The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1855-01-19
IN HARD TINES KEEP OUT OF DEBT.

Keep out of debt, and you are rich; not
rich in all senses, but in most, richer than
many who have the reputation. MIR. A, who
drove past n moment ago, is taxed rs II he
We're worth n hundred thousand, but his LA
bilities are hundred and fifty thousand
He will fail in less than month and retire
upon the profits of the failure, and be hereaf-
Ter broken merchant with money enough,
and shabby reputation. You owe not a
cent and have hardly cent TO show after by
ing your next dinner but nobody looks up
on you as the cause of his ruin, nobody fails
because of your failure 10 meet your engage
ments, no widows turn their rebuking eyes
on YOU: no orphans charge you with the au.
thorship of their want . With your empty
pocket you arc richer than he in his (un-)
comfortable retirement with money enough
Ohat does not belong to him)
Out of debt, every siSpence you get u
your own; you may look on it with an unal-
loyed sensation of right to save or spend it,
to turn it into any fashion Of pleasure or en-
joyment that il is equal 10. But in debt,
your money is not your own. 1t belongs 10
yodr baker. butcher, grocer, tailor-or the
old uncle who was silly enough to lend 10
you.
1t is not hard for man who is making a
lving-who gets decent wages-to Keep out
of debt, and generally he ought to do it. II
he does rot make living wages, it is a dii-
ferent thing. For borrowing is better than
starving, and debt is less TO be dreaded
than no bread And again, when one has, rs
capital, good trade or profitable profession,
or stock on hand that is not Immediately
convertible Into cash, he is foolish not TO take
a hundred dollars if he can have use of 1t for
six dollars year,and yet be sure of the prn-
cipal to repay when it is demanded. But to
go in debt for luxury, or n mere convenience,
or for any other than an absolute neccssityi
is always n matter of doubtful propriety.-
Some borrow and make fortunes on their
borrowed capital before pay day comes
But for such operations, great brains or an
easy conscience are required, and where one
succeeds ten fall
In these tight times, when Wall street ia
like ones mouth after eating persin-
mons when rents fall fifty percent, and the
safest men are shaking, it behooves all small
dealers to look sharp to their accounts. Let
them owe no man, if they are so fortunate as
to be thus far out of debt and be quite sure,
too, that no man owes them except his debt
be secured by the most undoubted security.
For in these times whoever has sent us
around and looking up the borrower
with the most assiduous perseverance, and 1t
is distressing to note how many borrowers
are not at home when such call. Let the
ornaments GO unbought this season. Let
the amusemehts be forsworn. Let the coat
we talk to unpretending people-be coars-
er than last year; and, ladies, let the bonnet
4 vl..N
meant to spend for wreath into the coal bin,
and what YOU designed for n velvet that
should sur pass Mrs. Smiths into the flour
barrel Be hard up for weeks together;
wear patch on your garment; wear nap
less hat; eat sirloin instead of por.er-house-
steaks rent n second floor instead Of a whole
house, live comfortably instead Of keeping
up appearances; do anything that is honest
never mind whether it is respectable-rath-
er than in such times as these to run 10
debt.