Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

rHE LEDGEH: GAFFNEY, S. C., JULY 2‘J, 1897 •f I 5E51 INI) THE COX’N'TKIi Hl-V. iJil. TA.V.AGE TO CALtSMEN ANO SALESWOMEN. He Won!<l Intpire Them With (t U^althy Amhitiou rnd Allay Many <»f Their An- noyancea — Some Practical Advice ami Kl(K]ucnt Kxhortation. Washington, July IS.—This gfrnion ct Dr. 'ialiiiituo, iidiiresged to tin; great host of ckrka »u stores uud olficeH aud factories, will iuspiro such persons with healthful aiuLuiou uud ullay uiauy of their auuoyanccs. Tent, A<;ts xvi, 14, “Aud a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Tbyatira, which worshiped Gcd, hoard us, whoso heart the Lord opened.’’ Proverbs xxii, 21), “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.’’ The fir*t passago i&^roduces to you Lydia, a Christian merchantcss. Her business is to deal in purple cloths or silks, tiho is not a giggling nonentity, but a practical woman, not ashamed to work for her living. All the other wo men of Philippi and Thyatira have been forgotten, bur God has made immortal in our text Lydia, the Christian sales woman. The other text shows you a man with head and hand and heart ami foot all bn«y toiling on up until he gains a princely success. “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.” Great encouragement in these two passages for men and women who w ill be busy, but no solace for those who are waiting for good luck to show them, at the foot of the rainbow, u casket of buried gold. It is folly for anybody iu tliis world to wait for something to turn up. It will turn down. The law of thrift is as inexorable as the law of the tides. Fortune, the magician, may wave her wand in that direction until custles and palaces come, but she will after awhile invert the same wand, and all the splendors will vanish into thin uir. There are certain styles of behavior whiqh lead to usefulness, honot aud permanent success, aud there are cer tain styles of behavior which lead to dust, dishonor aud moral default. I would like to fire the ambition of young people. I have no sympathy with those who would prepare young folks for life by whittling down their expectations. That man or woman will be worth noth ing to chqrch or state who begins life cowed down. The business of Christian ity is not to quench but to direct human ambition. Therefore it is that I utter words of encouragement to those who arc occupied as clerks in the stores and shops and banking houses of the coun try. They are not an exceptional class. They belong to a great company of tens of thoasads who aro iu this country, amid circumstances which will eifh< r make or break them for time and for eternity. JIauy of these people have al ready achieved a Christian inaidim- s and a Christian womanliness which will be their passport to any position. 1 have seen their trials. I have watched their across the sea than to steer a commer cial establishment clear of the rocks. \>,u we ev- ry day the folly of people g. ir.g into a busim r,s tb y know noth ing about. A man makes a fortune in one business, thinks there is another occupation more comfortable, goes into it and sinks all. Many of the commer cial establishments of our cities are giv ing their clerks a mercantile education »s thorough as Yale or Harvard or JPrinceton are giving scientific attain ment to the students matriculated. The reason there are so many men founder ing iu business from year to year is be cause their early m< rcautih education was neglected. Ask the men in high coruijuoeial circles, and they will tell you they thank God for this severe dis cipline of their early clerkship. You can afford to endure the wilderness march if it is going to end in the vine yards and orchards of the promised laud. But you say, “Will the womanly clerks in our stores have promotion?” Yes. Time is coming when women will he as well paid for their foil in mercan tile circles us men aro now paid for their toil. Time is coming when a wom an will be allowed to do anything sb» can do well. It is only a little while ago when women knew nothing of te legraphy, and they were kept out of a great many commercial circles where they arc now welcome, and the time will go on until the woman who at one counter in a store sells £.j,000 worth of sal- p< rplexities. which need dru; There are evils nbroa 1 vo be hunted down and , b ged out into the noonday light. Hutfence and Diligence. In the first place, I counsel clerks to remember that for the most part their clerkship is only a school from which they aro to bo graduated. It takes about eight years to get into one of the learn ed professions. It takes about eight years to get to be a merchant. Some of you will be clerks all year livrs, hut the vast majority of you aie only in a transient position. After awhile, some December day, the head men of the firm will call yon into the back office, and they will say to you: “Now, you have done well by us, we arc going to do well by you. We invite you to have an interest in our concern.” You will bow to that edict very gracefully. Get ting into a street ear to go home, an old comrade will meet you ami say, “What makes yon lock so happy to night?” “Oh,” you will say, “noth ing, nothing.” But in a few days your name will blossom on the sign. Either in the store or bank where you aro now, or in some other store or bank, you will take a higher position than that which you now occupy. So I feel I aui now addressing people who will yet have their hand on the helm of the world’s commerce and you will turn it this way cr that. Now clerks, hut to he hankers, importers, insurance company directors, shippers, contractors, superintendents of railroads—your voice mighty “on ’Change”—standing foremost in the great financial and religious entt rprises of the day. For, though wo who are iu the prefersiens may on the platform, plead for the philanthropies, after all, the merchants must come forward with their millions to sustain the movement. Be therefore patient and diligent in this transient position. You are now where you can learn things you can never learn in any other place. What you consider your disadvantages aro •your grand opportunity. You see an affluent father some day etuno down a p.ominent street with Ids son who has just graduated from the university and establishing him in business, putting fdO,000 of capital in the store. Well, you are envious. You say: “Oh, if I nnly had a ehauco like that young man! If i only had a father to put £<>0,000 in a business for me, then J would have some i bailee in thu world.” Be not en vious. You have advantages over that young man which he has not over you. As well might 1 eom« down to the docks when a vessel is about to sail fur Valparaiso and say, “Let me pilot this ship out to sea.” Why, I would sink crow’ and before 1 got out of the harbor simply because I know nothing about pilotage. Wealthy sea captains put their sons before the ma t for the reason that they know’ it is the only place win :■< they cun h irn to be suc- e -ful sa.ioj.. L is only under drill i that people gi t to understand pilotage nod navigation, and 1 want you to un derstand that it takes no iqore skill to conduct a vessel out of liarbor) aud j goods in a year will get as high a sol an a ’ th man who at Lie ctLer coun ter of tin- same store sells £‘>,000 worth of goods. All honor to Lydia, tbo Chris- j I tiua saleswoman. Snbini.'slon to Rule*. The sv'cond counsel I have to give tc | clerks is that you seek cut what are the lawful regulations of your establish ment, mid then submit to them. Every j well ordered house has its usages. In | military life, on ship’s deck, in com- I meroial life, there must be order and I discipline. Those people who do net learn how to obey will never know how to command. I will tell you what young man will make min, financial and mor al. It Is the young man who thrusts his thumb into his vest and says: "Nobody i shall dictate to me. I am my own mas ter. I will not submit to the regula tions of this house. ” Between an estab lishment in which all the employees are und< r thorough discipline and the establishment in which the employees do about as they choose is the difference between success and failure—between rapid accumulation and utter bankrupt cy. Do not come to the store ten min utes after the time. Be there within two seconds and let it be two seconds before instead of two seoondn after. Do not think anything too insignificant to d<> well. Do not say, “It’s only just once. ” Ftrtm the most important trans action in commerce down to the partic ular style in which you tie a string around a bundle obey orders. Do not get easily disgusted. While others in I the store may lounge or fret or com plain you go with ready Panda aud j cheerful f r-e and contented spirit to your work. When the bugle sounds, the good soldier asks no questions, but .-boulders his 1. uipsie k, fills his canteen and listens for the command of “March!” Do not get the idea that yonr inter ests and the >■ (ff your employer aro an tagonistic. His success will be your honor. His embarrassment will he your dismay. Expose none of the frailties of the firm. Tell no store secrets. Do not blab, liebuff those persons who come to find oat from (lerks what ought m v- er to he known outside the store. Do net lx among those y<emg men who take on a mysterious air vJfiou something is said against the firm that employs them, as much as to say, “I could tell you something if I would, but I won’t.” Do hot be among those who imagine they can build theius( Ives up by pull ing somebody else down. Be not ashamed to be a subaltern. Again, I counsel clerks to search out what are the unlawful and dishonest demands of an establishment and resist them. In the (i,000 years that have passed t!i( re has never been an occasion when it was one’s duty to sin against God. It is never right to do wroug. if the head men of the firm expect of you ©ut of the storo, saying, “I will not tak* it today.” which means, “I don t want it at all,” leaving the clerk amid a wreck of ribbons and laces and cloths | to smooth out a thousand dollars’ worth of goods—not a cent of which : did that man or woman buy or exjx ct to buy. Now, I call that a dishorn sty i on the part «i the customer. If a boy runs into a store and takes a roll ol i loth off the counter and sneaks out into the street, you all join iu the cry pell- mell, “Stop thief!” When I see you go into a t tore, not expecting to buy any thing, but to price things, stealing the time of the clerk and stealing the time of his employer, I say, too, “Stop thief!" If I were asked w hich class of per sons most need the grace of God amid tluir annoyances, I would say, “Dry goods clerks. ” All the indignation of customers about the high prices comes on the clerk. For instance: A great war cornea. The manufactories are closed. The people go off to battle. The price of goods runs up. A customer comes into a store. Goods have gone up. “How much is that worth?” “A dol lar.” “A dollar! Outrageous! A dol lar!” Why, who is to blame for the fact that it has got to be a dollar? Does the indignation go out. to the manufacturers on the banks of the Merrimuo because they have closed up? No. Does the in dignation go out toward the employer, who is out at his country seat? No. It comes on thi clerk. He got up the war. He levied the taxes. Ho puts up t he rents. Of course, the Cifcrk. Then a great trial comes to clerks iu the fact that they see the parsimonious side of human nature. You talk about lies behind the counter—there are just as many lies before the counter. Au gustine speaks of a man who adver tised that he would, on a certain occa sion, tell thu people what was iu their hearts. A crowd assembled, aud he stepped to the front and said: “I will tell you what is in your hearts. To buy cheap and sell dear.” Oh, lay not aside your urbanity when you go into a store! Treat the clerks like gentlemen and la dies, proving yourself to he a gentle-- man or a lady. Remember that if the prices are high and your purse is lean that is no fault of the clerks. And if you have a sou or a daughter amid those perplexities of commercial life, and such a one comes home all worn out, be lenient, and know that the martyr at the stake no more certainly needs the grace of God than our young peo ple amid the seven times heated exas perations of a clerk’s life. Im-oiixMj-rsitw I.niployerH. Then there are all the trials which come to clerks from the treatment of inconsiderate ('tuployers. There are pro fessed Christian men who have no more regard for their clerks than they have for the seal(3S on which the sugars ar rt weighed. A clerk is no more than so much store furniture. No consideration Every clerks morning and the h*- brought all aocountauts and the the dishonesty, disappoint them. “Oh,” you say, “I should lose my place then.” Better lost' your place than lose your soul. But you will not .ose your place. Christian heroism is always honored. You go to the head man of your store and say: “Sir, I want to serve you. I want to oblige you. It is from no lack of Industry on my part, but this thing seems to me to bo wrong, and it it a sin against my conscience, it is a sin against God, and I Leg you, sir, to ex cuse me.” He may ffush up and swear, hut he will cool down, and he will have more admiration for you than for those who submit to his evil dictation, and while they sink you will rise. Do not, because of seeming temporary advan tage, giv® up your character, young man. Under God that is the only thing you have to build on. Give up that, you give up everything. That employer asks a young man to hurt himself for time and for eternity who expects him to make a wrong entry, or change an invoice, or say goods cost so much when they cost less, or impose upon tin- ver dancy of ;r customer, or misrepresent a style of fabric. How dare he demand of you anything so imxilent? A Kevc Trials. Again, I counsel all eh iks to conquer the trials ( f their particular position. One gn at trial for clerks is the ineon- sirh ration of customers. Tin re are peo ple who are entirely polite everywhere •Ise, but gt a!)’niul dictatorial and enn- temptible wh n they conic into a store to buy anything. Th- r- are thousands of men and women who go from store to store to ] ri( tilings without any idea (t pun ha. r. They are not satisfit d until every roll of goods is brought down aud tney have pointed out all tin* r. ui or imaginary dt feels, ’ihey try on all kimls of kid gloves and stretch tin in out of (dittpe, and they put on all styles ol cloak and walk to the mirror to see how they look, aud thin they sail for their rights or interests. Not one word of encouragement fiom sunrise to sunset, nor from January to December But when anything goes wrong—a streak of dust oa the counter or a box with the cover off—thunder showers <. scolding. Men imperious, capricious, cranky toward their clerks—their whole manner as much as to say, “All the in terest I have iu you is to see what I e..n get out of you.” Then there are all tho trials of incompetent wages, not in such times as these, when if a man get;: half a salary for his services he ought to be thankful, but I mean in prosper ous times. .Some of you remember wh< u the war broke out and all merchandise went up, aud merebauta were made millionaires in six months by the sim ple rise iu tho value of goods. Did the clerks get advantage of that rise? Some times, not always. I saw estates gath ered in those times over which the curse of Go-l has hung ever since. The cry of unpaid nun and women in these stores reached the Lord of Sabaoth, aud the indignation of God has been around those establishments ever since, flash ing in the chandeliers, glowing from the crimson upholstery, rumbling in the long roll of the tenpin alley. Such men may build up palaces of merchau dise heaven high, but after awhile a disaster will come along and will put one hand on this pillar and another baud on that pillar aud throw itself for ward until down will come the whole structure, crushing the worshipers as grapes are mashed in the winepress. Then there are boys ruined by lack of compensation. In how- many prosper ous stores it has been for the last 20 years that boys were given just enough money to teach them how to steal! Some were seized upon by the police. Tho vast majority of instances were not known. Tho head of the firm asked, “Where is George now?” “Oh, he isn’t hero anymore.” A lad* might better starve to death on a blasted heath than take one farthing from his employer. Woe be to that employer who unneoes sarily puts a temptation in a boy’s way. There have been great establishments in i those cities, building marble palaces, their owners dying worth millions and millions and millions, who made a vast amount of their estate out of the blood ; and muscle uud nerve of half paid i clerks. Hue It men as—well, I will not mention any name. But I mean men who have gathered up vast estates at the expense of the jieople who were ground under their heel. “Oh,” say such merchants, “if you don’t like it he.e, then go and get a better place!" As much us to say: “I’ve got you in my grip, and 1 mean to hold you. You can’t get any other place.” Trim .SynijiHiliy. Oh, what a contrast between those men and Christian merchants who to day are sympathetic with their clerks— when they pay the salary, acting in tlii.> way: “This salary that I give you is ui t .til my interest m you. You are an immortal man; you are an immortal worn..n. I am interested in your pn sent ami your everlasting welfare. 1 want you to understand that it 1 am a little higher up in tins store 1 am be side you in Christian sympathy.” Go hack 4u or f>0 y< ins to Arthur Tappen’s store iu Now York, a man whose worst tueinics never questioned his hum ty. weighers into a room ’or devotion. They sau*,', they prayed, they exhort* d. On Monday morning the clerks wero asked where they had attended church on the previous day and what the ser mons were about. It must have sound- td strangely, that voice of praise al mg the streets where the devotees of Mam mon were counting their golden beads. You say, Arthur Tappen failed. Yes, he was unfortunate, lik** a great many good men, but I understand he met all Lis obligations before he left this world, and I know that ho died in the peace of the gospel aud that lie in before the throne of God today—forever blessed. If that be failing, I wish you might all fail There are a great many young men and young women who want a word ol encouragement—Christian encourage ment. One smile of good cheer would be worth more to them tomorrow morn ing in their places of business than a present of *15,000 ten years hence. Oh, I remember the apprehension and the tremor of entering a profession. I re member very well the man who greeted me in the ecclesiastical court with the tip ends of the long fingers of the left hand, and I remember the other man who took my hand in both of his and said: "God bless you, my brother. You have entered a glorious profession. Be faithful to God, and he will see you through.” Why, I feel this minute the thrill of that handshaking, though the man who gave me the Christian grip has been in heaven 20 years. There aro old men here today who can look back to 40 years ago, when some one said a kind word to them. Now, old men, pay back what you got then. It is a great 1 art for old men to be able to encourage | the young. There are many young peo- j pie in our cities who have come from inland counties, from the granite hills I of the north, from the savannas of the south, from the prairies of the west. ; They are here to get their fortune. They, are in boarding houses where everybody | seems to be thinking of himself. They | want companionship, and they want Christian encouragement. Give it to them. )>alaurin(r the Rooks. My word is to all clerks, Be mightier than your temptations. A Sandwich Is lander used to think when he slew an ; enemy all the strength of that enemy came into his own right arm. And 1 have to tell you that every misfortune you conquer is so much added to your own moral power. With omnipotence | for a lever and the throne of God for a fulcrum you can move earth and heav- j eu. While there are otln r young men j putting the cup of sin to their lips you | stoop dosvn and drink not of the form- , tains of God, and you will rise up | strong to thrash the mountains. The ancients used to think that pearls were | fallen raindrops, which, touching the , surface of the sea, hardened into gems, then dropped to the bottom. I have to | tell you today that storms of trial have ; showered imperishable pearls into many ' u young man’s lap. Oh, young mui)„ while you have goods to sell, remember you have a soul to save. In a hospital a Christian captain, wounded a few days before, got delirious, and in the mid night hour he sprang out on the floor of the hospital, thinking ho was in the battle, crying: “Come on, boys! For ward! Charge!” Ah, he was only bat tling the specters of his own brain! But it is no imaginary conflict into which l call you, young man, today. There are 1U.UOO spiritual foes that would cap- ; tur** you. In the name of God, up and ; at them! After the last store has been closed, | after tho last bank has gone down, after the shuffle of the quick feet on the eus- : tom house steps lias stopped, after thu long line of merchantmen on tho sea has taken sail of flame, afti r Washing ton aud New York and Loudon and Vienna have gone down into the grave where Thebes and Babylon and Tyre lie buried, after thu great fire hells of the judgment day have tolled at the burning of a world—on that day all the affairs of banking houses and stores will come up for inspection. Oh, what an opening of account hooks! Side by side the clerks and the men who em ployed them. Every invoice made out— all tho labels of goods—all certificates of stock—all lists of prices—all private marks of the firm, now explained so everybody can understand them. All the maps of cities that were never built, hut in which lots were sold—all bar gains, all gougings, all snap judgments, all false entries, all adulteration of liquors with coppers and strychnine. All mixing of teas and sugars and coffees aud sirups, with cheaper mute- rial, all embezzlements of trust Hinds. All swindles in coal aud iron aud oil and silver aud stocks. On that day when tho cities of this world are smok ing in the last conflagration the trial will go on, aud down in an avalanche of destruction will go those who wrong ed man or woman, insulted God and defied the judgment. Oh, that will be a great day for you, honest Christian clerk. No getting up early, no retiring late, no walking around with weary limbs, but a mansion in which to live and a realm of light and love and joy giver which to hold everlasting domin ion. Hoist him up from glory to glory aud from song lo song and from throne to throne, for while others go down into the sea with tin ir gold .ike a mill stone hanging to their neck, this ono shall coiuo up Ihc heights of amethyst and alabaster, holding in his right hand the pearl of great price in a spar kling, glittering, flaming easket. g:0~< ’herokee <’o. Special A^ont*. t KEEFLYOUF! BOWELS STRONG ALL SUMMER l ANDY CATHARTIC i 10 ♦ 25* SO* ALL DRUG0IS75 A tablet now and th^n will pn vent dU.rrhn a dy**r.t**»v. all MiiTiii.er complain' f*. oausimr easy .natural results. Sample and booklet fr» e. Ad. KTKKLlNfJ Ki.MKl»Y (HI.,Unicajro. Montreal, Can., in Now Y^i i». V.O The ” ' ! Bank of Gaffney. CLM *1TW S.to.ooo. p-iti’cTia This bank is now open for !> isiness .vnl solicits t and surrounding coutury. it (•ill extend to iss eusiomer sisti id willi safety. Money to loan on approved security. L’e oft every h p> (pb Of H ut y imaoxlttUon con- I). C'. I<OSSs4, CLiwhiej-. K. J. O. W, V <Jr. «T.TVC'V. ice-10'esvitlon:. 1 ’nof'Hlent. !>II* H President. Cherokci Pal, icrroi*?*. J A. CAKHOkL. Mfy. Co. II. I>. WHEAT. Treasurer (lalTney Mfu Co. It. M. W! [.KINS, bate of Will.’.nsllro. . Mer chants. \Y. C. ( A It PENT Eli. of Carroll A Carpenter. Merchants. .1. (J. WAKIH.AW. Svc’ry. (JafTncy Manf. Co. Gaffney. .!. I. «A!.*i:ATT. Morel. „t ; , I armor. Hon. U M. .1 KL i'Ell! E-. i atia r. Uyim*. >. C lion. C. \V. \VH ISN A NT. McrehutU ui.d 1 a rat er. Wilkinsvilie. S. i HENJiV M. McAHKN. < p'luhst. M< vdens- vtllo. N. e. o. E. WILKIN*, oft). F. Wnkinsk Kio.. Gaff noy. S. ( F. G'. STAC V. Carroll »v St.a ’v. Gntfnoy. S. C t | N. B.-Watch this space next week. ;>wu •> Y?' aSifSf •’ QARROLL & CARPENTER will sell you all Summer Goods at a Great Reduction. Go see their bargains. a.tuM—sett*,. _ | N. B.-Watch this space next week, J ANDREWS’ ANNUAL JULY T No Cure—No Pay. Furniture, Carpets, Rugs, Mattings, Curtains, Baby Carriages, Sideboards, Bedroom Suits, &c. i * i :v< & o i* o a. Every department of my immense establish ment teeming with the best and newest goods at Reduced Prices during the month of July. ^«A GRAND OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU.K— IT von can’t conic and see for yourself, wric Ijp t nets, I'ilHI i Uo TASTi:i. , ->- < I Miiliici... H H 1 :ist ■ les f i "i. prefer it to t>M n .•a. , ! t - K..ii i; lloV E s I : NTt (or Chin* ml ‘ dmpty Iron ii’id Quinine In :i ; ChiMren love It. Adults •r nuu-( id In : Ionic*. Price, Klee’s Gon e G riches uud pain*. ise Kinnnicnt. cur, nil do null tMiuruniecd by ( lll.ltokl.l I'lU (i t (). prv -J $9 3 si cr* autloguis and r-.? If Ith'e G uise G: c ise don’t .Ol M* ''lir aches uud |ml:iH, burns, brulv * m l s|.iiiln*. vvr nay you money back. DlT’UK IlliUli Co. lES«5!feiC£$, Largest Dealerin Furniture,Carpets, Pianos aadOrgutatu State. CHARLOTTE, N. C.