The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-07-24
TRICKERY IN TRADE.
REV. OR. TAlMA1g CONTRASTS IT
WITH FAIR DEALING.
Condemns Business Processes b.
which values Are Misrepresented.
Many of Our Merchants Are Models
Of Integrity.


Many of Our Merchants Are Models
Of Integrity.
Copyright, Louis Klopsch, 1901
WASHINGTON, July 23.-Integrity and
trickery In business life form the sub
ject of DR.. Talmage's sermon today, and
the contrast he establishes between the
two Is q striking one. The text Is Prov
cribs X, IA, ut IL naught, 1t Is naught,
said the buyer, but when he Is gone his
way, then be boasteth."
Palaces are net such prisons as the
world imagines. II you think that the
only time kings and queens come forth
from the royal gates Is In procession and
gorgeously attended, you are mistaken.
Incognito, by day Or by night, and cloth
ed in citizens apparel Or the dress Of
working woman, they come out and see
the world AZ it Is. In no other way
could King Solomon, the author of my
text, have known everything that was
going on. From my text nm sure he
must In disguise some day have walked
into a store Of ready made clothing In
Jerusalem and stood near the counter
and heard conversation between buy
er and seller. The merchant put a
price on coat, and the customer began
to decker and said: absurd! That coat
Is not worth what you ask for 1t. Why,
Just look at the coarseness of the fabric!
See that spot on the collar! Besides
that, it does not 1T. Twenty dollars for
that? Why, it is not worth more than
$40. They have better article than
that and for lower price down at Cloth
EN-, Fitem & Bros. Besides that don't
want 1t at any price. Good morning"
Hold" says the merchant, "do not 60
off In that way. want to sell you that
coat. have some payments to make
and I want the money. Come, now, how
much will you give for that coat7'
"Well," says the customer, II will split
the difference. You asked $40 and l
said $40. Now, will give you $15."
"Well," said the merchant, "it is great
sacrifice, but take 1t at that price"
Then the customer with roll under
his arm started to 90 out and enter his
own place Of business, and Solomon in
disguise followed him. He heard the
customer as he unrolled the coat say:
"Boys, have made great bargain.
How much do you guess gave for that
coatw "Well," says one, wishing to
compliment his enterprise, "you gave $50
for it," Another says, II should think
you got it cheap il you gave $25." NO."
says the buyer in triumph; II got it for
SIS. beat him down and pointed out
the imperfections until really made him
believe 1t was not worth hardly anything.
1t takes me to make bargain. Ha!
Ha" o man, you got the goods for less
than they were worth by positive false
hood, 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
crayon sketch of you, at is naught, it is
naught, saith the buyer, but when he is
gone his way, then he boasteth."
Word as Good as Dond.
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 a bond with piles
of colaterals. Their good reputation for
integrity Is as well established as that
of Petrarch residing in the family Of
Colonna. 1t is related that when there
was great disturbance in the family the
cardinal called all his people together
and put them under oath to tell the
truth, except Petrarch. When he came up
to swear, the cardinal 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 fiat and flung them so
hard they can never, never recover them
selves. While all positions in life have
powerful besetments to evil, there are
specific forms of allurement which are
peculiar to each occupation and profess
sion, and it will be useful to speak of
the peculiar temptations of business
men.
First, as in the scene of the text, bust
ness men are often tempted to sacrifice
plain truth, the seller by eXaggerating
the value Of goods and the buyer by de-
preciating them. We cannot but adplre
an expert salesman. See how he first in
duces the customer into mood favorable
to the proper consideration of the value
of the goods. He shows himself to be an
AoLtSt ulu lIulih SulesiuuI. IiUW Citle~
fully the lights are arranged till they fall
just right upon the fabric! Beginning
with goods of medium quality, he gradu-
ally advances toward those of more thor
ough make and of more attractive pat.
tern. How he watches the moods and
whims Of his customer! With what per-
feet calmness he takes the order and
bows the purchaser from his presence.
who goes away having madc up his mind
that he has bought the goods ut price
which will allow him n living margin
when he again sells them! The goods
were worth what the salesman said they
were and were sold at price which will
not make 1t necessary for the house to
fail every ten years In order to fix up
things.
Practices Condemned.
But with what burning indignation we
think of the iniouitous stratagems by
which goods are sometimes disposed Of!
the arrival Mt one of our hotels of n Young
merchant from ono Of the inland cities
He ia n comparotive stranger in the ercat
citv md ~ course he mnst no shown
around and n will he tbe dntv NJ some of
our enternris;ng houses IN escort him
IJo 10 n large purcboser and hos n,ontv
- :. II,