Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-10-29

getting nlUlSen up Oh SADOH "HN ~
ing out into the darkness, "Who Is
there?'
There are large fortunes upon which
Gods favor comes down, and it 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 and the approval of man, and there
are thousands and tens Of thousands OF
merchants who, from the first day they
sold a yard 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
know that there are in commercial life
those who are guilty Of great dishon-
estes Of speech. 4 merchant says, Il
am selling these goods at less than
cost" A" 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, Il paid s25 for this
article" Is that the price he paid for
it? All right But suppose he paid for
it S23 instead of $25? Then he lies
But there are just as many falsehoods
before the counter as there are behind
the counter. A customer comes III and
asks, "How much is this article?" " 1t
is So" II can get that for 81 some
where else. " Can he get it for 81 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, Are these all silk?" Yes mo
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 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 "No, | won't 60
there. That's the place where | got
those handkerchiefs. " First, the mer-
chant insulted God, and, secondly ne
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.
I pass on to speak of mechanical
falsehoods Among the artisans are
those upon whom we are dependent tor
the houses in which we live, the gar
ments we wear, the cars in which we
ride The vast majority Of them are, SC
far as | know them, men who speak the
truth. and they are upright, and many
| II nn1lHn4
thronies and in churches, but that they
all do not belong TO that class every one
knows. In times when there Is great
demand for labor it is not so easy foi
such men to keep their obligations be
, cause they may miscaiculate in regarc
70 the weather, or they may not be abl'
10 get the help they anticipated III then
enterprise. am speaking now OF thos'
who promise TO do that which the.
,, know they will not be able to do. The.
say they will come on Monday; they do
, not come until Wednesday. They sa.
thev will come on Wednesday; they d'
not come until Saturday They say the.
will haye the job done i'll 10 days the.
do NOT get it done before 30 And whel
n man becomes irritated and will no
stand it any longer, then they go an'
work for him a day or two and Keel
the lob along, and then some one els
gets irritated and outraged and they g
= and work Tor that man and got HIN
pacified. and then they 90 Somewher
- else. | believe they call that nursing
. the job. "
All, my friends, how much dishono
;, such men would save their souls II the.
q would promise to do only that whicI
= they know they can do. "Oh' the
J. say. Its Of no importance; everyDod
y y expects to be deceived and disappoint
= ed. " There is a voice Of thunder SOUND
" ing among the saws and the hammer
= and the shears, saying, "All liars slal
= have their place in the lake that burn
with fire and birthstone.
% The Society Lie.
|. | pass on to speak of social lies HOY
10 much of society is insinceref You hard
,s lv know what to believe. They sen
n their regards You do not exactly kno'
"a whether it is an expression OF the hear
|. or an external civility- They ask you
70 come to their house; you hardly kno'
,e whether they really want you to come
is We are all accustomed to take dii
!. count off what we hear mot at home
"a very often means too lazy to dress
was reading of lady who said she M
ir told her last fashionable lie. There wa
% A knock at her door and she sent wor
ts DOWN. Not at home " That night he
I'd husband said to her, Mrs so-and-
ID is dead" lis il possibleg' she sal
er "Yes ami she died in great anguish
in mind She wanted to see you so We
s, much. She had something very lmpo
n tant to disclose TO you in her last hou
IL and she sent three times today b
found you absent every time. Th.
this woman bethought herself that $
G had had a bargain with her neighb
.. that when the long protracted sickn'
il. was about TO come to an end she Won
n. appear at her bedside and take the
by cret that was TO be disclosed And
had said she was mot at home "
'lro Social life is struck through WI