The Progress., 1897-07-24
TO THE STORE CLERK
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR statesmen
AND SAlESWOMEN.

For the Life That Now IL ~ Well q
For the Life to Come.
WASHINGTON, July 1S.-This sermon OF
DR.. Talmaee addressed to the great host
Of clerks In stores and Offices and factories
will inspire such persons with healthful
ambition and allay many Of their annoy
snc.s Text, Acts xvi, IA, "And a certain
woman named Lydia, seller of purple,
Cod, heard us, whose heart the Lord
oIencd." Proverbs xii, go: "Seest thou
. mnn diligent in his business? He shall
stand before kings
The first passage introduces to you
1ydia, Christian merchantess Her bust
ness is to deal In purple cloths or silks.
She Is not giggling nonentity, but a
practical woman, not ashamed to work for
her living. All the other women of Phi
Nppi and Thyatira have been forgotten,
bnt God has made immortal in our text
Lydia, the Christian saleswoman. The
other text shows you a man with head and
hand and heart and foot all busy toiling
on up until he gains princely success.
Seest thou man diligent in his bust
nessf He shall stand before kings
Great encouragement in these two pas
eaEes for men and women who will be
busy. but no solace for those who are wait
ing for good luck to show them at the foot
OF the rainbow a casket Of buried gold.
IL ia folly for any body in this world to
wait for something to turn up. 1t will
turn down. The law Of thrift is as mex
orable az 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 eplendors will vanish
into thin air
There are certain styles of behavior
which lead to usefulness, honor and per
mAnent success, and there are certain
styles OF behavior which lead to dust, dis
honor and moral default. would like to
nre the ambition Of young people have
no sympathy with those who would pre-
pare young folks for life by whiting |
down their expectations. That man or |
womnn Will be worth nothing to church |
or state who begins life oowed down. The |
business OF Christianity Is not to quench |
but to direct human ambition. Therefore
1t Is that utter words of encouragement
to those who are occupied as clerks In the
stores and shops and banking houses OF
the country. They are not an exceptional
class. They belong to great compan,, of
tens OF thousands who are in this country.
amid circumstances which will either
make or break them for time and for
eternity. Many Of these people have al
ready achieved q Christian manlipess and
Onrlst1nn WOIDanl1ncSS which will be |
their passport to any position. have seen
their trials l have watched their per
plexities. There are evils abroad which
heed to be hunted down and dragged ont
INTO the MONDAY light.
Only . Schoolrooan.
In the first place, counsel clerks to re-
member that for the most part their clerk
NIP IS only n school from which they are
% be graduated. 1t takes about eight
'ears to get into one of the learned profess !
'ions 1t takes about eight years to get to
e merchant. Some Of you will be clerks
VI your liyos, but the vast majority of
on arc only In transient position Aft
e awhile some December day the head
nen of the firm will call you into the back
nice. and they will say to you: "Now, You
ave dono well by us We are going to do
yell by you. We invite you to have an in
crest In our concern" You will bow tn {
hat cdici very gracefully. Getting into a /.
treet car To go home an old comrade will .
ncct yon and say, "What makes Won look
? happy tonightf" "Oh," you will saw.
nothing, nothingi" But in few days