Tuene is an old proverb, the precise words of which we do nut remember, but which is peculiarly applicable to storekeepers who combine with dealings in cheese, ribbons, furniture, toys, and boots an equally praiseworthy spirit of enterprise in hats. We refer, of course, to that wise anying about those who, finding a onp, immediately pick it up and proclaim to the whole world how excellently it happens to fit; and, no doubt, such people are tu be congratulated, excepting when it happens that the cap they are so eager to appropriate is a foolseeap. Some months ago, in an article the gist of which was to protest against Mr, Herbert Spencer's sweeping dictum that every prosperous trader must be guilty of dishonest practices, and, conversely, that every honest trader was on the high -7ad to bankruptoy, we drew the obvious moral that every tieder who wished to be trented with a respect which even for. bade a customer to beat him dow: prices must be very carefal to preserve his name unsullied; a remark which will be applauded by every honest trader in the world. We then g an instance where ti al ciple ud been disregarded; refraining, however, from making the slightest lintes to where the occurrence had taken place,—lenving it, indeed, open between Anioricn and Asin, A few days ngo, we took up the cudgels on behalf, not of stores generally, but of our local star many of whom we said were occasionally victimised by unprincipled customers who ran up bills they bad no prospect whatever of paying; and in the course of our article we expressed the opinion that however bard it might be for the honest portion of the public to have to pay through the nose for the dishonest portion, it was impossible to bine the storekeeper for protecting himself us best he might. This view of the case, however, atruck one of our renders a being 80 one-sided and unfair, that be addressed a letter to oar paper, signed Uuwary, affirming that one store in Shanghai, at any rate, took other menns of recouping itself; and giving two instances of the practice he o: doumed, though mercifully concealing the name of the wrongdoer. It is foolish accusation brought against us of linying concocted this lotter in our office, The writer, who is a gentleman by birth and profession, does not reside at Shanghai, Nor have we at this moment. the most remote iden, of our personal knowledge, to which store he referred j but while there cannot be the slightest doubt of the Lena fides of his allegations, a well-known fiom bag suddenly assumed the defensive, and, picking mp the cap, has declared it a surprising fit, The Hall Hollz Ca-operative Company has gone out of ils way to virtually suggest itself 28 the firm alluded to; a fact of which we had no prior knowledge, and which is arnly brought home to out conviction toe day by the attitude that Company has seen fit to take up. Now the Hall & Holtz Ca-operative Co.is evidently regarded as the leading retail firm, andthere was consequently a reapouse, though apparently a reluctant one, on the part of all its unoffending colleagues in trade when an invitation was issued to a meeting at which it was decided that the N.C. Daily News should be boycotted forthwith, A few sympathisers of the powerful company rallied round the self-uppointed Head Contre, and munda its cause their owns others, more judiciously, declined to deprive them. selves of their nose with a view to ing their face, on the very achd and sible ground tat, to show their displeasure at what had appeared in the N.-C. Daily News might be held tant. themselves guilty of the practices referred to, These, therefore, have this advantage, that they are above all shadow of suspicion; while those who Lave weakly bruitted to the Hall & Holtz Co-oporative Ca, lay themselves, of their own accord, oper to mistrust lest they, too, have been addicted to irregularities of which we should no more dare to accuse them than the Arobangel Michael dared to accuse the devil, This shows a certain shortsightedness on their pact, Loyalty is, of itself, a beautiful and an admirable thing. We all admire the man who lays down his life for his chief; but to endanger one's reputation for one's chief is asked of no on especially when that chief is a compotifor. Our hitherto friendly supporters are at this moment enjoying a senso of self-complncenoy at having taken up what they believe tobe a firm and me dependent attitude, Well, their attitude is scarcely either firm or independent; it isratherthe yielding attitude of men who, never having been attacked, lave been over-awed into espousing the cause of a big firm, which, seeing certain charges print, has immediately exclaimed, "Te is we who are attacked—rally round us!" What we attacked were bad principles and loose practice; we attacked no store, An honest man, if he considers himself attacked, generally goes straight to the attacker and ask him, like n man, for an explanation, This did not Mr. Clifford, of the Hall Holtz Ca-operative Ca,, although re. pentadly invited to do so when under this very roof, We, at any rate, were unaware (hat we hind attacked him at all, But the Hall & Holtz Ca-operative Ca, lave put on the fool's-cap, and have cajoled others into imitating them itis there that the mischief lies. And if, the Hall & Holtz Ca-operative Ca, are anxious for further publicity, we are fally prepared to oblige them. Whether their shareholders will approve of all this self-inflicted damage, and of the ute favourable position in which the Comes pany has uow placed itself before ite customers, is of course a question that concerns them and no one else,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.