St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-09-08
straits that they would quit busfnes.


pie tell me at what ruinously low
price they purchased an article, Il
gives me more dismay than satisfac
tion.. / know 1t means the bank
ruptcy and defalcation OF men II
many departments. The men whs
toll with the brain need full as much
sympathy rs those who toll with the
hand. All business life is struck
through with suspicion, and panic.
are the result of want of confidence
The pressure to do wrong is strong
er from the fact that in our day the
large business houses are swallowing
up the smaller, the whales dining or
bluefish and minnows. The large
houses undersell the small ones, be.
cause they buy in greater quantities
and at lower figures from the pro.
ducer. They can afford to make moth
ing, or actually lose, on some styles
Of goods. assured they can make it
up on others. So, great dry goods
house goes outside of its regular line
and sells books at cost or less than
cost, and that swamps the book
sellers; or the dry goods house sells
bric-a-brac at lowest figures, and that
swamps the small dealer in bric-a-
brac. And the same thing goes on in
other styles of merchandise, and the
consequence is that all along the busi-
ness streets Of all our cities there are
merchants of small capital who are in
terrific struggle to keep their heads
above water. The ocean liners rum
down the Newfoundland fishing
smacks. This is nothing against the
man who has the big store, for every
man has as large a store and as great
business as he can manage.
To feel right and do right under
all this pressure requires martyr
grace, requires divine support, re-
quires celestial reinforcement. Yet
there are tens of thousands of such
men getting splendidly through. They
see Others going mp and themselves
going down, but they keep their pa
thence and their courage and their
Christian consistency, and after
awhile their success will come. There
IL generally retribution In some form
for greediness. The owners of the
big business will die, and their boys
will get possession of the business,
and with cigar in their mouths, and
full to the chins with the best liquor,
and behind a pair of spanking bays,
they will pass everything on the turn
pike road to temporal and eternal
perdition. Then the business will
break up and the smaller dealers will
have fair opportunity. Or the spirit
Of coptentment and right feeling will
take possession of the large firm, AZ
with a famous business
house, and the firm will say: I'VE
have enough money for all our needs
and the needs of our children. Now
let us dissolve business and make way
for other men in the same line" In
stead of being startled at solitary
instance of magnanimity, It will be-
come common thing. I know of
scores of great business houses that
have had their opportunity OF vast
and who ought to quit.
But perhaps for all the days of this
generation the struggle Of small
houses to keep alive under the over
pressure Of great houses
will continues; therefore, taking
things as they are. you will be wise
10 preserve your faith and throw over
I'll the counters and shelves and casks
the measuring line of divine right.
And the Lord said unto me: Amos,
what seest thou? And / said: A
plumb line"
In the same way we need to rectify
,ur theologies. All sorts Of religions
ire putting forth their pretensions.
some have a spiritualistic religion,
ind their chief work is with ghosts,
md others religion of political econ
my, proposing to put an end to hu-
nan misery by a new style of taxa
ion, and there is a humanitarian re-
igion that looks after rhe bodies of
cen and let's the soul look after itself,
md there is legislative religion that
proposes to rectify all wrongs by en-
Ictment of better laws, and there is
n aesthetic religion that by rules of
xquisite taste would lift the heart
ut Of its deformities, and religions Of
III sorts, religions by the peck, re-
igions by the square foot and reli-
ions by the ton-all of them devices
4 the devil that would take the heart
way from the only religion that will
yer effect anything for the human
ace, and that is the straight up and
own religion written in the book
which begins with Genesis and ends
With Revelation, the religion of the
kies. the old religion, the God given
eligion, the everlasting religion.
which says: Love God above all and
our neighbor as yourself" All re-
gions but one begin at the wrong end
nd in the wrong place. The Bible re-
gion demands that we first get right
rith God. 1t begins at the top and
measures down, while the other re-
igions begin at the bottom and try
o measure up. They stand at the
cot of the wall, up to their knees in
he mud of human theory and specula-
ion, and have plummet and a string
led fast to it, and they throw the
lummet this way and break a head
ere and throw the plummet another
,ay and break head there, and then
hey throw it up. and it comes down
pom their own pate. Fools! Why
tand at the foot of the wall rectify-
ng up when you ought to stand at
he top rectifying down? I was in
he country, thirsty after long walk. |
nd / came in, and my child was blow
,g soap bubbles, and they rolled out |
I the cup blue and gold and green
nd sparkling and beautiful and orb
.ular, and in so small space never |
Rw more splendor concentrated. But |
he blew once. too often, and all the
lory vanished into suds. Then ! |
urned and took glass OF water and |
ras refreshed. And so far as soul |
hirst is concerned / put against all |
he blowing, glittering soap bubbles
{ worldly reform and human specula-
ion one draft from the fountain
rom under the throne of God clear
S crystal. Glory be to God for the
eligion that drops from above, not
oming up from beneath! ."And the
ord said INTO me. Amos. what seest /