Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-02-25

utes from an exhausting profession. and
wrote immortal trcatises on ethics
A Royal Family.
Be ashamed to sell foreign fabrics or
fruits unless you know something about
the looms that wovc them or the vineyards
that grew them Understand al about
the laws that control commercial life,
about banking. about tariffs, about mar
kets. about navigation, about foreign PEG
ple-their characteristics and their polit-
ical revolutions as they affect ours; about
the harvcsts IL Russia, the vineyards of
Italy, the tcaficldS OF China. Learn about
the great commercial centcrs OF Carthage
and ASsyria and phmnicia Read all about
the Mc,lici of Florence. mighty in trade.
mighticr in philanthropics. You belong
10 the royal family of merchants. BE
worthy of thar royal family Oh. take my
advice and turn the years of WEAKNESS into
years of luxury. Take those hours YOU
spend AT the depot waiting for the delayed
train and make them pisgah heights from
which you can view the promised land.
When you are waiting for the train hour
after hour in the depot, do not spend your
time reading the sewing machine advcr
tiscmcnts and looking up the time ia
blcs of routes You will never take. going
the twentieth time To the door to see
whether the train is coming, bothering
the ticket agent and telegraph operator
with questions which you ask merely be
cause you want TO pass away the time.
But rather summon up the great cSSayists
and philosophers and story tcllcrs and
thinkers of the ages and have them enter
tain you
But You have come now near the end Of
your railroad travel ! can tell by the
motion Of the car that they are pulling the
patent brakes down. The engineer rings
the bell at the crossing The train stops
"All OUT cries the conductor You dis
mount from the train You reach the
hotel. The landlord is glad to see you-
very glad, He stretches oEt his hand
across the registry book with all the dis
interested warmth Of brother, You are
assigned an apartment In that uninvit-
ing apartment you stay only long enough
To make yourself prsScntable You de
scend then into the reading room. and
there you find the commercial travellers
sitting around long table with a great
elevation in the center covered with adj
refreshments. while there are inkstands
sunkcn in the bed of the table. and scat
tered all around rusty steel pens and
patches Of bloiting paper OF course you
will not stay thcrc You sauntcr out
among he merchants. You present your
letters Of introduction and authority You
begin business. Now. let me say there
are two or thrcc things you ought TO re-
member First. that all the trade you get
by the practice of treating will not stick
II you cannot get custom except by tipping
a wine glass with somebody. YOU had bet
ter not get his custom An old commercial
traveller gives rs his experience that trade
got by treating" always damages the
house that gets ii in one way or the other.
Practice Sobricty.
Besides that. You cannot afford 10 injure
yourself for the purpose Of bcncfiting your
employers Your common sense tells you
that yon cannot get into the habit of TAX
ing strong drink To please others without
getting that habit fastened on you. | do
not know whether 10 tell il or not
think ! will \ close carriage came To the
door of my church in Brooklyn one night
at the close of religious service Some
one said. "A gentleman in that carriage
wants 10 see YOU looked into the car
riagc. and there sat as fine "A salesman and
rs elegant gentleman rs New York ever
saw, hut that night he was intoxicated
He said he wanted To put himself under
my care He said h. had left home and
he never meant to 90 back again. ! got into
the carriage with him and rode with him
until after midnight trying 10 persuade
him TO go home | have been scores Of
times 20 Greenwood. following the dead.
but that was the most dolcful ride | ever
took. After midnight persuaded him 10
~ home We alightcd AZ his door We
walked through his beautiful hall his
wife and daughter standing back alright
I'd AZ his appearance ! took him to his
room ! undr,SScd him. I put him 10
bed Where is that home now: All broken
up. Where are the wife and the dnugh-
ter? Gone into the desola;ions of widow
hood and orphauagc Whore is the man
himself: Dead by the violence Of his own
hand. commercial traveller. though
your firm NAV give You the largest salary
Of any man in your line. though they
might give yuu 10 Per cent Of all You sell.
or 30 per cent. or - per cent. or go per
cent, they cannot pay enough 10 make il
worth your while - ruin yotr soul Be
sides that. commercial hous, never com
ruined in their employ \ young man in
Philadelphia was turned nui from his ON
ploy because oi inrhriaiion. got IN the
service OF the merchant who employed
him. and herr Is the letter h. wrote Ia his
employer:
sir, came into your service uncor-
rupt in principles and in morals. but the
rules of your hol~e required me To- spend
ment and amusement in S,'nrrh Of custom
ers. To accomplish my work in your scrv-
ice. | was obliged to drink with them
and join them in their pursuits of pleas
urc. II was not my choice. but the rule Of
the house. Went with them 10 the thea.
ter and the billiard table. but it was not
my choice did not wish TO 90 went
in your service II was not my pleasure 80
To do. but was the conductor and com
paninn of thu simple ones void alike of
understanding and If principle, in their
sinful pleasures and deeds of deeper dark
ness, that | might retain them as your
customers. Your interest required it,
haze added thousands ~ dollars to the
profits ~ Your trade. bat NJ what expense
you now $50. and know too wei You
have become wealthy, hut ! am per- in
deed. And now this cruel dismissal from
your employ l. the rcnmpcnsc ! cccive
for n character ruined and prospects blast
ed in helping Ia make you rich man.
Alas for the man VINO gets such IA letter
as that
Again. | charge you, tell the whole
truth about anything you sell Lying com
mcrcial travellers viii prccdc Won Lying
commercial travellers will come right after
You into the same store Do not let their
unfair competition tempt you from the
straight linc. II is an awful bargain III I
IA man makes when he sells his gnods and
his soul ~ the same time. y young man
In one OF the stores ~ New York was scll
ing some s!.kS he was hinding hem up
when he sad in he lady customer. II is
my duty 10 show !ou that these is FRI q
turc in thar silk -hc looked AT il and
rejected the goods The head man Of the
firm. hearing of il. wrote Ia the father Of
the young nan in the country. saying.
Come and take YOUR son away He will
never make merchant the father came
in agitation. wondering what his boy had
been doing. Il The head men If the firm
said Why. y'ur son stood here at this
counter and pointed ont fracture in the
silk. and ~ course the lady wouldn't take