-
 lander used to think when he slew an
 enemy all the strength of that enemy
 came into his own. right arm. And I
 have to tell you that every misfortune
 you conquer is so much added to your
 own moral power. With omnipotence
 for lever and the throne of God for q
 fulcrum you can move earth and heav-
 en. While thero are other young men
 putting the cup Of sin to their lips you
 stoop down and drink out of the foun-
 tains of God, and you will rise up