The Yale expositor., 1916-12-21

copyrighted, 1914, by Thomas j. Sullivan.l
Every failure is a step TO success;
every detection of what is false directs
US to what is true; every trial ex-
hausts some tempting form of error.
Not only so, but scarcely any attempt
is entirely a failure; scarcely any theo-
ry, the result of steady thought is al
together false No tempting form of
error is without some latent charm de-
rived from truth. With these thoughts
in mind l have prepared what / call
the consumers creed.
A Gate to the City.
1t Is not a religious creed. II 1t were
l would not be writing it, as l am
afraid l might get my metaphors
crossed. This is a business creed,
something like the people of New Eng
land unconsciously adopted when Lord
North undertook to tax them. Thereto
fore they had always been accustomed
to divide on points. 1t so happened,
fortunately, that their opposition to
Lord North was a point on which they
were all united. 1t was business
point
/ have written a creed upon which
the people Of the north, south, east
and west can all unite for their own
good
A good creed is a gate to the city
which has golden foundations; mis-
leading creed may be q road to de-
struction, or if both misleading and
alluring 1t may become what Shake
speare calls a primrose path to the
eternal bonfire.
Perhaps my creed Is nothing more
than a set of principles which 1t would
be well for every consumer to practice.
Read them and then adopt them as
your very own:
A Business Creed.
First-I do not patronize the mail
order system because 1t Is selfish and
greedy and for the reason that buy
at home, where my interests are.
Second.-1f this community Is good
enough for my family and to live in
1t ought to be good enough for my fam
fly and i to buy our necessaries in.
Third will not take the word Of
the mail order house for its goods, as
want to see what am buying. and
want to get what pay for.
Fourth.-1 do not patronize the mail
order houses because they demand
cash in advance. and when am
"broke" and sick and need supplies my
home dealer Is willing to "carry" me.
Fifth patronize the home dealer
because he stands back of his goods
and in case of error is willing to rec.
tify.
Sixth.-f patronize the home mer.
chant because believe man ought to
spend his money In the community In
which he earns 1t.
SEVENTH patronize the home mer-
chant because 1 believe the man who
sells what he produces and buys what
he needs at home cannot be injured
by deceptive catalogue pictures or al
legged bargains.
Eighth do not patronize the mail
order houses because they frequently
sell damaged and inferior goods, which
1t avails man nothing to attempt to
exchange. But the man / patronIze-
the home merchant, the man who helps
to pay the town, county and state tax
will exchange any article buy from
him which is unsatisfactory.
Ninth.-I spend my money with my
home merchant in preference to some
mail order house in a distant city be-
cause the local merchants help to sup
port the public schools where 1 send
my children, the churches and the de-
pendent poor in my vicinity.
Tenth.-I patronize the local mer-
chant because be does not try to trick
me into buying cheap" goods, which
because Of their effectiveness prove
to be expensive, and, further, because
should I'll luck or bereavement come
my way my local dealer would not
only prove that he was a neighbor
and friend. but man, with q mans
heart and a mans inclination to do
good; not a soulless corporation like
the mail order system, whose only in
stinct is greed and a further desire for
gain.
do Unto Others"
Let all citizens follow this creed
and they will be blessed with happy
homes and happy life. They will
prosper financially and at the same
time improve their moral standard. Do
for your neighbor what you would like
him to do for you: then you are doing
your full duty to yourself and to all
mankind.
Moral-Buy and sell at home.