Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-11-04


the demand for tobacco will be exclusively on the
other side of the Atlantic. l. VI. S.
From the Cleaner.
From the Desk of oor Robert The SCRIBE.
Pray take my advice, ifa fortune you'd ge,
Pay off WHIT you owe, then keep out OF debt.
This may be bad poetry, but depend up
on il, ii is excellent sense. Ii is an old
saying that the debtor il slave 10 the
creditor Ii so, half the world enter into
voluntary servitude. The universal rage
TO buy on credit, is serious evil in our
country. Many valuable man is ruined
by it.
There was Titus Thornbury, who was
an Industrious honest man. He had as
good farm as lay in the north parish of
Applebury, but unfortunately he gave way
to the prevailing passion OF getting in debt,
and sad life he led OF it, AT the age OF 80
he owed two hundred pounds. His farm
yielded about that sum He could not live
withou, purchasing some things, and as all
The money he could raise, went 70 pay prin.
cipal and interest on his debt, he had every
thing to buy on credit. So at the years
cad, with interests and costs, and loss of
lime, aud extra prices charged Tor things
because he did not make ready pay, he was
Just as much involved as the year before.
fhus harrassed, dunned, and tormented was
poor Thornbury for twenty years.
Not so with his cousin Ned Forest lie
vowed he would one no man. The produce
Of his farm was about the same as Thorn
bury's; but as he was not forced by duns,
TO sell GU, of season, he got the highes
price. As he paid for things when be
5ough, them, lie got his necessaries 10 per
cent cheaper as he paid neither interest
nor costs, aud lost no time in run
ming to borrow money or TO see his credit
ors, he laid up 90 pounds year, lived quite
as well as his cousin, and infinitely happier.
When poor Thornbury saw man riding
up the road, his anxious look told as plain
as look could tell. plague on that fellow,
he is coming 10 dun me. When sudden
RAD, al the door announced visitor, no mat
ter how lively he had been,he looked pale &
looked sorrowfuliy anxious until the visitor
was known. M
Many a man goes into store for sin
gle article. Looking round, twenty hings
strike his fancy he has no money, bur he
buys on credit Foolish man! Pay day
must come, and len chances 10 one, like
dea,h, it finds Us unprspared 10 meet it,
FELL me, We who have experienced il, did
the pleasure Of possessing the articles, bear
any proportion TO the pain of being called
on to pay for them when you bad il not in
your power TO pay.
Good people, heark ye: a few rules we'll
kept, will contribate much TO your happi
ness and independence. Never purchase
on credit, what you can possibly do with
out Take pride in being able to say, oqce
no n,Gn-Wives are sometimes thoughtless
Daughters now and then extrayagant.
Many time when neither wife nor daugh-
ter, would willingly give a Pang to a faith
er's bosom, they urge and ,caze him to get
articles, pleasant enough, 10 be SUI { 10 pos
sess, but Difficult, for him to buy. He pur-
chasss on CREDITS danned-sued--and
many an hour made wretched by their folly
and imprndence. Old Robert presents his
compliments TO the ladies, and begs they
| would read the last ten lines once q month
It'll they get them by heart, and then act as
their own excellsn, dispositions shall direct.
| Above all things, good people, never &c
in debt at The tavern. To grog, 10 toddy
10 sling, TO bi,,ersl Q !. horiid what !