Evening journal., 1903-01-14
A Compromise
; With Conscience


Cecil Sylvester was an idealist. He
was absorbed in the question how TO
achieve the greatest good to the great
est number. After years Of study Of
the principles of political economy and
Of the workings of trusts and trades
unions he came to the conclusion that
the foundation Of all good rested with
the individual.
About this time he inherited a great
business. An uncle who. hadl been a
dry goods merchant all he life had died
suddenly without arranging his affairs,
and as Cecil was next Of kin and there
were no other heirs he stepped into his
uncle's counting room, hung up his hat
and proceeded TO manage the business.
After spending some days in familiar
izing himself with the details he called
the head Of the undergarment depart
ment to him and said;
Il see that we are advertising GER
tain goods as all wool which we are
selling at less than the cost of mate
rial. How is this? Are they all wool?'
mo, sir. They are part cotton"
cease to advertise or to sell them as
all wool hereafter"
"But our competitors
"Our competitors consciences are not
our consciences. We are only RESPONSE
bic for ourselves"
Sylvester turned his revolving chair
TO his desk, and the head of the under
clothing department retired with the
word "Foolw inaudibly uttered.
The next head summoned was the
manager of the shirt department.
Il notice." said Sylvester, that we
are paying a poor sewing girl so low a
price for making n shirt that she can
not possibly gain living at such work.
You will raise the amount paid 80 per
cent"
"And go out Of the shirt businessY
Certainly, sir, If necessary. do not
propose to force young girls into sin"
The head of the shirt department col
ored and retired in confusion.
Thus did Sylvester proceed to reform
his uncle's business, and at the end Of
the first day he went home feeling the
happiness of one who has righted a
number of wrongs. He was engaged
to an excellent young woman, Miss
Ethel Griggs, who loved him for his no
bic ideas, but who was of a somewhat
practical mind herself. He told her
what he had done, and though she
knew nothing of business, something
whispered to her that it was not likely
that her beloved could step in and re-
form the business Of hard headed old
man like John Sylvester. She there
fore cautioned him not to so too fast
with his reform because in some cases
they might tend to curtail the business
At the same time she admitted that the
reforms were just and proper. From
talking about the business they entered
upon the matter Of how they would
live after marriage and the preparation
for their wedding, which was set for an
early date. They had agreed on house
the cost Of which was S50,00O They
would employ seven servants, besides
the coachman, and had figured upon
spending out Of the profits of the busi-
ness $4,000 a year. AS this would
leave between $4,000 and $4,000 in
come untouched, their expenditures
would be very moderate. Still, Cecil
felt that he should spend no more be-
cause he had determined to run his
business not only honestly, but without
grinding his employees, and he expect
ed that this would at first curtail the
profits.
Six months passed, during which &C.
ell Sylvester, successor to John Sylves-
ter, continued to raise wages and sell
only goods that were as represented.
His marriage had been deferred till he
could strike balance at the end Of the
fiscal year and sec where he stood. His
store was as full of buyers as ever, and
the sales were visibly increasing. He
therefore looked forward to the fiscal
statement with great hopefulness that
his reforms had not proved unprohta-
bic. When 1t came in, it showed that
there was deficit of about $1,000. Syl-
vester noted this and set his teeth.
That evening when he Informed his
sweetheart as to the result of his re-
form she turned n trife pale. He at
tempted to reassure her by saying that
honesty was the best policy and that
the store had now got start on the
reform principle that would surely tell
for the next year. He tried to explain
to her how he proposed to establish a
very large trade by dealing honestly
on which the margin, though n very
small percentage, would be very large
in amount. Ethel was not convinced
or well satisfied with the prospect, es
pecially as Cecil proposed that, as their
mode Of living was to be based on the
profits OF his business, they should de
fer the wedding for a year.
The year rolled round. during which
the house of Sylvester continued tC
pay fair prices for goods and fan
wages to employees, especially the
saleswomen and cashgirls, in the anne
Iteration of whose condition the pro
prletor was much interested.
At the end of the second fiscal year
when the head accountant presented