The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-23

yards and orchards of promised
land.
But you say, "WiIl the womanly
clerks in our stores have promotion? ?"
Yes. Time Is coming when women will
be as well paid for their toll in mercan-
tile circles as men are now paid for
their toll Time rs coming when a wo-
man will be allowed to do anything she
a do we'll. 1t is only a little while
ago when women knew nothing of te-
legraphy, and they We're kept out OF a
great many commercial circles where
they are now welcome, and rTre time
will go on until the una who at one
counter in a store sells s., 1000 worth of
goods in a year will get as high a sal
airy as h man who at h other
ter OF the same store sells s.. 900 worth
of goods. All honor to Lydia, the Chris
tan saleSwoman.
SUBMISSION TO RULES.
The second counsel 1 have to give to
clerks is that o seek out what are the
lawful regulations of your establish
ment, and then submit to them. Every
well ordered house has its uSages. In
military life, on ships deck. in COM
mercial life, there must be order and
discipline. Those people who do not
learn how to obey will lever know how
to command. l will tell YOU what yourg
man will make ruin, financial and NOR
al. 1t rs the young man who thrusts his
thumb into his vest and says: Nobody
shall dictate to me. / am my own mas
ter. / win not submit to the regula-
tiOn of this ho tse." Between an eStab-
lishment in which all the employees
are under thorough discipline and the
establishment i'm which the employees
do about as they choose is the difference
between c and failure-berween
rapid accumulation and utter bank
ruptcy. Do % come to the store ten
minutes after the time. Be there with
in two seconds and let it be two sec
onds before instead of two seconds
after. Do not thing anything too in
significant ito do we'll. Do not say, Its
only just once From h most i'm
portant transaction in down
to the particular style in which you tie
a string around a bundle obey orders
Do not get easily Disguised. While
others in the store may lounge Or fret
or complain you go with ready hands
and cheerful face and cOnrented spirit
to your work. When the ibugle sounds,
THE good soldier asks no questions, but
shoulders his knapSack, fills his canlteen
and listens for the command of
"March!"
Do not get the idea that your inter-
ests and those of your employer are
~antagOnistic. His success will be your
honor. His embarrassment will be
your diSmay. Expose none of the frail-
ties of the firm. Tell NO store secrets.
Do not blab. Rebuff those persons who
come to find OUT from clerks what ought
never to be known outside the store.
Do not he among those young men who
take on a mysterious air when some
thing is said against the firm that en-
ploys them, as much as to say Il
could tell you something if I would, ,but
I won't" Do not be among those who
imagine they can build themselves UP
by pulling somebody else down. Be not
ashamed to be a subaltern.
Again, I counsel clerks to search out
what are the unlawful and dishonest
demands of an establishment n resist
them. In the 5000 years that have
passed There has never been ain occasion
when it was ones duty ITO sin against
God. 1T is never right to do wrong. If
the head men of the firm expect of you
dishonesty, disappOint them. Oh"
you say, Il should lose my place them"
Better lose your place than lose your
soul. But you will not lose your place.
Christian heroism is always honOred.
You go to the head mar OF your store
and say: Sir, I wan to serve you. 1
want to oblige you. 1t is from NO hack
vi " IA my R~A WV SAAo $1,000
seems to me to be wrong, and it is a
sin against my conscience, it is a sin
against God, and 1 beg you, sir, to ex-
cuse me-" He may flush up and swear,
but he will cool down, and ne will have
more admiration for you than for those
who submit to his evil dictatiOn, and
while they sink will rise. Do not,
because of seeming temporary advan-
tage, give up your character, young
al, TTpIa. God lthot iC tho nn1V fh JnU
you have to build IN. Give up that,
you give up everything. That employer
asks a young man to hurt himself for
time and for eternity who expects him
to make a wrong entry, or change an
invoices or say goods Isl so much when
they cost less, or impose upon the YER
dancy of a customer, or misrepresent a
style of fabric. How dare he demand of
you anything so insOlent?
A FEW TRIALS.
Again, 1 counsel all clerks to conquer
the trials of their particular position.
One great trial for clerks is the incon-
sideration of customers. There are peO-
pie WITH are entirely polite everywhere
else, but gruff and diotatorial and con-
| temptible when they come into a store
TO buy anything. There are thousands
of men and women who go from store
to store to price things, without any
idea of purchase. They are not satisfied
Until every roll of goods is brought
down and they lave pointed out all the
real or imaginary defects. They try ON
all kinds of kid gloves and stretch them
out of shape, and they putt ON all styles
of cloak and walk to the mirror to see
how they look, and then they sail out
of the store, saying, Il will not take it
today" which means, II don't want lit
at ALL" leaving the clerk amid "a wreck
Of ribbons and laces and cloths to
smooth out a thousand dollars worth
of goods-nJt a cent Of which did that
man or woman buy Or expect ITO buy,
Now, I call that a dishonesty ON THE
part of the customer. If "a boy runs
into a store and takes a roll of cloth off
the counter and Sneaks out into the
street, you all join in the cry pell NELL
stop theft" When / see YOU go into
a store, not expecting to buy anything
but ITO price things, stealing the time OF
the clerk and stealing the time of his
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