The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-09-08

7
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-
tablishmcnt 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-
Hshments 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 dccantcrs, and the coarse carousal
of these "hail fellows well met wakes
louder. But they sit not an night at the
wine cup. They must see the sights.
They stacger forth with checks flushed
and ewes bloodshot The outer gates of
hell open TO let in the victims. The
wings of lost souls fit tamong the lights,
and the steps Of the carousers sound
with the rumbling thunders of the lost.
Farewell to all the sanctities of homel
Could mother, sister. father, slumber-
ing I'm the inland home, in some vision
of that night catch a glimpse of the
ruin wrought they would rend out their
hair by the roots and bite the tongue
tin the blood spurted, shrieking out:
"God save himl"
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 q terror to all rivals, and
from this thrifty root there may spring
up branch houses in other cities, and
an the partners of the firm may move
into their mansions and drive their full
bloodod span, and the families may
sweep the street with the most elegant
apparel that human heart ever wove
or earthly magnidcence ever achieved.
But a 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 II
will break up their peace, and they will
tremble with sickness and bloat with
dissipations. and, pushed to the preci-
nice of tLls life. they viii 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
voice will sound through their soul:
"Not a farthing, thou beggarded spir-
it," And the judgment will come, and
they viii stand aghast before it, and all
the business iniquities of a 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-
monv To- their ncfarious 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 q block with their mer-
chaudise and overshadowed the city
with their influence and made right
eousncss and truth and purity fall un-
der the CALLING fire Of ayarice and
crime"
While we admire and approve of all
acuteness and tact in the sale of goods,
we must condemn any process by which
fabric or product is represented as
possessing a 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 insecurely bound, carpets
that unravcl. 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
/ biqh. 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 a new print
upon some country merchant who has
come 10 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 tempts
ed 10 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 neiphbors do. If the majority OF
the traders in any locality are lax IN
principle. the commercial code OF that
community viii be spurious and dis
honest. It's hard thing TO stand close
bv the law of right when your next door
neirhbor, by his looseness Of dealing, is
enabled to sell goods at cheaper rate
and decoy your customers. Or course
YOU who promptly meet all your busi-
ness engagements, paying when you
promise TO pay, will find it hard TO com
pete with that merchant who is hope
lessly I'm debt to the importer for the
Foods and TO the landlord whose store
F. he occupies and TO the clerks who serve
him. There are q hundred practices
prevalent in the world Of traffic which
ought never 70 become the rule for hon
. rLofr ,vron0 does not make