The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-11
4 business Man on Commercial
Integrity.

A business mans view Of the present
condition of commercial morality as com
pared with the state Of affairs thirty years
ago is presented by Mr.. !. W. MoRToS Of
s.. Louis in the current number Of the
International Jourrui Of Ethics. 1t il a
reply to questions submitted n few years
ago by n clergyman 10 a number Of bust
ness men. as follows:
a. Are the principles which uudsrllc pres, Mt bust
ness methods opposed to the principles OF Christian
ity, 50 that one cannot succeed by doing 10 others
as he would nav, others do 20 HIM
(2.l Is IL true that to succeed In business men must
commit SIM
a. II 50. what sins' Must they deccive' Must
they blunt the fine edge OF honesty In any way Must
they disregard Sunday
a. ought the pulpit to try TO elevate The STANDARD
OF trade
In plain English that Il 10 say. putting
aside the religious aspect Of the matter
as Mr.. MORTON does in his answer, Is il
necessary in order 10 be successful In bust
ness nowadays for n man 10 lie, to cheat,
to steal or to break the Sabbath:
Not only does Mr.. MoRToS from n bust
ness experience Of over thirty years en-
Dn1tltullF bfUN INV Nltll'lI'ul bul he fN-
presses his conviction " hat during this
period great progress has been made in
elevating the methods Of trade: that the
standard Of commercial honesty and bust
ness integrity, OF the man Of mercantile
affairs to-day is higher than ever before.
and that matters AVE so shaped themselves
that much success I'm business cannot be
attained by any other means than by the
s~trictest adherence to the principles Of
honor and equity" This is an inevitable
consequence among other things of tho
great Capitalization Of business in trade
and in manufacture. II is from the mer-
camille business in which he is engaged
that Mr.. MORTON draws his instances.
Tho golden rule, he maintains, is observed
I'm the relations between employers and
employees and he points ont that while
tho same salaries are now paid generally
for the same services the M -Chasing power
of money is two or three ''oS what II was
thirty years ago. the i..rs Of work are
less and yet 1t takes three times tho guam
tity Of the employers goods 20 bring back
the amount in dollars and cents il did
formerly. That has been possible by the
adoption Of economic methods and by the
expansion Of business, an expansion which
depends on confidence inspired and can
only be maintained by upright dealings.
Improved methods have done away In
large part with night work and Utmost
entirely with Sunday work by both en-
ployecs an Employers.
There In. been a complete TRANSFORMED
ton in the c.aSs of statesmen or drummers.
" Formerly firms expected them TO be
more or less cornwall with customers"
they had great license in their accounts
and were not measured by direct results;
" a. a consequence, they were more or less
d~isreputable." Now they are an honor
able. intelligent, diGnifcd set of men. They
could not be otherwise and retain their
positions" Moreover they usually have
small routes enabling them to spend their
Saturdays and sundays at home in some
town. To be successful the sales
" must be strictly truthful and straight !
forward" otherwis" he skaters confidence
in the firm he represents.
The small margin Of profit in sales has
put an end TO many possibilities for dis
honesty or u%nfairness. The chances 81 |
taking advantage Of customers are very |