Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-06-13
Caln1aSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank DE Witt Talmage. ID. d.

Il
ping and bargain hunting this prac
teal sermon has mn especial tineli
ness The text is Hebrews xii. IL,
Wherefore lit up the hands which
hang down aud the feeble knees"
How the ways Of doing business have
changed within the last fifty years!
When our grandfuthers lived the land
was Sparscly 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 un.
dermlne 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 II was a uni.
versally recognized truth that there
was only room enough for one store In
village. and the first man who start
ell store had II personal right to that
trade. and no one else dared say him
nay
II another man started blacksmith
shop in a village he had monopoly
of his line IL business in that region.
\ neighbor had the right TO start Il
blacksmith shop ten miles away, but
not another IN that locality. What was
true OF the blacksmith was also true of
the miller aud the cobbler. and the
| a. .. sha
| harvest had 50 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 10 hunt
his trade Whereas IN olden times
there we're dozen different places
for each man, now there are a dozen
| different applicants for each place.
| Thus men to-day seem To win their sue
cess by crushing out the lives OF their
fellow men. And this fact Is especial.
| Is 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 80 bitter that the merchants In
order To undcrhid each other have said
to their partners. We will take some
goods ana mark them down below
cost These we will put upon the bar
gain counter Then after the people
have Hooked to this bargain counter
perhaps we can sell them some other
goods that viii reimburse US for our
direct loss" Thus almost every day
you can see some advertisements In
the newspapers which tell you that at
such aud 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
selling price And yet there Is large
class OF people who daily sean the
new spupcr 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
or than they could have been made.
The Bargain Counter Tragedy.
| Now. this is a sad commentary up
on tie social condition OF modern life.
| Whenever man or woman buys an
article cheaper than II cost TO produce
that article some one has to suffer.
| There Is no exception 10 the rule. To
day would use for my sermonic
theme THE Tragedy OF the Bargain
Counter" and the lessons II teaches.
In the first place, the great throngs
pushing and jOstling about the bar
gain counter impress me with the
thought that for the great masses Of
people life Is "A terrific financial strug-
gle. From morning until night and
from night until morning the vital
| question uppermost In most peoples
minds Is how they can make their In
come equal their outgo. The children
must have shoes aud 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
AIRY cannot bc made any bigger. Now.
| Whit ~ tHt average Hlhu W w ne
must cut down his expenses. And in
every way in which those expenses
can Ice cut down people do 1t. This Is
one OF the great reasons OF the multi
tudcs focking about the bargain cOun-
tiers.
You do not believe this? Well, per-
haps the dollar question Is not vital
question In your family. You have
made financial success. and your
home is on Easy street. But Is your
memory SO short lived that you can
not remember the experiences OF your
old fathers house. Money was not as
| plentiful then as II Is now. Then
every dollar had 10 be made TO do its
/ full stint Of work. Then there was no
waste aud no foolish buying DO you
remember how your mother used 10
20 shopping day after day. How tired
she would hook when she came homel
4 And the strange fact was she would