is: 



OUR HOMES. 



ihiiii people in general, and tlie conclusion is 

 «liat we are all better than our nei<rhI)ors. 

 Ought we not to coiichKle tliat uc are all only 

 <i fair average':' I think it will be a niueli safer 

 Ibuudation lor our work. After having had 

 <-onsiderable experience in business with the 

 Jewelers of our land,— the trickiest set of men 

 in the world, some may say,— 1 feel no hesita- 

 tion in saying that our business men as a gen- 

 <'ral tiling, are very ghul indeed to be told tlie 

 'aultsof their wares, if it is only done in the 

 proper spirit, especially those who have done 

 a long and successful business. A per.M)n said 

 to me X few days ago, in speaking ol a brother 

 in the churcii wiio is a. jeweler, 



"I will never enter his store again, he cheat- 

 ed me so abominably." 



•'Please don't say that, friend H., I really 

 hope Mr. S. is a good christian, like yourself. 

 Please tell me about it.' 

 "Why he sold me these studs for solid gold." 

 "Well, are they not? they look nice." 

 "Oh yes ; they wear bright, but see how they 

 have blackened my lineu'shirt bo.><om." 



The button holes were too large, and in slip- 

 ping about they had marked the linen as with 

 a lead i^encil, and it was not until I had ex- 

 plained that even a gold coin would do the 

 .same, that I succeeded in convincing him that 

 JMr. S. was honest, and even then he said he 

 had become prejudiced against them and did 

 nut want to keep them. Is it not a sure indi- 

 <-ation that we are wrong whenever we, under 

 any circumstances, feel like saying that we 

 never want anything more to do with a fellow 

 being y I feel very sure that the kindest thing 

 you can do is to tell the dealer pleasantly just 

 wherein his wares have disappointed his cus- 

 tomers ; he in turn can then tell the Jobber in 

 the same pleasant way where the mistakes are, 

 and the jobber can talk over the matter with 

 the manufacturer. Jobbers and manufactur- 

 ers, and to a certain extent, dealers, seem to 

 have discoveivd this great fundamental truth, 

 and I have frequently known of their taking 

 back damaged goods and smothering their iii- 

 dignation, in a way that was decidedly return- 

 ing good lor evil, even if the inspiring motive 

 was only to avoid losing one, who was ordina- 

 rily a good customer. The consumer is really 

 tlu one to decide how goods are to be made, 

 and also has very much to say in regard to 

 what prices shall be asked, but the whole mat- 

 ter can be, aye, and should be, conducted in 

 the most friendly manner. Do not for an in- 

 stant think -of crowding your grocer or dry 

 goods man "into a corner," for unless he is a 

 much better Christian than yourj^elf, he will 

 surely retaliate, and theji instead of having a 

 friend to deal with you have in one sense an 

 enemy. As (pjarrels are contagious in a ueieh- 

 l»orhood, so is peace makingj and one peace 

 maker may by force of example do more good 

 in a community perhaps, than even the minis- 

 ter who occupies the pulpit on the Sabbath. 

 Not that I would speak lightly of our sermons, 

 but that they have been heard so often ; many 

 times actions will set peoi)]e to thinking when 

 talking will not stir them. Go help your min- 

 ister in the way I have described. 



Now tell your druggist that it is a bad 

 thing to starve bees by having incmcient bce- 

 ieeders, and a very serious X.\nng~nt your house 



—to have machinery for the babies that is lia- 

 ble to cut off their rations ; and pleasantly teli 

 him thnt if he has none l)etter Ik; may gft you 

 a f/ood one at the first oj)j)ortunitv. A Yew 

 complaints like this, and tiie manufacturer 

 will soon do dillerently, especially after he 

 has had to take back an invoice "f>r two be- 

 cause they were badly made. 



CHAPTER II. 



"V ))t'nny saved, is two pence earned."— /•'/•an/.-/(ji. 

 I suppose you have all heard the matter of 

 buying the various family supplies at whole- 

 sale talked over, thereby saving the proHf^ 

 that your grocer must, conscientiously, charge 

 to give lum a fair and honest prolif. You have 

 doubtless heard enumerated how you might 

 save the prolits that go to the "middle men," 

 might save the time it takes to go round and 

 do the marketing, save the time occupied in 

 making change, save the wrapj)ing paper, etc., 

 etc., — get rich in fact, from the "pennies saved, ' 

 that now are wasted. This reasoning is al' 

 good and sound I believe, and in fact 1 believe 

 that humanity in general, admits it ; but not- 

 withstanding, very few indeed have put in 

 practice and carried out this great plan of sa- 

 ving l)oth time and money. A few went into 

 it vehemently, even went 'so far as to inform 

 their grocer that they were going to stand 

 his extortionate prices no longer, they ' »uld 

 buy as cheaply as he, and the like; did the 

 grocers break down y Surely not. They kept 

 along quietly in the good old way, and bye 

 and bye their old customers came "Dack and 

 traded, in the good old way, and like the thous- 

 and and one reforms that come up daily, things 

 soon went back in the same old ruts, wasteful 

 though they were. Perhaps I should say pn-t- 

 ty nearly the same old ruts, for such excite- 

 ments do usually tend to work a slow change 

 for the better. I am trying to lubricate the 

 wheels a little, and see if I cannot accelerate 

 the slow change. The greatest trouble in this 

 matter of buying supplies to last a whole year, 

 is — I have been told, — with the otiier sex. If 

 you put a barrel of sugar in the pantry it don't 

 hold out, as when bought in 2 lb. packages as 

 fast as wanted ; there is "lots ot'it, " and where 

 is the need of "scrimping'?" Everything will 

 be sweetened up as it should be ; the children 

 can have a lump, the baby a bigger one, and 

 bless their ilear generous hearts — babLes and 

 mothers too if you like — if there is a poor 

 neighbor who has sugar neither by the pound 

 or barrel, or one who never jiays back when 

 she borrows, from the store of plenty all are 

 supplied until it is all out, and the hard work- 

 ing husband sees no other than the good old 

 way of getting two pounds at. a time, and 

 keeping a constant check on extravagance, by 

 grumbling every time he is told a supj)ly is 

 out. ""Whatever /(rtiv you done with so much 

 sugar lately?"' And he surveys a row of juve- 

 nile faces that, with the exception of the baby, 

 deem it a duty to look guilty while eiuiuiries 

 are propounded as to what was dojie with the 

 money he generously gai'e {Juiii a few days ago ; 

 and before you blame the i)oor man too much. 

 let me suggest tlial h(> has learned l)y l)itter 

 experience that iic w^/^s■/ (luestion clear down to 

 the xary last l.-ist ten cent scri]t, us to w'lere it 



