The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-09-27
Paper Read Before the Cha,tduQltG Circle.

Paper Read Before the Chautauqua Circle.
When you notice in the papers or
hear it remarked generally that the
times are good and business is moving
along actively, have you ever stopped
to think of the enormous depths of
meaning there is to certain classes, in
the significant words that "trade is
brisk" Take walk downtown in any
of the large cities, and step into one of
the busy offices in some one of the
great buildings that loom up so ma
Jestically or step into some of the large
mercantile houses or newspaper offices,
and you will begin to catch some faint
idea of what briskness in trade means.
It won't be necessary to go down
among the railroads or docks, or into
the vicinity of blast furnaces and roll
ing mills where pig iron and steel rails
may be seen flying through the air
with thousands of sparks to every
square inch, revolving like needle of
fate over the heads of the sweating
workers below, but just confne your
self to the other parts of the business
districts and look around.
Let us take a look into one of the
great publishing houses in large city
and watch the almost countless scores
upon scores of workers, and listen to
the rattle and roar of the great presses,
like the rumbling of an express train.
We see long lines of desks reaching
away into infinity, but mostly covered
mountain high with piles of docu-
ments which are being transferred
from one desk to another, and from
desks to messengers, or carriers to
mailer, wrapper, storer, or transporter
for their signatures or o KS. Watch
ing these busy workers you can plainly
see that among them all there is not
one who feels entirely at ease, for
somehow in this very degenerate age of
progress, every man and woman in
large establishment has come to feel
that if they make mistake, just
little one may be, all the work will
stop and also their salary cease at the
same time.
Indeed know for fact that in one
of the largest mercantile houses in
New York the third mistake an en-
ployee makes is always fatal. He may
quote prices wrong once, or add Is and
9 as % twice, but if for some occult
reason he should ever thereafter COM
NIT so slight breach of the peace as
to state in figures that times 12O is
400, off goes his clerical head, and he
joins the great army of the unem-
ployed, which means to some utter
poverty, unless by some streak of good
fortune he may find fathers house
to 60 to while looking for work.
Is it any wonder then, that one may
often look on and wonder amidst the
awful rush of modern days, what it all
amounts to anyway? Should you be
rash enough to ask the question of one
of these busy workers the very best
treatment you could hope for would
be probably, reply something like
this:
"Have no time for nonsense" and on
he would go with his work.
"Well sir what can 1 do for YOU p
The you, said in tone which leaves i,
somewhat doubtful in your MIND
whether you have any right to exist al
all, is the reception you would likely
get if you dared to approach one o1
the chiefs to ask the same question
His answer probably would be
James show this gentleman the wa!
out" and on he would 60 with hi
work.
Suppose now, you think, will stel
across the street and call on some on
of my old friends, and though his fac