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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (July 4, 1903)
11 THE MAN WHO SOLD GROCERIES "AS CHRIST 1 i EDISON . JS , OPPOSED BY TOE; LABOR PHONOGRAPH .-I i i . THE OREGON . DAILY . JOURNAL; PORTLAND, SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 4, 1003. ' TOLD INS ft (Jeurna.1 Special Service.) KARTF0R1 'CITY, Ind., July The Christian Orooery" established by Al fred F. Norton and run aa "Christ would run' such an Institution," haa had to 'abandon Hartford City, because It failed to recounts organ lied labor. Labor 'unlona were not known In tha days whan Chrlat waa on earth, and Mr. Nor ton, who claimed to be running hla aro .' eery aa Chrlat would, could find no Bib Ileal precedent for reeorntslna- the walk llng delegate or unionising hla estab lishment. .' Tha Retail Clerks' Union made war upon the "Chrlatlan Grocery," secured the help of all organised labor In tha , city, boycotted . the eiitabllahment, and Anally, by threats of boycott, compelled liio ownrr i me yrupcnjr iu cancel uu lease, of Norton, which expired yester- oay. , Norton says that he will have another tore here If he haa to ereet a building at hla own exoense. to rive the neoDle I of Hartford C'iiV an nnnnrtnnlt v tn r.n I groceries without paying big profits to Mhe retailer. He haa the sympathy and I encouragement of the people who dealt with him for a time, but tha bitter en mity of the other grocers, who feared they emild not compete with & store run as "Christ would run It" 1 I Mr.' Norton haa been remarkably suc cessful In establishing, his "Christian stores" In other Indiana towns, and he now haa II of them In operation, yield ing him a net profit of $1.60 a day for each, or $17.60 on the whole Investment. n has found that this net wont Is building up a bank surplus, and he Is contemplating a profit-sharing plan that will cut It down. . Known aa tha Christian Merchant. Norton la known In this section aa the 'Christian merchant," and, while he runs his stores on business principles, Its claims that be does aa Christ would jiave done In the conduct of such busi ness, and only accepts enough profit to pay for his services at living wages, which is $2.60 a day. He undersells ther grocers not to drive them out of bus nesa or. to create a trust, but be- 'cause lie Is not In the business for profit, .but to serve a useful purpose and enable the poor people to buy at cost, without paying for the extravagance of the dealer or themselves. . In Marlon, Ind.. where Norton began bis work, he has been phenomenally suc cessful. He has six Christian atorea In that city, and pine more in other neigh boring towns. Hartford City is the first recorded failure. When he began this unique enterprise, two years, ago, other business men said It waa a philanthropic dream that could not be realised In the busineas world, and they predicted early failure. But the failures have been among Norton's competitors. Many of them have quit the business because they could not compete with the stores "run Ss Christ would.' Norton seems to have demonstrated that his plan is PETER KA RA GEORGE VITCH'S ' ' ' ' ' i ' .'1 . ': v - ' : s , ,: - ft " ' -s . a it, . , vi xne rowers, Touowing Kussia s lead, seem disposea to recognise the en thronement of King Peter Karageorgevltch. The new King is virtually a prisoner tn his own palace. The new government exercises the most autocratic control over him and he is bereft of all those royal powers which enabled his predecessor to make himself , so hateful to the people. This condition of affairs makes the Servian throne a very shaky proposition Just now. of business. He anys that he enjoys it. not because he has a desire to drive men out of business. " but Just like a practicable and that It aan be conducted "tudent who strives to excel his rivals, on a large scale putting forth his best efforts to gain He borrowed the Idea from the Rev. ,th satisfaction that comes with the Charles M. 8heldon's book. "In His unowieage mai ne is me Desi man. ,,. hi. r.in tn trln the hiinl- Norton has now 16 stores. He calls fciAMsi rf ll svtrava era nr onniilirt It (in A . .k h.i. .nH .nnt n'n nrnflta hevond ment being distinguished by a number that necessary to pay the actual ex- There are -no longer any skeptics In the pense of handling the goods. Xoonomy Kls leoret. towns where Norton s grocery stores are located. Competitors declare that Wnrtnn rnrm trnt Hut nannU whn "Extravagance," said he, "Is the whole heonmn natmm r,t rhrt.ti.r, accret of the trouble you may have ex- establishments say that they wish that perlenced. You are not economical an trusts were as favorable to their yourselves, ana your customer. nv pecuniary welfare as Is Norton's monop- learned to follow la your footsteps. Tou 0iy. on running grocery stores "as Christ buy on credit; you sell on credit; with wouia." .all your bod bUla and your long lists Wlth hlB 15 Btortu: which net him a Of unnecessary expenses. It is not to tota, dally proflt of 3760 Norton finds be wondered that you fail to make both hu ncom( embarrassingly large. He ends meet" la now devlslna- a means to reduce thla When Norton launched his first Chris- hy Brran(fng- a profit-sharing scheme tian grocery store he made several rad- for tn, benefit of his employes. Al- kal departures from the old methods of ready ne hai Bet Bpart a certaln por. ,dolng business. Instituting in their stead tlon of the ,tock of eacn Btore t0 be a number of unique features. The re- given to the poor. suit has been that the people In every when week after week people learned city and town where there Is a Norton ty,Bt th.v mum oiva nnh,., tnr -.k grocery are now freely admitting that the Deat gooan at the jow,Bt prlcegt and grocery stores conaucieu Vii. when they saw that the business contin would conduct mem are noi omj Pu- ued wltn uninterrupted success, they uiar, dut. prouiaon aa . nocked to the stores of the man whose of these Christian stores Is governed by enaeavor was to deal with them as the same set of Iron-clad rules: Christ would, making his success more Business ror tne osy closes prompu successful at 6 o'clock. AH goods in tho Gold Mine groceries All employes are paid In full at the are marked. with the cost price and the Close or eacn any, - selling price. Customers are notified ALL SORTS when the dally profit limit of $2.60 haa All transactions are caan ana no books are kept. been reached by striking out the selling All goods are soia bi cost '-r v price, leaving the cost price, at which proflt for the day haa been made, There is no delivery service. He personally guards his premises against fire to save the amount of In surance premium. No liquors, cigars or tobacco are car ried In stock figure the goods are sold for the bal ance of the day. Xla Honey XT ever Idle. Other merchants knew what Norton paid for his goods, and when the cus tomers of the Christian grocery stores To the poor all goods are sold at cost made purcha8es at cost there was at all times. competition which other' business men On a Cash Baals. couid not ,eet These tha unUju faaturea or not? i . Norton's -business has reached enor ton's Christian grocery stores. Econ- moua proportlong. He empjoyeg nearly omy is nonun. w.iviii.. I 100 clerks In Ills IK atorea. Rnmot lrr,o. uhHh nnah TAH aVnrV- 1 rrnm ri i i at rma i w i m v ilia ina i k xivvsj i.. uin 4V. 11 si aavurln tr thA NIVMnTMaTII Or I " - ----- .w... . H . v the lowest cash prices. By selling for "rceu wan on incmieivei. iney ai- casn only me loss oi oaa kwuuu - w ...j avoided, and by refusing to maintain a yourself." by going behind the coun dellvery service one of the heaviest ex- tera, selecting what they want from the penses connected with the grocery busi- shelves and paying for It at the cash ness is eliminated. ier's desk. Norton's refusal to establish NOrton dislikes discussing his unique a delivery service at first prejudiced plans of doing business. He is very tall people against him, but this was be and correspondingly slender. There is fore they had learned the motives of his a shrewd, yet good-natured twinkle In undertaking. , his eyes. He never has .very, much to Norton never permits his money to re jiay on any topic, and In dress and man- main Idle. As soon as his profits have tiers he la quite retiring not to say mod- accumulated to a suclent sum he ln est. The camera is his one pet aver- vests the whole amount and another alon: he Is very careful not to expose Christian grocery atore Is added to the himself whenever he thinks there Is one list. In his vicinity. - In February Mr. Norton established a This emulator of Christ sayH that store at Converse. Ind., buying the gen- whatever sentiment he displays Is the eral stock of W. C. Lawton, which was result of his father's teaching. Norton sold by a trustee in bankruptcy. The Is a great lover of justice, and is known stock was Invoiced at $11,197.60, and to all his acquaintances for his demo-1 Norton bought it for $6,825. As soon cratlc almost socialistic tendencies "When a child he cama with his parents, AeniAy BOfyeafs ago, from Essex county, jBMnglandV Ha has continued to live for years tn Indiana.- with his wire and tnree " sons,. who have now reached manhood, and, having always been fortunate to a degree, he has always lived-in compara tive comfort '. 's Christ HIS IdeaL After Norton had succeeded , In con vlnctng the Marion- merchants that ne waa fully determined to carry out his plan of-.conducting a grocery store after . the methods of Christ one of the gro cerymen of the city announced that he was willing to sell out to him. 'The deal created Intense Interest everywhere. and inquiries began to be made as to how Norton proposed to convince his customers that he waa adhering to his principles. To these questioners he boldly replied that he had chosen Christ as his ideal, and that hla-methods of doing business Would be open to the inspection of everyone.,-When Norton selected hla corps of clerks he" chose each employe with re gard, to his moral 'character. He made It one of the requirements ' that hla clerks should rernin from tha use of tobacco,. .fn- any form,, at least , during working' hours. Profanity came under . Norton's ban and intoxicating - liquors iploye has been known' to violate any of crthe ,rulea applying to' thcedndijfcf of the f Christian grocery Mar ' . competition, Norton say u tha Ufa as the atock was turned over to the purchaser he announced the principles under which he would run the store, He: took the stock of cigars and tobacco and sold It to another dealer , at a low figure. In- cases where he has been unable to dispose of objectionable goods thus obtained, he has burned the "un christian" commodities in the streets. The Converse store Is now in successful operation and Its patronage Is increasing daily. inter-ocean. The Legislature of Illinois has been asked to appropriate $100,000 for the new uniforms for the National Guard. New Hampshire, following the ex ample of Maine, proposes to tax non resident hunters of big game. A bill to this end has-just been Introduced In the Legislature. The proportion of university students increases In the United States at the rate of 6 per cent per annum'; In Germany the rate Is 6 per cent, while In Great Britain the pr6portlon is stationary. An instutional club- or Am erica s to be founded in Manila. $26,000 having been raised- for the erection, of its quarters. Yale University will equip its gymnasium 'and ' $1,000 Is being raised at Princeton for Its billiard -room. Harvard and Pennsylvania will furnish the living rooms of the club. The plans for the building of the Travelers' Protective Association at the World's Fair, St. Louis, have been com pleted. The contract for the building will be let next month. The structure will be 85 feet by 45 feet arid one story high. It will contain a large central hall, which will be used for receptions during the fair. According to a German patent the toyghness and durability of aluminum can be much Increased by the addition of phosphorous. The addition of 7 to 15 per cent makes the metal extremely hard and tough and well adapted for rorgings. Three per cent produces a good horseshoe metal, and with a t per cent addition it can be easily rolled. Leaves of a plant alleged to drive away mosquitoes have reached English botanists from Africa. The presence of aStoingle plant is stated to clear a room of the pests and an infusion of the leaves has been found an effective sub stitute for quinine In the treatmeht of mosquito-conveyed malarial fever. "The plant proves to be a kind of basil. A Swiss mechanic claims to have In vented an automatic baby nurse. The apparatus la attached to a cradle."" If the baby cries alt" waves cause specially arranged wires to operate a phonograph which sings a lullaby, while simultane ously clock work is released and rocks the cradle. When the crying stops the wires cease to vibrate and the cradle stops rocking. One day last week a brick wall in Baltimore which had not been touched since 1871 was torn down, and In a little cavity, completely ; Inclosed was found a bat which must have been there for 82 years. It flew out and was cap tured. In the same cavity was found the skeleton of another bat ivnlch had not been vigorous enough to stand the long wait for light and food. The American Jersey, Cattle Club Is preparing to install a herd of Jersey cows at the Louisiana Purchase Exposi tion that will eclipse all previous Jersey exhibitions. New England, New York and Eastern States have already shipped 15 cows to Jerseyville. 111., where they will be held until the open ing of the fair. It is the intention to select the best 40 Jersey cows In the world to take part in the dairy test. Sale! Sale! Sale! EG. WASHBURN CHASE and APOLLO GUITARS and MANDOLINS RICUVAR. $60 "STELLA" DURING OUR SALE $51.00 A Rare Opportunity to Oet One of tha World-Rrfnowned "STELLA." All the Latest and Most Popular SHEET MUSIC During Our Sale at 10c and 19c ' MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Of Every Description, and Many Makes, at Prices so Greatly Reduced That Anyone Can Buy. CASH OR EASY PAYMENTS AT REDUCED PRICE Wright's Musk House 349 WASHINGTON STREET, OPPOSITE CORDRAY'S TOPICS OF THE DAY "Laboratory methods which consist In studying facts snd drawing conclu sions from them, can be applied to the luestton of labor organliatlons," said President Remsen of Johns Hopkins I'nlverslty at the graduating exercises of Armour Scientific Academy. "The present method of studying the labor problem is not sclent inc, he con tlnued. "for the student starts out with a bias, whereas he should be on the Jury. I find that heat In these discus slons is always inversely proportional to the knowledge of the disputants. "It seems that there Is too great a willingness on the part of the people to express an -opinion on any sunject regardless of What they know about It. This is a mark of deficient education What we need today is more knowl edge and the only wsy to get It Is by Investigation of the facts as they ex ist." Senator Chauncey M. Depew. who haa Just arlrved In London, is quoted by a New York Iferald correspondent as say ing: "We are going to Paris Sunday, but as I like London better, I think I shall run back here after a few days. Jxndon Is the best watering place In Europe. In the first place, everybody speaks English, which I am sure Is the Lord's own language. Then there are theatres, and the people are ex tremely hospitable. There Is no doubt London Is the capital of the old world. There are more distinguished persona in London In every department of hu man endeavor than in any other city. If you stay here long enough you are sure to meet them all and from all countries. "New York Is not a capital. , You cannot get In a city, no matter how great, people that a stranger want to meet unless It In a capital. A stranger who comes to New York says he finds there more elegant hospl tallty than anywhere else In the world, but that he never meets the people who govern the country. There are two reasons for this they are In Washington, and New York society doesn't care for them." It Is an age of progress socially, in- duHtrlHlly. scientifically. While there are benighted regions where the flying criminal Is still hunted down with blqodhounds. In Southern Indiana. Illi nois, Arkansas. Texas and elsewhere, the residents of Irondsle, a Chicago su burb, have discounted this crude custom all to nothing. A colored cltlsen. It was discovered, had stolen a set of harness from a plain white cltlsen. and the pop ulation turned out to find him. They did not unleash tho mediaeval and bru tal bloodhounds to track the absconding thief. They simply went to the nearest car barn and borrowed a cable ear head light, and with this tn the van of the posse they soon spied out their man. As the headlight illuminated the landscape for yards In every direction, the colored man with the harness showed up finely. As against bloodhounds the headlight has every advantage In its favor. Preferred gtook Canned Goods. Allen & Lewis' Best Brand. -3 (mm i 1 AN IMPORTANT PERSON "Ayres made a couple of. hundred dol lars rather, unexpectedly last week," said the bank clerk. "Yes, I know." replied the, lawyer; "but how -did you learn of It?" "He came fn and started an account with it the other day; How did you" "He hunted me up la a great hurry to make his will." Philadelphia Press. The Northern Pacific Railway Cora1- pany will place on sale on the 24th of this month and each following dav till- june su, inclusive, ana on juiy it and 18. ana August z ana z, very low ex cursion rates to points East and re turn. Tickets will be good for stop over on both the eastbound and west bound trips,; and final limit for return will be 90 days from date of sale. call on or write A. D. Charlton, as. Istnt genera t " passenger - agent: 2 S 5 ' Morrison sireei. corner .intra, Jrwrtland. Or., for rates, routes and full Informa tion, i i . : ... . WOULD TAX KEZBSSBES. A London dispatch says; "A touch of humor has been, given to the im perial reciprocity' discussion by a dis interested bachelor, who, realizing the desirability of perpetuating our glori ous race, solemnly proposes in the papers a lCper ceni ad valorem duty or, all foreign "heiresses entering Great fPrltjin, ,Ho says; 'We should then be In a position to .negotiate. Wo wight admit Canadian and Australian heiresses at a reduced rate of 5 per cent only. The money realised could go to provide pensions for ladies of the old country who' are debarred from the matrimonial market.' '' -. BESVCSD XATXS TO 8EA8H0BS. THE Go to Newport on' Yaaulna Bav an Ideal beach. It is becoming very pop ular with the Portland people. The low rate -of IS. 00 haa been made bv tKa Southern Pacific Company, in connection with the Corvallla ' Eastern Railroad for-the Sunday, round trip from Port- iana, uckis' gooa , going-Saturday re turning Monday. V v : A delightful ride through the beauti ful Willamette Valley, with privilege of going; up one aide of the Willamette The Kind Tou Have Always Bought, and which has been In use for over 30 years, has borne the sig-natnre of and has been made under his pcr- ffjt as- 8onal supervision since its infancy All Counterfeits, Imitations and Just-as-good" are but Experiments that trifle with and endanger tho health of Infants find. Children Experience against Experiment What is CASTOR I A Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare goric, Drops and Soothing: Syrups. It is Pleasant. 16 contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic substance. Its age is its guarantee. It destroys Worms and allays Feverlshness,. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep The Children's Panacea The Mother's Friend. GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS Bears the Signature of WHEN YOU SEE THIS LABEL IN GREEN AND GOLD ON A BOX OF CIGARS. IT IS A GUARANTEE THAT YOU ARE GETTING AGeinuimeGarcia Known wherever fine cigars are sold. rnn c i c a t , all dealers. SIG SICHEL & CO., Sole Agents The Purest LARD THAT'S MADE I Comes from the UNION MEAT COMPANY S PLANT' Your grocer may offer you "Something Just as Good," but if you insist upon it you will will get ours. IT COSTS NO MORE THAN THE OTHER KIND Myer, rturnlr.r.tUft jtther.ljs: A KIT anv Ron t Vi rn Pnnlfln Pnmn, . v Corvallla ft En tern Railroad gnt for beautifullr lllugtratrtl Booklet describ ing the ataaide reaorta at Yaqulna. The KM You Ha?e Always Bought In ysaJFoL Oyer 30 Years. , Tw umtmutm a iwur. rt mm aracrr. new m o -. - -tT 3 Seaside House ' Th finest aummer hotel on the Northwest, , Coaat, with the moat Watlf il nf natural surrounding. 8oatln-ari4 -tyojfe for- tart-he iMwinMlmi. --. . MANAGER -SEASIDE HOCSB. BEABllJK. OHK'.w I READ Uhe OREGON DAILY JOU!UJA