Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-02-24

Of customers. To accomplish my work
in your service was obliged TO drink
with them and join them in their pur-
suits Of pleasure. II was not my choice.
but the rule Of the house / went with
thom 10 the theater and the billiard Ia
bic. but it was not my choice. | did not
wish to 90; ] went in your service. 1t
was not my pleasure so to do, but | was
the conductor and companion OF the
simple ones, void alike Of understand
ing and Of principle, in their sinful
pleasures and deeds of deeper darkness,
that might retain them as your Gus
toners. Your interest required it. l
have added thousands Of dollars to the
profits Of your trade, but at what ex-
pense you now see, and know too well
You have become wealthy, but / am
poor indeed, and now this cruel dis
missal from your employ is the recon-
pense I receive for character ruined
and prospects blasted in helping TO
make you a rich man" Alas for the
man who gets such letter as that
Again, charge you, tell the whole
truth about anything you sell Lying
commercial travellers will precede you
Lying commercial travellers will come
right after you into the same store. Do
not let their unfair competition tempt
you from the straight line 1t is an aw-
ful bargain that a man makes when he
sells his goods and his soul at the same
time. A young man in one of the stores
Of New York was selling some silks. He
was binding them up when he said to
the lady customer, at is my duty to
show you that there is fracture in
that silk" She looked at it and rejected
the goods. The head Of the firm, hear
ing Of it, wrote to the father OF the
young man in the country, saying;
"Come and take your son away. He
will never make a merchant. " The IA
ther came in agitation, wondering what
his boy had been doing, and the head
men Of the firm said; why, your son
stood here at this counter and pointed
out a fracture in the silk, and of course
the lady wouldn't take it. We are not
responsible for the ignorance Of Gus
toners. Customers must look out for
themselves, and we look out fol- our
selves. Your son will never make mer-
chant" "Is that allI" said the father.
"Ahl am prouder Of my hoy that I
ever was. John, get your hat and come
home"
But it is almost night. and you go
back to the hotel Now comes the
mighty tug for the commercial traveller.
Tell me where he spends his evenings,
and I will tell you where he will spend
eternity, and | will tell you what will
be his worldly prospects. There is an
abundance Of choice. There is your
room with the books. There are the
Young Mems Christian association
rooms. There are the week night serv-
ices Of the Christian churches There is
the gambling saloon. There is the thea
ter. There is the house Of infamy.
Plenty Of places TO go to. But which.
o Immortal man, which o God. which,
well, you say, Il guess I will
guess will go 10 the theater. Do you
think the tarrying in that place until
II o'clock at night will improve your
bodily health, or your financial pros
poets. or your eternal fortunei No man
ever found the path TO usefulness, or
honor, or happiness, or commercial sue
cess. or heaven. through the American
theater "Wen," you say, IL guess,
then. will 90 to- guess | will go 70
the gambling saloon You will first go
to look. Then you will go to play. You
will make 800, you will make $500.
you will make 81. 600, you will make
81, 500 Then you will lose all Then
YOU will borrow some money so as 10
start anew. You will make $50. you
will make 800. you will make 5000.
Then you will lose all. These wretches
of the gambling saloon know how to
tempt you. But mark this. All gam
blers die poor. They may make fortunes
great fortunes-but they lose them.
"Well, you say, "if | cant go to
the theater, and if can't go to the
gambling saloon, then | guess-I guess
will 90 to the house Of infamy.
Commercial travellers have told me that
in the letter box at the hotel within
one hour after their arrival. they have
had letters Of evil solicitation in that
direction. Il is far away from home.
Nobody will know it, Commercial trav-
elers have sometimes gone in that evil
path. Why not yong Halt There are
other gates Of ruin through which
man may go and yet come ont, out
| that gate has a spring lock which snaps
him in forever He who goes there IS
damned already. BE may seem to be
comparatively free for a little While.
bat he is only on the limits and the
satanic police have their eyes upon him
70 bring him in at any moment The
hot curse Of God is on that crime, and
because Of it there are men whose heav-
en- was blotted ont ten years ago. There
il no danger that they be lost; they are
lost now. look through their glaring
eveballs down into the lowest cav
ern Of hell o destroyed spirit, why
comest then in here todayf Dost think
/ have the power to break open the
barred gateway Of the penitentisry OF
the damnedi There is a passage IN
Proverbs somewhat hesitate to read
but do not hesitate long; AT the
window of my house l looked through
nv easement and beheld among the
simple ones. l discerned among the
Youths a young man, void OF under
standing, passing through the strees
near her corner, and he went the way
TO her house in the twilight, in the
evening. in the black and dark night
He goeth after her straightway' as an
OF eoeth TO the slaughter or as fool to
the correction of the stocks, till a Dart
strikes through his liver.
How to spend Evenings.
But now the question is still open
Where will you spend your evening7 .
commercial travellers, how much WIN
you give me to put you on the rign'
trackl without charging You FAR
thing I will prescribe for you plan
which will save you for this world and
the next. if you will take 1t. Go before
you leave home. TO the Young Men
Z ~.1,, - fbf. cffU where