Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-07-28

their neighborS do II the majority OF
the traders in any locality are lax In
principle. the IDercial code in that
community will be spurious and dis
honest 1t is hfrd thing - stand
close 10y the law of right when your
next door neighlor by his loOseness Of
dealing is enabled 10 sell goods nj a
rheapcr rate and dVoy your customers.
OF course. you who promptly meet all
your business engagements. paying
when you promise TO pay. will lind IL
hard to compete with that merchant
who is hopelessly in debt TO the i'm
porter for the goods and to TIE land.
lord whose store he occupies and TO
the clerks who serve him. There are
hundred practices prevalent in the
world Of traffic which ought never TO
become the rule for honest men. Their
wrong does not make your right. Sin
never becomes virtue by being multi
Piled and admitted at brokers' board
or merchants exchange. Because 9th
crS Smuggle Il few things in passenger
trunks. because others take usury
when men are in tight places. because
others palm of worthless indorse-
ments. because others do nothing but
blow bubbles. do not. therefore. be
overcome Of temptation. Hollow pre-
tension and fictitious credit and com
mercial gambling may awhile prosper,
but the day Of reckoning cOmeth. and
IN addition to the horror and CON
demnation of outraged communities
the curse Of God will come blow for
blow. Gods law forever and forever
Is the only standard OF right and
wrong and not commercial ethics.
Young business man. avoid the first
business dishonor. and you will avoid
all the rest. The captain of Il vessel
was walking near the mouth Of riy-
er when the tide was low. and there
was long stout anchor chain. into
one of the great links of which his foot
slipped. and it began to swell. and be
could not withdraw il. The tide began
TO rise. The chain could not be loos.
ened nor filed off in time. and a sur
geon was called to amputate the limb.
but before the work could be done the
tide rolled over the victim. and his life
was gone. | have TO tell you. young
man. that just one wrong into which
you may slip may be link Of long
chain OF circumstances from which
you cannot be eXtricsted by any In
genulty of your own or any help from
others. and the tides will roll over you
as they have over many.
Rfghteousness Rewarded.
Again. business men are sometimes
tempted TO throw Off personal RESPONSE
bility. shifting it to the institution to
which they belong. Directors in banks
and railroad and insurance companies
sometimes shirk personal responsible
ty underneath the action of the cor
pOration. And how often. when some
banking house or financial institution
explodcs through fraud, respectable
men in the board of directors say,
"Why. thought all was going on In an
honest way. and am utterly con-
founded with this demeanor" The
banks and the fire and life and marine
insurance companies and the railroad
companies will not stand up for judg-
ment in the last day. but those who
in them acted righteOusly will receive.
each for himself. a reward. and those
who acted the part of neglect or trick
cry will. each for himself. receive a
condemnation.
Unlawful dividends are not clean be-
fore God. because there are those as
sociated with you who grab just as big
a pile rs ycu do. He who countenances
the dishonesty Of the firm or OF the
CORPORATION or association takes upon
himself all the moral liabilities. II
the financial institutions steal. he
steals. If they go into wild specula-
tionS. he himself is gambler. If they
necdlessly embarrass a creditor, he
himself is guilty Of cruelty. II they
swinde the uninitiated, he himself is
defrauder. No financial institution
ever had money vault strong enough.
or credit stanch enough. or dividends
large enough. or policy acute enough to
hide the individual sins Of its men,
bers. The old adage that corporations
have no souls is misleading. Every
corporation has as many souls as II
has members.
Again. many business men have
been tempted to postpone their enjoy
ments and duties TO future season
Of entire leisure. What a sedatiye the
Christian religion would be TO all our
business men if. instead Of postpon-
ing its uses to old age or death. they
would take it into the store or factory
or worldly engagements now. Ii IL
folly to 20 amid the uncertainties OF
business life with no God 10 help. A
merchant in New England village
was standing by horse. and the horse
lifted his foot to stamp II in pool Oh
water. and the merchant. TO escape the
splash, stepped into the door OF an In
surance agent, and the agent said, II
suppose you have come TO renew your
fire insuranceT' oh" said the mer-
chant, II had forgotten thatr' The in
surance was renewed. and the next
day the house that had been insured
was burned. Was it all accidental that
the merchant, to escape a splash from
a horses foot, stepped into the insur-
ance Office. No: it was prOvidential.
And what a mighty solace for a busi-
ness man to feel that things are provi-
dentiall What peace and equilibrium
in such a consideration. and what .
grand thing If all business meh could
realize it,
Adjourning Joys.
Many. although now comparatively
straitened in worldly circumstances.
have a goodly establishment In the fu-
ture planned out. They have In lmag-
nation built about 20 years ahead q
house in the country not difficult OF
access from the great town. for they
will often have business or old ac-
counts to settle or investments to look
after. The house is large enough TO
o.onumolafp ali their friends. The