Commercial Lying by United Presbyterian

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Feb 18, 1886

Commercial Lying.

By United Presbyterian

A MINISTER went into the store of a leading merchant tailor, and looking at some cloths, asked the cost of a suit that pleased him. When the price was stated, he replied that it seemed much too high.

"It is somewhat high," said the tailor. "These fine English cloths cost us high prices; but then they wear so much better and longer to make up for it, that we think them, in the end, cheaper than American goods."

"How much less," asked the minister, "is the cost of a suit from your best American cloth?"

"We do not keep American goods. Most of our customers are particular, and like the best kinds of goods, and so we keep only English cloths," and, as illustrating and impressing his remarks, he pointed the minister to the labels and wrappers bearing the names of the English manufacturers and dealers, who were some of the first in Great Britain.

After some further talk, the minister ordered a suit, which in due time was sent home. Soon afterward, having it on, he called at the counting-house of Mr. B., a manufacturer, with whom he was well acquainted; and while sitting in conversation with him, Mr. B., looking at the suit the minister had on, remarked pleasantly,

"I'm glad to see that you are patronizing our factory."

"To what do you refer?" asked the minister.

"The suit of clothes you have on; I see they are from the cloth we make at our mills."

"Why, no," said the minister; "I got them from Mr. C., and he deals only in English goods, and therefore charged me an extra price for his work."

"English goods! Why, Mr. C. buys all his cloths from us. He has none other in his store. I should know them anywhere."

The minister, greatly surprised, said, "You must, I'm sure, be mistaken; for Mr. C. not only told me that he kept only English goods, but I saw the wrappers and labels, with the English marks and the manufacturer's name on them, on every piece as I looked at them."

"Yes," said Mr. B., "we prepare all those wrappers and labels; we have them printed by the ream. There," pointing with his finger, "you see a pile of them; and, as I said before, Mr. C. buys all his cloths of us, and he has not a yard of English goods in his store."

Here, then, was a leading merchant tailor in a leading city of our land deliberately and habitually working with a leading manufacturer to pass off American goods as English, the tailor deliberately lying to his customer and saying the cloths were English, the manufacturer preparing the labels to help on the lie, the tailor exhibiting these labels to make his lie pass for the truth, and both doing this as an everyday business; and yet both men would feel outraged if any one had called them to their faces what they really were—cheats and liars. Thus men, in the way of business, are debauching their own consciences, and teaching their clerks and dependents to be deceivers and cheats, undermining the morals of trade, and laying up for themselves a fearful account against the day of Judgment.

In view of such facts, we would ask one or two questions, which we would commend to the thoughtful consideration of business men:—

1. Are there two standards of truth, of integrity, of honesty—one for the ways of business, and another for other spheres of life?

2. Are your example and teaching in the way of business likely to do good to young men, or to corrupt their principles—to keep them out of the kingdom of Heaven, or to lead them to it?

3. Is not commercial lying as bad as any other kind of lying? At the day of Judgment, will not the business liar go down to death under as deep a condemnation as any other?