The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-09-23

will clutch their gold to take 1t along with
them, but 1t will be snatched from their
grasp, and voice will sound through their
soul, mot q farthing, thou peggared
spiritr'
And the Judgment will come, and they
will stand aghast before 1t, and all the
business iniquities of a lifetime will gather
around them, saying, "Do you remember
this?" and do you remember thatf" Aud
clerks that they compelled to dishonesty
and runners and draymen and bookkeepers
who saw behind the scenes will bear testi-
mony to their nefarious deeds, and some
yirtuous soul that once stood aghast at the
spiendor and power OF these business men
will say, ALAS, this Is all that Is left OF
that great firm that occupied block with
| their merchandise aud overshadowed the
city with their influence and made right
eousness and truth and purity fall under
the CALLING FIRE OF ayarice and crlme.''
While we admire and approve OF all
acuteness and tact in the sale OF goods we
fabric or product Is represented as pos
sessiDg a value which 1t really does not
have. Nothing but sheer falsehood can
represent rs perfection boots that rip,
silks that speedily lose their luster. cali
Goes that Immediately wash out, stoves
that crack under the iirst hot fire, books
insecurity bound, carpets that unravel.
old furniture rejuvenated With putty and
glue and sold as having been recently
manufactured, gold watches made out Of
brass, barrels Of fruit, the biggest apples
on top, wine adulterated 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 high rolled out on the counter with
matchless display. Imported. indeedi but
Con In, ha otr a
pattern already questionable and I'M
salable palmed OIL as new print upon
some country merchant who has como to
town to make his arst purchase OF dry
goods and going home with a large stock
of goods warranted to keep.
Again, business men are often tempted
to make the habits and customs Of othel
traders their law of rectitude. There art,
commercial usages which will not stand
the test OF the last day. Yet men IN bust
ness are apt to do as their neighbors do.
If the majority OF the traders in any local
ity are lax In principal, the commercial
code In that community will be spurious
and dishonest. It Is a hard thing to stand
close by the law OF right when your next
door neighbor by his looseness Of dealing
is enabled to sell goods at cheaper rate
and decoy your customers. OF course, you
who promptly meet all your business en-
gagements, paying when You promise to
pay, win find 1t hard to compete with that
merchant who Is hopelessly In debt to tho
i'm porter for the goods and to the landlord
whose store he occupies and to tho clerks
who serve him. There are hundred
practices prevalent In the world
OF traffic which ought never to
become the rulo for honest men. Their
wrong does not make your right. Sin
never becomes virtue by being multiplied
and admitted ut brokers' board or NOR
chants exchange. Because Others smuggle
few things in passenger franks, because
others take usury whom men are In tight
| places, because others palm of worthless
| Endorsements, because others do nothing
but blow bubbles, do not, therefore. be
overcome OF temptation. Hollow preten-
! sion and fictitious credit and commercial
gambling may awhile prosper, but the day
OF reckoning cometh, and In addition to
tho horror and condemnation OF outraged
communities the curse OF God will come
| blow for blow. Gods law forever and Tor
ever is the only standard OF right and
wrong and not commercial ethics.
| Young business man, avoid the first busi-
ness 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, ind there was long stout anchor
chain, into one OF the great links OF which
| his foot slipped, and 1t began to sweit an,t
l
to rise. The chain could not be loosene;l
nor fled 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. l havc ia
| tell you, young man. that just one wrong
into which you may slip may be link OF a
! long chain OF circumstances from which
| you cannot be extricated by any ingenuity
| Of your own or any help from others, and tho
| tides will roll over you as they have over
| many.
Again, business men are sometimes
| tempted to throw of personal RESPONSE
| bility, shifting 1t to tho institution to
which they belong. Directors IN banks
| and railroad aud insurance. companies
sometimes shirk personal responsibility
| underneath the action OF the corporation.
And how often, when some banking house
or financial institution explodes through
] fraud respectable men IN the boar OF
| directors say, "Why, I thought oil was
going ON in an honest way, and l am ut
| terly COMPOUNDED with this demeanorr'
| The banks and the fire and life aud
| marine insurance companies and the rail-
road companies will not stand up for judy
mont In the Inst day, but those who in
them acted rlghteously will receive, each
| for himself, a reward, and those who acted
| the part Of neglect or trickery will, each
| for himself, receive II condemnation.
| Unlawful dividends are not clean before
| God, because there are those associated
| with you who grab just as big pile as yea
| DO. He who countenances the dishonesty
Of the firm or Of the corporation or asso.
citation takes upon himself all the moral
| liabilities. II the financial institutions
| steal, he steals. II they 10 into wild specu-
| lations, he himself is a gambler. II they
| neediessy em5arrasS creditor, he himself
is guilty Of cruelty. II they swindie the
| uninitlated, he himself is defrauder. No
financial institution ever had n money vault
strong enough, or credit staunch 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 COR
poration has as many souls as 1t has men,
bers.
Again many business men have been
tempted to postpone their eDjoyments aud
duties to future season OF entire leisure.
What a sedative tho Christian religion
would be to all our business men II, In
stead OF postponiDg its uses to old age or
death, they would take 1t into the store or
factory or worldly engagement nowi 1t Is
folly to go amid tho uncertainties Of busi-
pess lie with no God to help. A mer-
chant in New England village was
standing by O horse, and the horse
lifted his foot to stamp It in "a pool
OF water, and the merchant, to escape
the splash, stepped into the door OF an
insurance agent, and the agent said. 81
isuppose you la come to renew your fire
nsurance?" "Oh," sald the Nero naut, II
had forgotten thatr' The insurance was
renewed, and the next day the house that
had been insured was burned. Was 1t all
accidental that the merchant, to escape n
s lash from horses foot, stepped into the
fpe of