The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-07-29

BY which goods are sometimes disposed
Of A glance az the morning papers
shows the arrival at one Of our hotels
Of : young merchant from one Of the
inland eiues. lie Is comparative stran-
ger In the great city, and Of course must
be shown around. and IL win be the duty
Of some Of nj e~nierprising houses to
escort him. He Is large purchaser and
has plenty Of time and money, and il
viii pay to be very attentive. The even
ing is spent at a place Of doubtful
amusement Then they 90 back to the
hotel Having Just come 10 town, they
must, Of course. drink.
A friend from the same mercantile e.
Enlistment drops in. and usage and
generosity suggest that they must
drink. Business prospects, are talked
over, and the strangeri is warned against
certain dilapidated mercantile estAb-
hshments that are about to fail, and for
such kindness and magnanimity Of eau
ton against the dishonesty Of other
business houses, Of course IL Is expected
they willard so they dO-take a drink.
O.her merchants lodging in adjoining
rooms find il hard 10 sleep for the elAt-
ter Of decanters, and the coarse carousl
Of these hail fellows well met" WAKES
louder. But they sit not all night at the
wine cup They must see the sights.
They stagger forth with cheeks flushed
and eyes bloodshot The outer gates Of
hell open 10 let in the victims. The
wings oflost souls fit among the lights.
and the steps Of the sound
with the rumbling thunders Of the lost.
Farewell TO all the sanctities Of homel
Could mother. sister, father, slumber-
ing in the inland home, in some vision
of that night catch a glimpse Of the
ruin wrought they would rend out their
hair by the roots and bite the tongue
till the blood spurted, shrieking out:
God save him"
What, suppose you. will come upon
such business establishments? and
there are hundreds of them in the
cities. They may boast Of fabulous
sales, and they may have an unprece-
dented run Of buyers, and the name OF
a house may be a terror 10 all rivals, and
from this thrifty root there may spring
up branch houses in other cities, and
all the partners Of the firm may move
into their mansions and drive their full
blooded span, and the families may
sweep the street with the most elegant
apparel that human heart ever woys
or earthly magnifcence ever achieved.
But a curse is gathering surely tor
those men, and II it does not seize hold
Of the pillars and in one wild ruin bring
down the temple of commercial glory ii
viii break up their peace, and they viii
tremble with sickness and bloat with
designations, and, pushed to the preci.
pice Of this life, they will try TO hold
back and cry FOR help. but no help will
come, and they viii clutch their gold
TO take it along with them. but 1t will
be snAtehed from their grasp and Q
voice will sound through their soul:
mot a farthing, thou beggarded spir.
I'll" And the judgment will come, and
they Will stand aghast before II, and all
the business iniquities OF a lifetime will
gather around them, saying: do you
remember that?" And clerks that they
compelled to dishonesty and runner
and draymen and bookkeepers who
saw behind the scenes will bear testi.
mony 10 their netriOus deeds, and
some urtuOus soul that one stood
aghast at the splendor and power OF
these business men will say: ALAS,
this is all that is left OF that great f-m
that occupied a block with their mer.
chandise and Oyershadowed the city
with their influence and made right.
ousne and truth and purity fall I'M.
der the CALLING fire OF avarice and
crime"
While we admire and approve Of all
acuteness and tact in the sale Of goods.
we must condemn any process by which
& fabric or product Is represented as
possessing a value which it really does
not have. Nothing but sheer falsehood
can represent as perfection boots that
rip, silks that speedily lose their luster,
calicoes that Immediately wash out,
stoves that crack under the first hot
fire, books insecurity bound, carpets
b a %unravel, old furniture re~juvenated
with putty and glue and sold as having
been recently manufactured, gold
watches made Of brass, barrels Of fruit.
the biggest apples on top, wine adul-
terated with strychnine, hosiery poorly
woven, cloths Of domestic manufacture
shining with foreign labels, imported
goods represented as rare and hard to
get, because foreign exchange is SO
high, rolled out on the counter with
matchless display. Imported, indeed,
but from the factory in the next street.
A pattern already questionable and
unstable palmed of as a new print
upon some country merchant who has
come to town to make his first purchase
Of dry goods and going home with a
large stock Of goods warranted to keep.
Again, business men are often tempt
ed TO make the habits and customs Of
other traders their law OF rectitude.
There are commercial usages which
will not stand the test Of the last day.
Yet men In business are apt TO do as
heir neighbors do. II the majority Of
the traders in any locality are lax in
principle, the commercial code Of that
community will be spurious and dis
honest. 1t is a hard thing TO stand close
by the law Of right when your next door
neighbor, by his l-ooseness Of dealing, is
enabled TO sell goods at a cheaper rate
and decoy your customers. OF course
you who promptly meet all your bust
ness engagements, paying when you
promise to pay, will find It hard TO com
pete with that merchant who Is hope.
lessly In debt 10 the importer for the
goods and to the landlord whose store
be occupies and to the clerks who serve
him. There are a hundred practices
prevalent in the world Of traffic which
ought never 10 become the rule for hon
est men. Their wrong does not make
your right. Sin never becomes virtue
by being multiplied and admitted at
brokers' board or merchants exchange.
Because others smuggle a few things
In passenger trunks, because others
take usury when men are In tight
places, because others deal In fancy
stocks, because others palm of worth
less Endorsements, because others do
nothing but blow bubbles, do not, there
fore, be overcome Of temptation. Hol-
low precautions and fictitious credit
and commercial gambling may awhile
prosper, but the day Of reckoning
cometh, and in addition TO the horror
and condemnation of outraged com
munitieE the curse Of God will come,
blow after blow. Gods law forever and
forever Is the only standard Of right