Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-03-23
Or, TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

DIVINE.
Subject: "Advice to Commercial Drum
mers"-Mnny Are the Temptations
That Beset Travelling Men-Christian
Associations Necessary.
TEXT: "The chariots shall rage in the
streets; they shall justle one against an
other in the broad ways; .hey shall seem
like torches; they shall run like the light
nings."-Nahum H., 4.
It has been found out that many OF the
arts and discoveries which we supposed
were peculiar to our own age are mercy
the restoration Of the arts and discoveries
Of thousands of years ago. l suppose that
the past centuries have forgotten more
than the present century knows. 1t seems
to me that they must have known thou-
sands ofyears ago in the days Of Nineveh
Of the uses OF steam and its application to
swift travel. In my text hear the rush OF
the rail train, the clang OF the wheels and
the jamming OF the car couplings. The
cnariots shall rage in the streets; thsy
shall justle one against another in the
broad ways; they shall seem like torches;
they shall run like the lightnings."
Have you ever taken your position in the
night far away from a depot along the
track waiting to see the rail train come at
full speed? At first you heard in the dis
tance a rumbling, like the coming of
storm, then you saw the fash Of the head
light OF the locomotive as it turned the
curve; then you saw the wilder glare Of the
fiery eye of the train as it came plunging
toward you; then you heard the shrek OF
the whistle that frenzied all the echoes;
then you saw the hurricane dash of Gin
ders; then you felt the jar of the passing
earthquake and you saw the shot thunder
bolt Of the express train. Well, it seems
that 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
the lightnings."
halt the train long enough to get on
board, and I go through the cars, and l
find ree-fourths of the passengers are
commercial travellers. They are folk
peculiar to themselves, easily recognized,
at home on all the trains, not startled by
the 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
home everywhere from Halifax to San
Francisco. They are on the 8 O'Clock
morning train, on the noon treic, on the
midnight train. You take berth in a
sleeping car. and either above you or be-
meath you is one Of these gentlemen. There
in the United States, bat 900 would
not include all those who are some
times 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
have their mutual benefit association,
about 1000 names on the rolls, and have al
ready distributed more than 100000
among families of deceased members.
They are ubiquitous, unique, and tre-
mendous for good or evil. All the ten
denotes Of merchandise are toward their
multiplication. The house that stands
back on its dignity and-waits fo- customers
to come, instead of going to seek bargain
makers, will have more ard more unstable
goods on the shelf and will gradually lose
its control OF the markets. While the
great enterprisiGg and successful houses
will have their agents on al! the trains,
and their chariots will rage in the streets,
they shall Justle one against another in
the broad ways. They shall seem like
torches, they shall run Ike the light
niDgs."
think commercial travellers can stand
sermon of warm hearted sympathy. II you
have any words of good cheer for them,
you had better utter them. If you have
any good, honest prayers in their behalf,
they will be greatly obliged to you. Inever
knew II man yet who die not like to be
prayed for: never knew man yet that did
not like to be helped. It seems to me this
sermon is timely. At this season of the
year there are tens of thousands Of men
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
ing. You have no business here. Go out
and call that boy back. There was a mer-
chant in 1887 who wrote: 81 should have
I 4. - -.
Sabbath. Obliged to work from morning
until night through the whole week, felt
on Saturday, especially on Saturday after
noon, that l must have rest. 1t was like
going into dense fog. Everything looked
dark and gloomy as If nothing could be
bath in the old way. On Monday it was all
sunshine but had 1t not been for the Sab
bath, have no doubt I should have been
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 teafields of China. Learn about the
great commercial centres Of Carthage and
Assyrta and PhGnicfa. Read all about the
Medici of Florence, mighty in trade,
mightier in philanthropies. You belong
to the royal family OF merchants. Be
worthy ofthat royal family. Oh, take my
advice and turn the years of weariness into
years of luxury.
But you have come row near the end of
your railroad travel. You begin business.
Now, let me say, there are two or three
things you ought to remember. First,
that all the trade you get by the prac-
tice Of treating" will not stick. If you
cannot get custom except by tipping a
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 it 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
it worth your while to ruin your soull