The Penn's Grove record., 1899-07-28
VOLUME XXI.
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE Blythe NOTED
DIVINE.
snbJecti Buyers and sellers-Novel Views
on the business Life-HiGh Conpli-
ment to Commercial Integrity-Trick-
cry in Trade Denounced.

establishes between the two Is a striking
one, The text is Proverbs Xxx, II: ut Is
naught, it is rauRht, saith the buyer, but
when he is zone his way then he boastetb.p
Palaces are not such prisons as the world
~imagines. If you think that the only time
kings and queens come forth from the royal
gates Is in procession and gorgeously at
tended, You are mistaken. Incognito by
day or by night and clothed In citizens ap-
parel or the dress Of a working woman,
thew come out and see the world as it is.
In no other way could King Solomon, the
author Of my text, have known everything
that was going on. From my text l am sure
he must, in disguise, someday have walked
into a store o fready made clothing inJeru-
salem and stood near the counter and heard
q conversation between a buyer and a sell.
er. Tho merchant put q price on a coat,
and the customer began to dicker and said:
"Absurdl That coat is not worth what you
ask for It. Why, Just look at the coarse
ness of the fabricl See that spot on the
collarl Besides that, it does not fit,
Twenty dollars for that2 Why, it is not
worth more than $40. They have u better
Clothem, Ftem h Bros, Besides that, l
don't wan 1t at any price. Good morn
ing Hold" lays the merchant. "Do
not go off In that way. | want to sell you
that coat. / have some paymentsto make,
and l want the money. Come, now, how
DluGu VIII Ou kiNOi W ALuN NOhls "tbf
says the customer, 81 will split the differ
ence. You asked 800, and ] said $40. Now,
1 will give you SIS" well" says the
merchant, "it is n great sacrifice, but take
1t at that price,"
Then tho customer with a roll under his
arm started to go out and enter his own
place of business, and solomon in disguise
followed him. He heard the customer as he
Enrolled the coat say; "Boys, / have made
agreat bargain. How much do you guess
/ gave for that coat2" "Well," says one,
wishing to compliment his enterprise,
'you gave $50 fo' ~ Another says, 81
should think you IT it cheap II you gave
49," No" say the buyer in triumph,
~ got 1t for SIS. l bent him down and
pointed out the imperfections until 1
really made him believe 1t was not worth
hardly anything. 1t takes ne to max a
bargain. Ha, HAP Oh, man you got the
goods for less than they were worth by
positive falsehood, and nc wonder, when
Solomon went baok to his palace and had
put off his disguise, that he sat down at
his writing desk and made for all ages n
crayon sketch Of you, at is naught, it is
naught, saith the buyer, but when he is
gone his way then he boasteth."
There are no h CHER styles of men In ali
the world thar those now at the head of
mercantile enterprises in the great cities
of this continent. Their casual promise is
as good as n bond with piles Of collaterals.
Their reputation for integrity is us well es
tablished az that of petrHrch residing in
the family Of Cardinal Colonna. 1t is re-
lated that when there was great disturb
anee In the family the cardinal called all
his people together and put them under
oath to toll the truth except Petrarch;
when he came up to swear, the cardinal
put away his book and said, CAS- for you,
Petrarch, your word is gu efficient. " 9 Never
since the world stood have there been so
many merchants whose transactions can
stand the test OF the Ten Commandments.
Such bargain makers are all the moro to be
honored, because they have withstood year
after year temptations which have flung
SO many fiat and flung them so hard thoy
can never, never recover themselves.
While all positions in life have powerful
besetments to evil there are specific forms
of allurement which are peculiar to each
occupation and profession, and it will be
useful to speak OF the peculiar temptations
OF business men.
First, as in the scene OF the text, business
men are often tempted to sacrifice plain
truth, the seller by e1aggerating the value
Of goods and the buyer by depreciating
them. We cannot but admire an expert
salesman, See how he first induces the
customer into a mood favorable to the
proper consideration OF the value of tho
goods. He shows himself to be an hoI est
and frank salesman. How carefully the
lights are arranged till they fall just right
upon the fabrici Beginning with goods of
medium quality, he gradually advances
toward those of more Thorough make and
of more attractive pattern. How he
watches the moods and whims of his Gus
tomerl With what perfect calmness he
takes the order and bows the purchaser
from his presence, who goes away, having
made up his mind that he has bought the
goods at a price which will allow him q
living margin when he again sells them.
The goods were worth what the salesman
said they were and were sold Mt a price
which will not make 1t necessary for the
house to fail every ten years in order to fix
up things.
But with what burning indignation we
think of the iniquitous strategems by
which goods are sometimes disposed of. A
glance at the morning papers shows the
arrival at one of our hotels of a young
merchant from one OF the inland cities.
He is a comparative stranger in the great
city, and, Of course, he must be shown
around, and 1t will be the duty Of some of
our enterprising houses to escort him.. He
Is a large purchaser and has plenty of time
and money, and it will pay to be very at
~tentive. The evening is spent at a place OF
doubtful amusement. Then they so baek
to the hotel. Having just come to town
they must, Of course, drink.
A friend from the same mercantile estab-
llSllilltht uIOIS III NM iStSb IN SNlIGIO0-
iy suggest that they must drink. Bust
ness prospects are talked over, and the
stranger Is warned against certain diiapi-
dated mercantile Establishments that arc
about to fail, and for such kindness and
magnanimity Of caution against the dis
honesty of other business houses Of course
1t is expected they willard so they do
take a drink, Other merchants lodging in
adjoining rooms find it hard to sleep for
the ~clatter of decanters, and the coarse
carousal 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. Tho outer gates Of
hell open to let In the v ctims. The wings
OF lost souls fit among the lights, and tho
steps of the carousers sound with the rum
bling thunders OF tho lost. Farewell to all
tho sanctities Of homel Could mother,
sister, father, slumhering 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, Shrek
ing 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 unprecedented rub Of buyers, and the
name of the house may be q terror TO all
rivals, and from this thrifty root there may
spring up branch houses in other elites, 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
art ever wove or earthly magnlacenee ever
achieved. But u curse is gathering surely
for those men, and il It does lot seize hold
of the pillars and in one wild ruin bring
down The temple of commercial glory it
will break up their pence, and they will
tremble with sickness and bloat with dissi-
patlons, and, pushed 10 tho preeipice OF
this life, they will try to hold back and cry
for help, but no help will come, and they
will clutch their gold to take it along with
them, but it will be snatched from their
grasp, aud "A voice will sound through their
soul, Not a farthing, thou peggarod
spiritl'
And the Judgment will come, and they
will stand aghast before it, and all the
business iniquities OF a lifetime will gather
around them, saying, d you remember
thls?" and DO you remember that?" Aud
clerks that they compelled to dishonesty
and runners and draymen and bookkeepers
who saw behind the scenes will bear testi-
mony to their nefarious deeds, and some