The National tribune., 1897-07-22
THE NATIONAL THURSDAY JULY e. 1897


into the street, ysueall join in the cry pell-
NELL: "Stop thief.,s When / see you 60
into store, not expecting to buy anything,
but to price things, stealing the time of the
clerk, and stealing the time of his employer,
say, too: Stop theft"
If were asked which class Of persons
most need the grace of God amid their
annoyances, / would say: "Dry-goods
Clerks All the Indignation of customers
about the high prices comes on the clerk.
Then, great trial comes to clerks in the
fact that they see the parsimonious side of
human nature. You talk about lies behind
the counter-there are just as many lies be-
fore the counter. Augustine speaks of
man who advertised that he would, on a
certain occasion, tell the people what was in
their hearts. A crowd assembled, and he
stepped to the front and said: 81 will tell
you what is in your hearts: TO buy cheap
and sell dear!" Oh, lay not aside your ur-
banity when you go into store. Treat the
clerks like gentlemen and ladies-proving
yourself to be a gentleman or lady. Re
member that if the prices are high and your
purse is lean, that is no fault Of the clerks.
And if you have son or daughter amid
those perplexiiies of commercial life, and
such a one comes home all worn out, be
lenient, aud know that the martyr at the
stake no more certainly needs the grace OF
God than our young people amid the seven
times heated exasperations Of clerks life.
Then there are all the trials which come
to clerks from the treatment Of inconsiderate
employers There are prolessed Christian
men who have no more regard for their
clerks than they have for the scales on which
the sugars are weighed. A clerk is no more
than so much store furniture.
The cry Of unpaid men and women in
those stores reached the Lord Of Sabbath,
and the indignation Of Gcd has been around
those estab ishments ever since flashing in
the chandeliers, glowing from the crimson
upholstery, rumblng in the long roll of the
ten-pln alley.
Such men may build up palaces Of mer-
chandise heaven high, but after awhile q
disaster will come along, and will put one
hand on this pillar, and another hand on
that pillar, and throw itself forward until
down will come the whole structure, crush
ing the wo.shipers as grapes are mashed in
the wne-press.
SET GOOD EXAMPLE.
Go back 40 or 50 years TO Arthur Tap
pans store in New York-a man whose worst
enemies never questioned his honesty. Every
morning he brought all the clerks, and the
accountants, aud the weighers into room
| for devotion. They sang. They prayed.
They exhorted. On Monday morning the
clerks were asked where they had attended
churel, on the previous day and what the
sermons were about. 1t must have sounded
strangely, that voice Of praise along the
streets where the devotees of mammon were
counting their golden beads.
ynr Arsbrr ft'onpa,. fti1aJ Yas he
was unfortunate, like Il great many good
men; but / understand he met ali bis obi
Cations tefore he l4f, this world, and know
that he diet in tie peace of the Gospel, and
that he is before the throne of God to-day
fo.c,er blessed. Ifihat be failing, wish
you might all fail.
There great many young men and
young women who want word of encour-
msnt-Chiisiian encouragement. One smile
OF good e,efr wonld be woril mere TO them
to morrow morning In their places or business
than present OF $4,000 len years hence. Oh.
| remember the apprehension AID he 'renoT
Of entering a profession. lremember very
we'll the man who greeted me III the'ecciesi-
astical court with the tip ends of the long
fingers of the left hand; and | remember the
other man who took my hand III both Of his,
and said: God bless you. my brother; you
have entered glorious profession; be faith
iul to God and he will see sou through"
Why, teel this minute the thrill Of that
Misunderstanding, though The man who gave NE
lie Christian grip has been in heaven 20
years.
My word is 10 all clerks: BE mightier
than your temptations. Sandwich Islander
used TO think vixen he STEW an enemy, ALI
the strength of that enemy came into his
own right arm. And | have TO tell you that
every misfortune you -coa4uer is so much
added TO your own moral power. With oin-
impotence for Il lever, and the throne of God
for iulcrum, you can move earth and
heaven.
While there are yeung men putting the
cup of sin to their iiDs, YOU st0Op down and
drink cut of the foifstaans OF GIsi, and you
will RE MP sirong to thresh the mountains.
The ancients used to think that pearls were
fallen rain drops, wii cl,. touching the sur
fnc- Of the sen, hardened into gems, then
dropped to the bottom. / have to tell yuu
today, that storms Of trial have showered
imperishable pearls into many young mans
ZAP.
q young man, while you have goods to
| sell, remember you have soui to save. In
hospital Christian Captain, wounded q
few days before, got dclirions, and i'll the
| midnight honr be sprang out ON the door OF
the hospital, thinking lie was III the battle,
crying: Come on, boys! Forward!
Charged" All he was only battling the
saeclers Of ills own brain. But il is no im-
aginary conflict into which call YOU, young
man. to-f.ay. There ar 10000 spiritual
foes that woald capture you. In the name
OF God, up aud ut them.
After the last store has been closed. after
the last bank has gone down, alter the shuttle
| of the quick feet on the Custom House steps
has stopped, AFTER the long lire OF merchant
men GA the STA have taken sail of fame,
after Washington, and New York, ana Lon
don, and Vienna have gone down into the
grave where Thebes, and Babylon, and Tyre
lie buried, after the great iire-bels of the
Judgment Day have toled ~ the burning
OF y word-on that day, all the affairs OF
| banking-Eouses and stores will come up for
inspection.
Oh, what an Opening OF account books
Side by side, the clerks and the men who
employed them. Every invoice made out
ali the labels of goods-all certificates of
stock-all lists of prices-all private marks
of the firm, now explained SO everybody
can understand then All the maps of
cities that were never built, bnt in which
lots were sold. All bargains. All sougings.
All snap judgments. All fa'se entries. All
adnlteration of liquors with copperas and
| sfrv ci,pjpe A II rni xiur of teas and suUars