Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-12-21
Calnnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank Dc Witt Talmaee, D.. ID.

Los Angeles, Cal, Dec. 15.-At this
season, when all the world goes shop
ping and bargain hunting, this prac-
tical sermon has IN especial timeli-
ness. The text is Hebrews xii, II,
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 spprsely settled. Then every man
pilNl& &c 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
dermine the work of your neighbors.'
If n man had q 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
n village. and the first man who start
ed a store had a personal right to that
trade. and no one else dared say him
nay.
If another man started blacksmith
shop in village he had a monopoly
of his line Of business in that region.
1a rioh 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 so few laborers 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 we're 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 or their
fellow men. And this fact Is especial
" true I'm the mercantile world. Each
wear 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 ID
order TO underbid each other have said
TO their partners: 1--WE will take some
goods and mark them down below
cost. These we will put upon the bar
gain counter. Then after the people
have locked to this bargain counter
nerhaps we can sell them some Other
goods that will reimburse us for oul
direct loss" Thus almost every DAY
Won can see some advertisements II
the newspapers which tell you that a
sucb and such store at certain times
such and such goods will be sold a
price below cost. When you reat
} these reductions you know that these
goods could not be made for such
selling price. And yet there Is large
class of people who daily scan th'
newspaper columns for the bargain
sales. These buyers go from bargain
, counter to bargain counter ana thei
come home gloating over the fact tina
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 man or woman buys a
article cheaper than it cost to produc
that article some one has to suffer
There IS no exception to the rule. Tc
day would use for ny sermonl
theme "The Tragedy Of the Bargal
Counter" and the lessons it teaches.
In the first place. the great throng
pushing and jostling about the bal
gain counter impress me with III
thought that for the great masses 9
people life is terrific financial strui
Gle. From morning until night an
D from night until morning the vita
question uppermost in most people
. minds is how they can make their II
come equal their outgo. The chlldre
must have shoes and dresses and III
: derwear. The house servant must |
paid. Food must be provided for I'll
table. Medicines must be bough
School bills must be met. Yet the sa
ary cannot be made any bigger. Nov
what is the average man to doE h
must cut down his expenses. And
every way in which those expense
can be cut down people do it. This
one of the great reasons Of the multi
tudes focking about the bargain cou
ters.
You do not believe this? Well, pc
= haps the dollar question is not Wit
question in your family. You hay
)f made a financial success, and yo'
home IS Oh Easy street But Is yo'
memory so short lived that you ca
II not remember the experiences of yol
old fathers house. Money was not
plentiful then as it is now. The
every dollar had to be made TO 90
g full stint Of work Then there was
" waste and no foolish buying. DO "
~ remember how your mother used
at 20 shopping day after day? How tir
she would look when she came hom
And the strange fact was she wou
so often come home empty hande
Your father would come in for supp
and say. well. mother, what did y
- accomplish today" and with a tir
voice she would answer: "Nothlr
- John: nothing. | do not know what
shall do. The two girls must ha
new coats. Then the boys need wal
underwear. I must get another set
warm blankets for Jennie's bed. L
" erything is 20 high! or course 1t wot
oe easy enough to shop If we had pi
: ty of money, but we haven't, and
o, clothing must be bought, and how
IT, buy it is the question. Well, VIII
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