For Love or Gold? The Story of a Great Department Store — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a The Plea of Mise peavings 45 natural. When Miss fennings came in both ladies greeted: her warmly. There was a hectic glow in her cheeks, and she coughed almost constantly. Mrs. Marvin leit the two girls together at an early hour. She had kept her promise and been rena cheerful. “Now, Faith, to business,” said Miss Jennings, as soon as they were alone. “I want to tell you why you must not report that clerk’s theft to-morrow.” Faith drew her chair a little nearer and prepared to listen. She was beginning to understand her friend’s character a little better. “Tn the first place,’ began Miss Jerininee: “we will consider the girl. I know her well.. You need not de- scribe her. What I know about her is this: She is the daughter of a criminal. Her father was a pickpocket, he died in prison. Now I ask you, Faith, what can you expect from this girl? According to your Bible are not ‘the iniquities’ of the fathers visited upon the children, and are the innocents to blame for their undesirable in- heritance? Furthermore, that girl’s mother was what we calltan outcast. Can you reasonably look for morality of any sort in the offspring of such an infamous union? You do. not answer, because you cannot! I defy any of your Christians to straighten out this mat- ter. The viciousness of most children is their only en- — dowment, unless we add the poverty, the diseases and the hopelessness that go with it. Now to consider her en- vironments and her temptations in that store. She is working for thieves, why should she not steal? She is working for successful people, why should she not take example of their methods. These things seem harsh and ~ hard to. you, Faith, but they are actual facts, just as you will surely see them. If you report that girl what will be the result? Listen, here it is, the outcome in a nut- shell. You.will be reporting to robbers that they are be- ing robbed, not of their livés, their liberties and their honors. as they rob us, but of a paltry piece of jewelry, which they have bought out of their enormous profits. You will, no doubt, lose for the girl a position which has the semblance of respectability, and like poor Kate Tra- comicbooks-com)