The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-07-23

stealing the time of his employer,
say. too: "Stop, thiefp
If | were asked which class of per-
sons most need the grace of God amid
their annoyances, L would say dry
goods clerks" All the indignation Of
customers about the high prices comes
on the clerk. For instance: A great
war comes. The manufactures are
closed. The people go off to battle.
The price of goods runs up. A GUS
toner comes into a store. Goods have
gone up. "How much is that wOrthP'
"A dollar "A dollar? Outrageousl
A dollar?" Why, who is to blame for
the fact that it has got to be dollar?
Does the indignation go out to the
manufacturers on the banks of the
Merrimac, because they have closed
up? No Does the indignation go out
toward the employer, who is out at
his country seat? No. 1t comes on
the clerk. He got up the war! He
levied the taxes! He puts up the rentsl
OF course, the clerk!
Then there are all the trials which
come to clerks from the treatment of
inconsiderate employers. There are
professed 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. No consider
alton for their rights or interests. Not
one word of encouragement from sun
rise to sunset, nor from January to
December. But when anything goes
wronp-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 interest L have n you
is to see what l can get out of you"
Then, there are boys ruined by lack
of compensation. In how many pros
porous stores it has been for the last
90 years that boys were given just
enough money to teach them how to
steall Some were seized upon by the
police The vast majority of instances
were not known. The head of the firm
asked: Where is George nOwP" ''Oh,
he isn't here any more" A lad might
better starve to death on blasted
heath than take one farthing from his
employer. Woe be to that employer who
unnecessarily puts a temptation in
boys way. There have been great
establishments in these cities, build
ing marble palaces, their owners dy-
ing worth millions, and millions, and
millions, who made a vast amount OF
their estate out of the blood, and mus
Gle, and nerve of half-paid clerks.
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 give you
is not all my interest in you. You are
an immortal man; you are an immor-
tai woman; | am interested in your
present and your everlasting welfare;
want you to understand that, if l am
a little higher up in this store, l am
beside you in Christian sympathy"
Go back 40 or 80 years to Arthur Tap
pens store in New York-a man whose
worst enemies never questioned his
| honesty. Every morning he brought
| all the clerks, and the accountants,
| and the weighers into arOOm for devo-
ton. They sang. They prayed. They
| exhorted. On Monday morning the
clerks were asked where they had at
| tended church 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 count
ing their golden beads. You say, Ar
| thur Tappen failed. Yes, he was I'M
| fortunate, like great many good men;
/ but understand he met all his Obliga-
tions before he left this world, and l
| know that he died in the peace of the
gospel, and that he is before the throne
of God to-day-forever blessed. If
that be failing, | wish you mi ght all
| fail
There are a great many young men
and young women who want a word of
encouragement-Ch encourage
ment. One smile of good cheer would
be worth more to them tomorrow
morning in their places of business
than a present of $4,000 ten years
hence.
After the last store has been closed,
after the last bank has gone down,
| dIJeT JDc Suulue VI HulCh lCCI vi INC
custom house steps has stopped, after
| the long line of merchantmen on the
sea have taken sail of flame, after
Washington, and New York, and Lon
don, and Vienna. have gone down into
the grave where Thebes, and Babylon,
and Tyre lie buried, after the great
hre-bells of the judgment day have
tolled at the burning of world-on
that day all the affairs of bank
| ing houses and stores will come up
for inspection. On, what an OPEN
| ing of account books! Side by side,
/ the clerks and the men who employed
them. Every invoice made Out-all
the labels of goods-all certificates of
stock-all lists of prices-all private
marks of the firm, now explained so
everybody can understand them All
the maps of cities that were never
built, but in which lots were sold.
All bargains. All gougings All snap
judgments. All false entries. All
i IL