"KW" wrote:
In older England the merchant class had many easy-going traditions. One
tradition was that a respectable tradesman would never seek business
but wait for it to come to him. Another tradition was that to decorate
one's store window with lights or colors, or to display one's stock of
goods attractively in the view of the public, was a contemptible and
underhanded method of tempting a brother tradesman's customers away
from him. Still another tradition was that it was strictly unethical
and unbusinesslike to handle more than one line of goods. If one sold
tea, it was the best reason in the world why he should not sell
teaspoons. As for advertising, the thing would have been so brazen and
bold that public opinion would have put the advertiser out of business.
The proper demeanor for a merchant was to seem reluctant to part with
his goods.

One may readily imagine what happened when the Jewish merchant bustled
into the midst of this jungle of traditions. He simply broke them all.
In those days tradition had all the force of a divinely promulgated
moral law and in consequence of his initiative the Jew was regarded as
a great offender. A man who would break those trade traditions would
stop at nothing! The Jew was anxious to sell. If he could not sell one
article to a customer, he had another on hand to offer him.

The Jews' stores became bazaars, forerunners of our modern department
stores, and the old English custom of one store for one line of goods
was broken up. The Jew went after trade, pursued it, persuaded it. He
was the originator of "a quick turnover and small profits." He
originated the
installment plan. The one state of affairs he could not endure was
business at a standstill, and to start it moving he would do anything.
He was the first advertiser-in a day when even to announce in the
public prints the location of your store was to intimate to the public
that you were in financial difficulties, were about to go to the wall
and were trying the last desperate expedient to which no
self-respecting merchant would stoop.

It was as easy as child's play to connect this energy with dishonesty.
The Jew was not playing the game, at least so the staid English
merchant thought. As a matter of fact he was playing the game to get it
all in his own hands-which he has practically done.

My wife and daughter have just gone out to the sales, what bliss to have the
house to myself. I will save a fortune by just staying indoors for the next
fortnight. Why this obsession with shopping, irrespective of whether the
items are needed or not? I got another pullover for Christmas, but I have
several already that I can't wear out, and I can only wear one at once. And
more boxer shorts, so that draw is now full. And as for keep buying food, I
was speaking to my brother-in-law yesterday who said that they had lots of
food left over from Christmas, they won't be able to eat it, and it will
have to be thrown out. What a waste, especially when so many people in large
areas of the World are dying of hunger. In many parts of Africa if you want
protein you have to poke about in an ants nest then knock the ants off into
a bucket, there are no supermarkets with packets of meat, in fact no shops
at all. At least with unwanted Christmas presents you can give them to a
charity shop and they will do some good. We give all our unwanted stuff to
the hospice shop to help care for those poor buggers dying from cancer. But
what can you do with unwanted food?