Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-08-24
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

/ Subject: Buyers and sellers-Novel Views
| on the Business Life-Hich Compli.
! ment to Commercial Integrity-Trick-
cry in Trade Denounced.
| copyright, Louis Klopsch 1891
WASHINGTON, D. C.-Integrity and trick
! cry in business life form the subject OF DR..
! Talmage's sermon, and the contrast he
establishes between the two is q striking
| one. The text is Proverbs Xxx, IA: at Is
naught, 1t is naught, saith the buyer, but
/ when he is gone his way then he boasteth." !"
Palaces are not such prisons as the world
! imagines. # you think that the only time
kings and queens come forth from t he 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
| they come out and see the world as it s.
I In no other way could King Solomon, the
! author Of my text, have known everything
that was going on. From my text am sure
| he must, in disguise, some day have walked
! into store of ready made clothing in Jeru-
salem and stood near the counter and heard
/ a conversation between buyer and SELL
er. The merchant put price on coat,
and the customer began to dicker and said
"Absurd That coat is not worth what you
ask for it. Why, just look at the coarse
! collar! Besides that, it does not ft
Twenty dollars for that? Why, it is not
worth more than $40. They have better
! article than that for lower price down at
! Clothem, Fitem & Bros. Besides that, I
don't want 1t at any price. Good morn
| ing" "Hold!' lays the merchant. "Do
! not go off in that way. I want to sell you
| that coat. / have some payments to make,
/ and l want the money. Come, now, how
much will you give for that coat?' We'll"
says the customer, II will split the differ
ence. You asked $40, and said $40. Now,
! 1 will give you s15' "Well," says the
merchant, ''it is great sacrifice, but take
! 1t at that price"
I Then the 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
unroled the coat say: Boys, l have made
great bargain. How much do you guess
/ gave for that coat?" "Well," says one,
wishing to compliment his enterprise,
| you gave $50 for It," Another says, 81
! should think you got 1t cheap If You gave
/ S25.' NO." says the buyer in triumph,
II got it for SIS. l heat him down and
! pointed out the imperfections until
really made him believe it was not worth
bargain. Ha, hal" Oh, man you got the
! goods for less than they were worth by
! positive falsehood, and no wonder, when
! solomon went back to his palace and had
| put off his disguise, that he sat down at
| his writing desk and made for all ages a
|
naught, saith the buyer, but when he is
| gone his way then he boasteth.'
There are no higher styles of men In all
the world than those now at the head of
mercantile enterprises in the great cities
| OF this continent Their casual promise is
as good as bond with piles Of collateras.
! Their reputation for integrity is as well es-
tahlished as that of Petrarch residing in
! the family of Cardinal Colonna. 1t is re-
! lated that when there was great disturb
ance in the family the cardinal called all
his people together and put them under
oath to tell the truth except Perrarch
/ when he came up to swear, the cardllal
/ put away his book and said, ''As for you
Petrarch, your word is sufficient" 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 more to be
/ honored, because they have withstood year
after year temptations which have flung
! so many fat and flung them so hard they
| 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 il 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 exaggerating 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 mood favorable to TIE
| proper consideration of the value of the
| goods. He shows himself TO be an hore est
! and frank salesman. How carefully the
| lights are arranged till they fall just right
| upon the fabric. Beginning with goods of
! medium quality, he gradually advances
! toward those of more thorough make and
| of more attractive pattern. How be
watches the moods and whims of his GUS
toner! 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 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 price
which will not make it 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 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 it will be the duty Of some of
our enterprising houses to escort him. He
is large purchaser and has plenty of time
and money, and it will pay to be very at
| teutIfe. cNeulub 10 pFut 1T pitcc VI
doubtful amusement. Then they go back
to the hctel. Having just come to town
| they must, of course, drink.
A friend from the same mercantile estab-
lishment drops in, and usage and generos-
i,y suggest that they must drink. Busi-
| ness prospects are talked over, and the
stranger is warned against certain dilapi-
dated mercantile establishments that are
| about to fail, and for such kindness and
| magnanimity of caution against the dis
| honesty of other business houses of course
it 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 we'll 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 ctims. The wings
| of lost souls fit among the lights, and the
steps of the carousers sound with the rum
bling thunders of the lost. Farewell to all
the sanctities of home! Gould mother,
sister, father, slumbering in the inland
| home, in some vision of that night catch