The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-03-08
Or. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

| IEXT: Inc CQarlOtS Sudll ThSo Ill lue
streets; they shall justle one against an
otner in the bread ways; :hey, shall seem
Ike torches; they shall run like the light
lings."-Nahum H., 4.
It has been found out that many OF the
arts and discoveries which We supposed
we're peculiar to our own age are merely
.he restoration OF the arts and discoveries
oi thousands OF years ago. suppose that
The past centuries have forgotten more
! :han the present century knows. 1t seems
| 70 me that they must have known thou
.Rnds OF years ago in the days OF Ntneyeh
Of the uses OF steam and its application to
swift travel. In my text l hear the rush OF
The rail train. tho clang OF the wheels and
.he tanning OF the car couplings. 'The
.hariots shall rage In the streets; they
shall justle one against another In the
broad ways; they shall seem like torches;
hey shall run ike the lightnings:"
Have you ever taken your position In the
aight far away from q depot along the
rack waiting to sea the rail train come at
iull speed? At first you heard in the dis
.ance a rumbling. like the coming OF q
storm, then you saw the fash OF the head
light OF the locomotive as 1t turned the
,u1ve; then you saw the wilder glare OF the
! iery eve Of the train as 1t came plunging
.oward you; then you heard the shrek OF
The whistle sthat frenzled all the echoes;
:hen YOU saw the hurricane dash OF Gin
iers; then you felt the jar OF the passing
earthquake and you saw the shot thunder
oolt or the express train. Well, 1t seems
hat We can hear the passing OF midnight
express train In my text, "The chariots
shall rage In the streets; they justle one
against another In the broad ways; they
| shall seem like torches; they shall run like
:he lightninGs."
| halt the train long enough to get on
BOARD, and 60 through the cars, and
| ind three-fourths of the passengers are
comm ercial travellers. They are folk
peculiar to themselves, easily recognized,
At home on all the trains, not startled by
:be sudden dropping Of the brakes, familiar
with all the railroad signals, can tell you
what Is the next station, how long the train
will stop, what place the passengers take
luncheon at, can give you information on
almost any subject, are cosmopolitan, at
,ome everywhere from Halifax 20 San
| Francisco. They are on the O'Clock
morning train, on the noon trair, on the
| midnight train. You take berth IN a
sleeping car. and either above you or be-
| aeath you is one Of these gentlemen. There
are 100, 900 professed commercial travellers
N the United States, but 100000 would
not include all those who are some
lines engaged in this service. They
spend millions OF dollars every day In
The hotels and in the rail trains. They
have their official newspaper organ. They
oave their mutual benefit association,
about 1000 names on the rolls, and have al.
really distributed more than 100000
among families OF deceased members.
| They are ubiquitous, unique, and tire.
nendous for good or evil. All the ten
iencies OF merchandise are toward their
multiplication. The house that stands
back on It's dignity and waits for customers
70 come, instead Of going to seek bargain
makers, will have more and more unstable
goods on the shelf and will gradually lose
It's control Of the markets. While the
great, enterprisiDg and successful houses
will have their agents on all the trains,
and "their chariots will rage in the streets,
.hey shall Justle one against another In
The broad ways. They shall seem like
torches, they shall run like the light.
afngs."
| think commercial travellers can stand
sermon Of warm hearted sympathy. II you
/ bave any words Of good cheer for them
you had better utter them. II you have
any good, honest prayers in their behalf
they will be greatly obliged to you. 1nevel
: knew man yet who did not like to be
| not like to be helped. 1t seems to ME this
sermon Is timely. At this season Of the
year there are tens Of thousands OF men
going out to gather the spring trade.
The bitter curse OF Almighty God will
rest upon that commercial establishment
which expects its employees to break the
Sabbath What, right has Christian
! merchant to sit down in church on the
Sabbath when his clerks are travelling
abroad through the land on that day? Get
up, professed Christian merchant, so act.
NO. hro
i. and call that boy back. There was mer-
chant in 1887 who wrote: 81 should have
been q dend man had 1t not been for the
| Sabbath. Obliged to work from morning
until night through the whole week, I fel,
On Saturday, especially on Saturday after.
noon, that I must have rest. It wns like
going into dense fog. Everything looked
dark and gloomy as II nothing could be
saved. dismissed all and kept the Sab.
bath in the old way. On Monday 1t was al
sunshine, but had 1t not been for the Sab
bath, have no doubt should have beer
IN my grave"
Be ashamed to sell foreign fabrics or fruits
unless you know something about the
! looms that wove them or the vineyards
that grew them. Understand all about the
laws that control commercial life, about
banking, about tariffs, about markets
about navigation, about foreign people.
their characteristics and their political
revolutions as they affect ours; about the
harvests OF Russia, the vineyards OF Italy
the teahelds Of China. Learn about the
great commercial centres OF Carthage and
Assyria and Phenicia. Read oil about the
Medici OF Florence, mighty In trade
| mightier In philantbropies. You belong
10 the royal family OF merchants. Be
aorthy ofthat royal family. Oh, take my
advice and turn the years OF wearlness into
years OF luxury.
| But you have come now near the end OIL
your railroad travel. You begin business
Now, let me say, there are two or three
things you ought to remember. First
that oil the trade you get by the prac'
cannot get custom except BY tipping q
wineglass with somebody, you had better
not get his custom. An old commercial
traveller gives as his experience that trade
got by Treating" always damages the
house that gets 1t In one way or the
| other.
o commercial traveller, though your firm
may give you the largest salary OF any
man in your line, though they might give
you ten per cent. OF all you sell, or twenty
per cent. or fifty per cent. or nlnety-nine
per cent, they cannot pay enough to make
1t worth your while to ruin your soull
Besides that, n commercial house never
compensates man who has been morally
ruined In their employ. young man In
Philadelphia was turned out from his en-.
ploy because OF inebriation got In the
service OF tho merchant who employed
him. and here is the letter he wrote to his
employer:
"sir-I came into your service uncor'
rupt in principles and IN morals, but the
rules OF your house required me to spend
my evenings at places Of public entertain
ment and amusement in search OF custom.
| org To accnmnllsh nv work In Your ser