iss.-) 



GLEAXIXCS 1^' I3KE CULTURE. 



ways of doing things ; and when they do 

 not, I do not get along. So if they prefer 

 their own ways and plans with small pay, T 

 suppose it is "their privilege to do so. 



Nintli HinL—Be very careful when you 

 make any arrangement with a customer 

 touching his ledger account, that your letter 

 goes to the book-keeper, that she may make 

 a minute on his ledger account of what you 

 agree to do. For instance, a man receives 

 some section l)oxes, and through our fault 

 they do not reacli him until his honey season 

 is over, lie asks us if he shall return them 

 or hold them subject to our order. I indi- 

 cate with my ])en'cil the latter course. The 

 clerk accordingly writes him. "Hold the 

 goods subject to our order." and sends it off, 

 distributing the letter. In due time the 

 book-keeper sends a dun for the account un- 

 paid, and oui- friend gets very much dis- 

 pleased, decides that we know perfectly well 

 what we told him, and are trying to *• bull- 

 doze "him. I have been obliged to give up 

 in despair a good many times, in trying to 

 get a clerk that would remember things like 

 this. The man's ledger page is something 

 mcred, if I may be iieiinittcd to use the word. 

 Fouhave no businessdoingany thing with it, 

 without promptly giving him notice. You 

 might lessen the amount of his indebtedness 

 by giving rebate, and he would not V)e of- 

 fended ; but you hav(^ no business charging 

 any thing to iiim, oi- making any sort of an 

 entry on his account, without his i>ernussion 

 and direction ; and tliis brings us lo the— 



Trritk llnil.—U you take the lib,crty of 

 sending something to a customer lie did not 

 order, or something costing more than the 

 article he ordered, a full exiiianation nuist 

 be made at the time you <lo so. and you 

 must always add, '• Subject to your apitrov- 

 al;" or, '• If we have not done right in devi- 

 ating from your instructions, write us 

 diately, an(i we will make it ri<;iit.'" I 

 cases 1 think it a good plan to inclose 

 tal card addressed to yourselt. asking 

 say at once on the " inclosed card 

 arrangement is satisfactory. Every 

 while wrangles and disagieements between 

 supply-dealers and their eustoiners are sub- 

 mitted to me, and a great part of the troubles 

 come because the sui)ply-(lealei- took liber- 

 ties, if I may so express it, with the money 

 that was intrusted to his care. 1 have hall 

 so mueli troul)le in linding clerks that would 

 attend to this matter that I have sometimes 

 said inwardly, if not aloud. '"Oh for a boy or 

 girl that woiild recognize the rights of those 

 who siMid their money to us!"" \ great 

 many assent to it, and seem lo understand 

 it; l)ut when tiu' rush of business comes, 

 and unless my eye is ccmstantly on every lit- 

 tle detail, they chai-ge a customer more for a 

 thing than he expected to jiay. l)eeause the 

 goods ha\e advance<l. or because he had an 

 old jiiice list to order from, and not one wt)rd 

 of explanation is given: or thev will send 

 him something a little dillerent frou) what 

 he ordered, without, a woid ; whereas, had 

 they just penciled. •• The best we can do; if 

 it does not suit, write," all would have been 

 l)leasant ; fori have found, by years of ex- 

 perience, that the person thus appealed to 

 will, nine times out of ten, put up with a lit- 



mme- 

 I such 



I 1)0S- 



liui to 

 f the 

 little 



tie inconvenience ; whereas, had the matter 

 I been left without any explanation, he would 

 liave naturally concluded that we did not 

 i care whether we obeyed orders or not, so we 

 j got his money ; and about all the ugliness 

 there is in him would have been stirred up 

 ! so as to come to the surface. 



Eleventh Hint.—l do not know how it is 

 ! with other employers; but I Avant clerks 

 I who will not be partial to me. I know it is 

 very desirable to have clerks who will look 

 out for their cniployir's interests; but, my 

 friends, I would a 'thousand times rather 

 have a clerk who would look out for God's 

 interests. What I mean by that is, I want 

 boys and girls, and men and women, who 

 will strive to do right before (iod. instead of 

 before me : who wdl try to keep the spirit of 

 justice constantly l)efore them, who. instead 

 of trying to make all business count in mv 

 pocket, will rather hold up the idea, and 

 keep it before them, "•"What is just and 

 right and fair, and honestly diie these 

 friends of ours who are intrusting us with 

 their money day after day, even though they 

 j be hundreds and tlunisarids of miles awayV"' 

 I am glad to see my employes interested in 

 I ray welfare, but I do not want any clerk . 

 I pjvrtial to my interests, and I do not want 

 ! one whose judgment is warped because he 

 : feels friendly to me. A great many of the 

 bitter, hard, unkind letters that have been 

 wiitten have been l)ecause some clerk lacked 

 in judgment in this matter, or because his 

 judgment was woefully wari>ed. Sometimes 

 I have said to myselt\ " AVe can not have 

 I this clear-sightedness and impartial judg- 

 ment without age." and 1 have tried older 

 peoi)le ; but I found just about the same 

 dilliculty. Do > on waiit to know about what 

 I have concluded, mv friends? I have con- 

 cluded that tliere is' nothing in this world 

 but tiue Christianity, and a love fc»r the Sav- 

 ; ior. that can put self and seltish interests 

 j out of the human heart. Now. if I pay 

 Christians more than I do those who are not 

 jirofessois. please l)e just enough to me to 

 recogiii/.e that I do it because they exhibit 

 this trait, and not because of their }irf i/rss ion. 

 Tirdtth J//)(/.— Never (juarrel with a cus- 

 tomer. Never allow yourself to even think, 

 much less say. •• This man does not know 

 j what he ilnrs waid." A man or a clerk who 

 (juarrels with a customer, (piarrels with his 

 : breail and l»utter. Treat all customers, 

 whether you meet them personally or wheth- 

 er you get a letter from them, as if you 

 i thaliked them, and thank (rod for sending 

 them. Treat them as something sacred, 

 : not as though it were their iiKhuy you were 

 aft(»r. and that wasall you wanted'of them. 

 We are often accused of the above. and I am 

 afraid, dear fi lends, we sometimes deserve 

 it: liut after studying the mattei- carefnllv 

 I have de<-ided it is not so much sellishness 

 as it is a sort of shiftlessness and laziness. 

 The trouble is. it is this old hdlf-lteartcd- 

 ucss I have written about before. And now. 

 my friend. I do not know whether yon are a 

 Christian or not ; but if \ou are making a 

 profession of n'ligion,and that religion does 

 j not stir you up to energy and zeal in work- 

 I ing earnestly, faithfully, and hard for youi- 

 neighbors, when the neighbors bring busi- 



