The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-08-19

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escort him. He is a large purchaser and
has plenty of time and money, and it
will pay to be very attentive. The even
ing is spent at place of doubtful
amusement. Then they go back to the
hotel. Having just come to town, they
must, of course, drink.
A friend from the same mercantile es-
tablishment drops in, and usage and
generosity suggest that they must
drink. Business prospects are talked
over, and the stranger is warned against
certain dilapidated mercantile estab-
lishments that are about to fail, and for
such kindness and magnanimity of eau
ton against the dishonesty of other
business houses, of course it is expected
they willard so they do-take drink.
Other merchants lodging in adjoining
rooms find it hard to sleep for the clat-
ter 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. The outer gates of
hell open to let in the victims. The
wings of lost souls fit among the lights.
and the steps of the carousers sound
with the rumbling thunders of the lost.
Farewell to all the sanctities of home!
Could mother, sister, father, slumber-
ing in the inland home, in some vision
of that night catch 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 terror to 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 wove
or earthly magnifcence ever achieved.
But curse is gathering surely for
those men, and if it does not seize hold
of the pillars and in one wild ruin bring
down the temple of commercial glory it
will break up their peace, and they will
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 will clutch their gold
to take it along with them, but it will
be snatched from their grasp and a
voice will sound through their soul:
'Not farthing, thou beggarded spir-
i'll" And the judgment will come, and
they will stand aghast before it, and all
the business iniquities of lifetime will
gather around them, saying: 'Do you
remember that?" And 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 virtuous soul that once stood
aghast at the splendor and power of
these business men will say: ALAS,
this is all that is left of that great firm
that occupied a block with their mer-
chandise and overshadowed the city
with their influence and made right
eousness 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
a fabric or product is represented as
possessing 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
that unravel, old furniture rejuvenated
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.
pattern already questionable and
unstable palmed off as 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
their neighbors do. If 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 hard thing to stand close
by the law of right when your next door
neighbor, by his looseness 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
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