Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-01-15
DAILY SHORT STORY
Compromise With Conscience.
IOriRinal 1

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. Ain uncle who had been a
dry goods merchant all his life had died
suddenly without arranging his affairs.
and as Cecil was next of kin and there
We're 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 Fool" 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 4
price for making shirt that she can
not possibly gain living at such work.
You will raise the amount paid so per
cent
And go out OF the shirt business?"
Certainly, sir, if necessary. l 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 somewhat
practical mind herself. He told her
what he had done. and, though she
knew nothing of business, something
whispered TO her that il was not likely
that her beloved could step in and re-
form the business of a hard headed old
man like John Sylvester. She there
fore cautioned him not to go too fast
with his reform because i'll 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 $4,000. They
would employ seven servants, besides
the cOachman, and had figured upon
spending out OF the profits of the bust
ness $4,000 n 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 Ce-
Gil Sylvester. successor to John Sylves-
ter. continued 10 raise wages and sell
His marriage had been deferred till he
could strike a balance 1T the end of the
fiscal year and see where he stood His
store was as full OF buyers rs ever, and
the sales were visibly increasing. He
therefore looked forward TO the fiscal
statement with great hOpefulness that
his reforms had not proved unprOtita-
BILE. When it came in. ii 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 a trifie 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
very large trade by dealing honestly,
on which the margin, though a 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 to
pay fair prices for goods and fair
wages to employees. especially the
saIeswemen and cashgirls. in the anne
Iteration of whose condition the pro-
prietor was much Interested
At the end of the second fiscal year,
when the head accountant presented
the statement to the proprietor, Syl-
vester turned pale His capital was
sunk. and for months he had realized
that his business had greatly fallen OH
When he impaired the unwelcome
news TO Ethel. she said:
.'You have been a theOrist long
enough lou still have your uncle's
prestige. Be a business man and re-
gain what you have lost
Sylvester was really bright fellow
and set about rebuilding the business