Smith says, no foolish buyers, no lying advertisers.
Why? Because, if there were no fools, it wouldn’t pay.
Thus the resetter is only responsible for some of the thieves; but the stupid, foolish buyer is entirely responsible for all the lying advertisers; and by dealing with them becomes a participator with them in their wickedness, which brought such disastrous consequences upon Ananias.
But the way to know them is this—Use all the common-sense you have been blessed with, and when you read such an advertisement as—“Best tea the world produces, 1s. 7d. per lb.,” if you don’t say the advertiser is a common, bare-faced perverter of the truth, a lineal descendant of Ananias, one with whom poor old Ananias would not have had the ghost of a chance for boldness and audacity, then you have been blessed with very little.
But did it pay Ananias? Will it pay his descendants?
Here is a text for our popular preachers. I have actually heard well-dressed, intelligent-looking people praise such men as clever; as if it were clever to tell a lie, a game at which the biggest rogue can beat the best gentleman.
Lately the Chinese objected to the government planting a certain kind of tree in their streets. When asked the reason, they said it would spoil their business, as it was one of their holy trees, and they could not tell a lie under its shade.
AN AWFUL APPARITION!
Mrs. T. (to T., who has been reading the popular novel). Pray, Mr. Tomkins, are you never coming upstairs?
How much longer are you going to sit up with that Woman in White?