The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1850-04-13


| if, from the pressure of the circumstances, sur
rounding him as a poor man and in debt, he
had failed to be as active, industrious and pru-
| dent as he would otherwise have been. We
are all apt to require too much Of the poor
debtor. and to have too little sympathy with
him. Let the hope of improving your own
condition-which is the handspring of all your
business operations-be taken away, and in
stead, let there be only the desire to pay OF
old debts through great labor and self-denial,
that must continue for years. and imagine how
differently you would think and feel to what
you do now. Nay, more; let the debt be
owed to those who are worth their thousands
and tens of thousands, and who are in the en-
ioyment of every luxury and comfort they could
desire, while you go on paying them what you
owe, by over exertion and the denial to your
self and family of all those little luxuries and
recreatons which both so much need, and then
say how deeply dyed would be that dishonesty
which would cause you, in moment OF dark
er and deeper encouragement than usual, to
throw the crushing weight from your shoulders,
and resolve to bear itno longer? You must
leave man some hope in life if you would
keep him active and industrious in his sphere.
Mr. Petron said nothing in reply to this =
DuL ne looked SODeT. Ills lIlShu SOoH AAICI
left.
The merchant, as the reader may infer from
his own acknowledgement was one of those
men whose tendency to regard only their own
interests, has become so confirmed a habit,
that they can see nothing beyond the narrow
circle of self Upon debtors he had never
looked with particle of sympathy; and had,
in all cases., had exacted his own as rigidly as
if his debtor had not been creature of human
wants and feelings What had just been said
however, awakened new thought in his mind,
and as he reflected upon the subject, he saw
that there was some reason in what had been
said, and felt half ashamed Of his allusion to
the interest of the tailor's fifty dollar debt.
Not long after person came into his store,
and from some cause mentioned the name of
Moale
He's an honest man-that l am ready to
say of him. remarked Mr.. Petron.
/ Honest, but very poor, was replied.
He's doing very well now, believe said
the merchant.
He's managing to keep soul and body to-
gether, and hardly that
He's paying off his old debts
4 know he is; but blame him for injuring
his health and wronging his family, in order to
pay few hundred dollars to men a thousand
times better off in the world than he is. He
brought me twenty dollars on an old debt yes
terday, but wouldn't touch it. His misfor-
tunes had long ago cancelled the obligation in
my eyes. God fobid! that with enough .tc
spare, | should take the bread out Of the
mouths of poor mans Children
SIS he SO very poorH askd Mr. Petron, sur
prised and rebuked at what he heard
HE has a family of six children to feed
clothe and educate; and he has it 10 do by his
unassisted labor. Since he was broken up in
business some years ago, he has had great diff
fculties to contend with, and only by pinching
himself and family, and depriving both of near
" every comfort, has he been able to reduce
the old claims that have been standing against
him. But he has shortened his own life ten
years thereby, aud has deprived his children
of the benefits of education, except in an ex-
tremely limited egree-wrongs that are If
reparabie | honor his stern integrity of char
acter, but think he has carried his ideas OF
honesty too far. Col gave him these children
and they, have claims upon him for earthly
comforts and blessings to The extent of his
ability to provide. His misfertunes he could
not prevent, and they were sent as much for
the chastisement of those who lost by him. as
they were for his own. If, subsequently, his
greatest exerton was not sufficient to provide
more than ordinary comforts for the family
still dependent upon him, his first duty was to
see that they DO not want. If he could not
pay his old debts without injury to his health
or wrong TO his family, he was under no obli-
cation to pay them; for it is clear, that nc
claims upon us are so imperative as to re-
quira us to wrong others in order to satisfy
them.'
Here was another new doctrine for the ears
of the MISUNDERSTANDING strange as well as
new. He did not feel quite so comfortable as
before about the recovered debtof fifty dollars
not yet entered it upon his cash book, and he
felt now less uelned to do SO than ever The
Claims of humanity, in the abstract, pressed
themselves upon him for consideration, and
he saw that they were not lightly to be put
aside
In order to pay the fifty dollars which had
long been due to the merchant, My. Moale had
as alleged, denied himself and family at eve
ry point, and over-werked himself to a degree
seriously injurious to his health. But his
heart felt lighter after the sense of the obliga.
tion was removed.
There was little at home however, to make
him feel cheerful. His wife not feeling able
to hire domestic, was worn down with the
care and labor of her large family. The chill
dren were, as a necessary consequence, neg
lected both in their minds and bodies. Alas
there was no sunshine in the poor mans dwell
ling.
well, Alice said Mr.. Moale, as his wife
CAME and stood beside the board upon which
he sat at work, holding her babe in her arms
4 have paid off another debt thank heaven! !!
'Whose?'
'Petrons! He believed me a rogue and
treated me as such. l hope he thinks differ
entity now
Il wish all men were as honest in their in.
tentions as you are.'
SO dol Alice. The world would be much
better one than it is, l am thinking
And yet William said his wife, some
times think we do wrong to sacrifice so much
to get out of debt Our children
'Alicel' spoke up the tailor quickly, 4 would
almost sell my body into slavery to get free
from debt When Ifthink of what | still owe