The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1899-09-01

Mansfield toiled you and can afford to
toll in. Oh, for fewer idlers in The
cause of Christ and for more Christian
workers, men who shall take the same
energy that from Monday morning to
Saturday night they put forth for the
achievement of livelihood or the gath
ering of fortune, and on Sabbath days
put it forth to the advantage of Christs
kingdom and the bringing of men to
the Lord.
DR.. Duff visited a man who had in
herited great fortune. The man said
to him: II had to be very busy for many
years of my life getting my livelihood.
After awhile this fortune came to me,
and there has been no necessity that l
toll since. There came time when l
said to myself Shall l now retire from
business or shall go on and serve the
Lord in my worldly occupation" He
said: II resolved on the latter, and /
have been more industrious'in CONNER
cial circles than ever was before, and
since that hour l have never kept q
farthing for myself. l have thought 1t
10 NC d RISdI IL L SOuAdA I WA
as hard for the Lord as 1 had toiled
for myself, and all the products of my
factories and my commercial establish
ments, to the last farthing, have gone
for the building of Christian institu-
tions and supporting the church OF
God" Would that the same energy
put forth for the world could be put
forth for God. Would that thousand
men in these great cities who have
achieved fortune could see it their
duty now to do all business for Christ
and the alienation of the worlds suf-
fering!
Again, I remark that business life is
a school of patience. In your every
day life how many things to annoy and
to disquiet! Bargains will rub. Com
mercial men will sometimes fail to
meet their engagements. Cashbooks
and money drawer will sometimes quar-
rel. Goods ordered for special emer-
gency will come too late or be damaged
in the transportation. People intend
ing no harm will go shopping without
any intention of purchase, overturning
great stocks of goods and insisting that
you break the dozen. More bad debts
On the ledger. More counterfeit bills
in the drawer. More debts to pay for
other people. More meannesses on the
part of partners in business. Annoy
ance after annoyance, vexation after
vexation, and loss after loss.
All that process will either break you
down or brighten you up. 1t is
school of patience. You have known
men under the process to become petu-
liant, and choleric, and angry, and pug
nacious, and cross, and sour, and queer,
and they lost their customers, and their
name became detestation. Other mep
have been frightened up under
process. They were toug6aaa
exposure. They were ike @cKsssaase E
more valuable for being blasted. ~
first they had to choke down their
wrath, at first they had to bite their
lip, at first they thought of some sting
ing retort they would like to make, but
they conquered their Impotence. They
have kind words now for sarcastic
filings. They have gentle behavior now
for unmannerly customers. They are
patient now with unfortunate debtors.
They have Christian reflections now for
sudden reverses. Where did they get
that patience? By hearing a minister
preach concerning it on Sabbath? Oh,
no. They got it just where you will get
tiff you ever get it at all-selling hats.
discounting notes, turning banisters,
blowing corn, timing roofs, pleading
causes. Oh, that amid the turmoil and
anxiety and evaporation of everyday
life you might hear the voice of God
saying: I'm patience possess your soul.
Let patience have her perfect work."
l remark again that business life is
a school of useful knowledge. Mer-
chants do not read many books and do
not study lexicons. They do not dive
into profounds of learning, and yet
nearly all through their occupations
come to understand questions of
finance, and politics, and geography.
and Jurisprudence, and ethics. Bust
ness is a severe schoolmistress. If pu-
pills will not learn, she strikes them over
the head and the heart with severe
losses. You put $4,000 into an enter
prise. 1t is all gone. You say: That
is dead loss" Oh, no. You are paying
the schooling. That was only tuition,
very large tutition-I told you it was
severe misunderstanding it was worth
it. You learned things under that proc
ess you would not have learned in any
other way.
Traders in grain come to know some
thing about foreign harvests; traders in
fruit come to know something about
the prospects of tropical production;
manufacturers of American goods come
to understand the tariff on imported
articles; publishers of books must come
to understand the new law of copy
right; owners of ships must come to
know winds and shoals and navigation,
and every bale of cotton and every
raisin cask and every tea box and every
cluster of bananas is so much literature
for business man. Now, my brother,
what are you going to do with the intel
ligence? Do you suppose God put you
in this school of information merely
that you might be sharper in trade,
that you might be more successful as