Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-09-01
NUMBER 35.


muntes the curse of God will come,
blow after 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 a vessel
was walking near the mouth of river
when the tide was low, and there was u
long, stout anchor chain, into one OF
the great links of which his foot
slipped, and it began to swell, and he
could not withdraw it. The tide began
TO rise. The chain could not be loos-
encd nor filed off in time, and surgeon
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
slip may be link of long chain of cir
cumstances from which you cannot be
eXtricatod by any ingenuity of your
own or any help from others, and the
tides will roll over you as they have
over many. When Pompey, the war
rior, wanted to take possession of a
city and they would not open the gates,
he persuaded them to admit sick sol
der. But the sick soldier after awhile
got we'll and strong, and he threw open
the gates and let the devastating army
come in. One wrong admitted into the
soul may gain in strength until after
awhile it filings open all the gates to the
attack of sin, and the ruin is complete
Again, business men are sometimes
tempted to throw off personal respon-
sibiltes, shifting it to the institution
to which they belong. Directors in
banks and railroad and insurance COM
panies sometimes shirk responsibility
underneath the action of the corpora
tion, and how often, when some bank
ing house or financial institution eX-
plodes through fraud, respectable men
in the board Of directors say: "Why,
thought all was going on in an honest
way, and am utterly confounded with
this dcmeanor!" The banks and the
fire and life and marine insurance COM
panies and the railroad companies will
not stand up for judgment in the last
day, but those who in them acted
righteously will receive, each for him
self, reward, and those who acted the
part of neglect or trickery will, each
for himself, receive condemnation.
Unlawful dividends are not clean be.
fore God because there are those asso'
ciated with you who grab just as big a
pile as you do. He who countenances
the dishonesty of the firm or of the cor.
poration or association takes upon him.
self all the moral liabilities. III the
financial institution steals, he steals
If they 60 into wild speculations, he
himself is gambler. If they needless
ly embarass a creditor, he himself is
guilty of cruelty. If they swindle the
uninitiated, he himself is n 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 members The
old adage that corporations have no
souls is misleading. Every corpora.
ton has as many souls as it has mem
bers.
Again, many business men have been
tempted to postpone their cnjoymcnts
and duties to a future season of entire
leisure. What sedatiye the Christian
religion would be to all our business
men if instead of postponing its uses
TO old age or death they would take II
into the store or factory or worldly en-.
gagements now! 1t is folly to go amid
the uncertainties of business life with
no God to help. A merchant in New
| England village was standing by u
horse, and the horse lifted its foot to
stamp it in pool of water, and1he
merchant, TO escape the splash, stepped
into the door of an insurance agent,
and the agent said: 81 suppose you
have come TO renew your fire insur.
ance." "0h!" said the merchant. 81
had forgotten that" The insurance
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 insurance
office? 40, it was provdential. And
what a mighty solaco for business
man to feel that things are providen.
tial!
Many, although now comparatively
Strengthened in worldly circumstances,
have Il goodly establishment in the fu'
ture planned out. They have an i'm.
agiuation built, about 20 years ahead,
a house in the country not ditliillt OF
access from the great town, for they
will often have business or old accounts
to settle or investments to look after.
The house is large enough TO accommo-
date all their friends The halls are
wide and hung with pictures of hunt
ing scenes and a branch of untlers snd
are comfortable with chairs that can
be rolled ont on the veranda when the
weather is inviting or set out under
| some Of the oaks that stdn6 sentinel
about the house, rustling in the cool
breeze and sougful with the robins
There is Just land enough to keep them
interested, and its crops Of almost fab
ulous richness springing up under APP
plication Of the best theories TO be
found in the agricultural journals. The
farm is well stocked with cattle and
horses and sheep that know the voice
and have kindly bIcat when one gocs
forth TO look at them. In this bissful
abode their children will be instructed
in art and science and religion. This
Stall be the old homestead 10 which the
boys at college will direct their letters,
and the hill on which the house stands
will be called Oakwood or Ivy hill or
Pleasant Retreat or Eagle Iiyrie. May
the future have for every business mar
here all that and more besides! But
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