Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-12-19
Caln,aSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaac, d. d.

LOS AnSeleS, Gal, Dec. 1J.-At TINS
season, when all the world goes shop
ping and bargain hunting, this prac.
teal sermon has an especial timeli
ness. The text is Hebrews xii, ~,
wherefore lift up the hands which
hang down and the feeble knees"
How the ways of doing business have
changed within the last fifty years!
When our grandfathers lived the land
was sparsely settled Then every man
willing to work could find plenty of
work to do Then the universal mot
TO was: Never build upon another
mans foundation. Never try to I'm.
dcrmine the work of your neighbors."
II man had a little country store
no one ever thought of building an.
other store just across the street to
split his trade in half. 1t was uni
versally recognized truth that there
was only room enough for one store In
village and the first man who start.
ed store had personal right to that
trade, and no one else dared say him
nay.
If another man started a blacksmith
shop IN q village he had monopoly
of his line of business in that region
A ncighbor had the right TO start n
blacksmith shop ten miles away, but
not another in that locality. What was
true OF the blacksmith was also true Of
the miller. and the cobbler, and the
physician, and the lawyer Then the
harvest had 50 few laborcrs that no
man tried to build up his success upon
the ruin of another's life But now all
things have changed. Instead Of trade
hunting the man the man has to hunt
his trade. Whereas In Olden times
there were a dozen different places
for each man. now there are dozen
different applicants for each place.
Thus men today seem to win their sue
cess by crushing out the lives Of their
fellow men And this fact is especial
iy true In the mercantile world. Each
year the margin Of profits is being cut
down. The merchant who can buy the
closest and sell the cheapest is the man
who builds up the biggest trade and
has the largest store.
This competition for trade has be-
come SO bitter that the merchants in
order TO underbid each other have said
to their timers: I'VE will take some
goods and mark them down below
cost. These we will put upon the bar
gain counter. Then after the people
have flocked to this bargain counter
perhaps we can sell them some other
ho+ will I'm, II FOR nI1r
direct loss" Thus almost every day
you can see some advertisements in
the newspapers which tell you that at
such and such store at certain times
such and such goods will be sold at
IL price below cost. When you read
these reductions you know that these
goods could not be made for such n
selling price. And yet there is a large
class Of people who daily scan the
newspaper columns for the bargain
sales These buyers go from bargain
counter to bargain counter and then
come home gloating over the fact that
they have purchased those goods cheap
er than they could have been made.
The Bargain Counter Tragedy
Now. this is a sad commentary up
on the social condition of modern life
Whenever a man or woman buys an
article cheaper than it cost to produce
that article some one has to suffer.
There is no exception to the rule. To
day would use for my sermonic
theme "The Tragedy of the Bargain
Counter" and the lessons it teaches.
In the first place, the great throngs
pushing and josting about the bar
gain counter impress me with the
thought that for the great masses OF
people life Is terrific financial strug-
gle. From morning until night and
from night until morning the vital
question uppermOst in most people
minds is how they can make their in
come equal their outgo. The children
must have shoes and dresses and I'M
derwear. The house servant must be
paid. Food must be provided for the
table. Medicines must be bought
School bills must he met. Yet the sal
ary cannot be made any bigger. Now
what Is the average man to do? H
must cut down his expenses. And in
every way In which those expenses
can be cut down people do it. This is
one of the great reasons OF the multi
tudes focking about the bargain coun.
tiers.
You do not believe this? Well, per.
haps the dollar question is not a vital
question in your family. You have
made a financial success, and your
home Is on Easy street, But is youl
memory so short lived that you can
not remember the experiences of your
old fathers house. Money was not as
plentiful then as 1t IS now Then
every dollar had to be made to do its
full stint of work. Then there was nc
waste and no foolish buying, Do you
remember how your mother used &c
20 shopping day after day? How tired
Ihe would look when she came home
And the strange fact was she would
30 often come home empty handed
Your father would come in for supper
and say, well, mother, what did you
accomplish today" and with Il tired
voice she would answer: Nothing
John; nothing. | do not know what
shall do The two girls must have
new coats, Then the boys need warm
underwear. | must get another set OF
warm blankets for Jcnne's bed Ev
erythinG is so HIGHT or course If would