Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-06-04
From, the .AaaoDa! Phi.anfhrsb.st.
TRADE.


stand ia Que of our business streets and
mark It's occupants. len years hence
you may come to the same spot add hey
will be all dead and game. Or il per-
chance, here aud there, solitary man
may be found alive, be wall be looked
upon as we look upon an old reyoIu-
tionary who Was at the taxing q Bur
,goyns. And be could tell you of as
many hair breadth escapes, and as many
dying groans, and shew as many marks
of deadly warfare. aad if he has not
received bis death wound, il IS a mar
vel When speak Of a ehor!ceepe 5
life, | mean the tine he is engaged ia
trade. His failure is his death Alas
how often IS 1t the precursor OF the death
of the bod aud soul lhase Geea the
young man with tair character aEd
prospect, fell OF hope ant vigar, CON
msncing sbopkesper's he. His pa
rents and his friends sjoiced over hun,
as they saw him-sariy at his shop, aud
busy 10 the market In one short year
he feels the want Of money. lie a. gh0rt.
(PermIt me TO speak in plain terms
With sad toreoodings, he begiDs to
borrow mone", FIRST of bis frends, and
thea at the bank The wrinkles OF care
are on his brow lie imagines that bis
Credits doubted, aud very soon IL IS
doubted. HIS time is taken mp in ma,
king pre- parations 10 pay bis notes.
Bank hOure ate hours Of misery. With
70 sd 81
State street. The clock warns him Of
the passing hoar Eleven, twelve, one
O'Clock, and his notes are not paid -
From Counting hours, tie begins to
count minutes The time for closing
che benk is near az hand. 4 hundred
dollars who will lend him a hundred
dollars? He hastens to his shop, but
there is no money there lie runs once
more to bis friends, bat is too late. q
for hundred dollars Poor man; he
cannot get IT, The hour is psst-the
bank closes and bis note lies oUer. On
his way home he calls at the soda chop
forsomething TO sustain his sinking spi
rits. This IS the beginning Of sorrows.
His thirst increases with the increase of
his cares and troubles, until, at last he
fails, becomes drunkard, and is uu-
done @ how great and hew sudden the
change, from youthful visor and high
raised hopes, to poverty, int appearance,
death Such cases are not rare. They
have GONE under every mans observa-
ton. Asd doubtless, every business
msn, who has been driven into the mar
ket to borrow money, from day TO day,
who has depended for subsistence in
time of need, upon some 6Gnk, and felt
the prop to give way, just when he be-
gins to lean upon it, who has felt that
he was ioosing the confidence Of his
friends by his reiterated calls,--I say,
doubtless, such man has been often
tempted to drown his disappointmeuts
an the bowl Many have yielded to the
temptation their end has been descri-
bed. In two former numbers 1 have
considered some OF the causes which O.
perate against the fer deGtsr | have
said that the vendors charged upon him
the want OF business tGignt, because he
would be honest, and the consumers
neglected his shop because he would
not lie There are other things which
operate disasterohsly upon tie whole
class of retailers, bat even here, the
burden falls heaviest upon the fair deal
er. 1 refer to the operation OF the banks,
upon the trade. Something whispers
me don't say word against the banks,
you will never get another discount if
you do."-But would not cry down
all the banks, if could, but this / would
say. they are poor props for retailers to
lean upon. They encourage a man as
long as be is good, that is, in their es-
timation, and of course he is good no
longer than they encourage him II is
In the power ef the board of directors
20 destroy young mans credit by
single vote. And after the board have
voted down mans credit, it is almost
impossible for him, however solvent be
may be, TO keep his head above water.
isIs forlofn hope, TO try to swim with
eoerd 81 directors on ones back. In
stances have sometimes occurred,where
a young man in such circumstances has
stemDed the current, bat il was be.