Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-07-02
D0lnme I.
Soul Selling.

IT is a little strange that, in an ace whom
SO much attention is paid to the different
branches of commerce, SO little time has been
devoted to calculations touching the profit
and loss attending the sale of souls-at raH;c
most extensively engaged in, andin which
every person is deeply interested. Soul sell
ling seems to be conducted on no definite
principle-without any settled measure of
value-not governed by a rise and fall in
stocks, and without any regard to a philo.
sophie perception of the laws of EXCHANGE
Perhaps one great reason of this i, that eve
ry person is 50 disagreeably constituted by
nature that he cannot dispose of himself.
even at a tremendous per centum, without
experiencing an unpleasant sensation under
the ribs and, hence, he is mnst likely to all
in his precious commodity changing hands"
upon "terms not made known" Modesty
may prompt him to keep terms private, I'VE
always honor mOdesty,) but then the public
are kept in the dark and not at all benefited
by the transaction.
The sale of the soul is. with many, the first
important commercial transaction and his
tory and every day experience are too full of
instances where youthful ambition t. rush
into trade has clinched the bargain at ruin
ously low figures and this has an fleet to
induce others to be satisfied with a great
deal less than the real value of the article
sold. The great Broker of Souls has long
been known by many names and as many
aliases, but whose chief popularity is seen
in IA glance at his feet, but in other respects
we do not know but what he is very gentle
? manly In department, at least in his inter.
course with refined people. He is, however.
u the very Prince of Brokers' very sharper
: in fact-makes close bargains-limited in
his means-rigid in ~economy-keeus n keen
eye to his expenditures-and has never been
! known to give an iota more FOR a commodity
u than the owner demanded. 1t is well for
him too that there is no weekly report or the
market price of virtue and morality, because
trade would thus become equalized and the
most Ignorant would be guarded from the
'ntrlgues OF the most cunning. The soul of
a country clodhopper is worth as much to
him as that OF a city nabob; yet everybody
knows the cruel difference in the amount Of
. satanic currency exchanged for each.
10 The archives of Literature furnishes US
- with one case of this barter that is truly in
!" teresting. This was between one Doctor
:" Faustus and the celebrated Broker in ques-
ton. Faustus had a great desire for knuwl-
:. edge-more than his faculties could command,
hence, he became sick Of his soul and deter
mined to sell out, provided he could thereby
quench his thirst in the stream Of intellectu-
al enjoyment. The desperation of his case
ise however, dictated terms that were his saliva
"e ton. Herr Won Goethe reports the case,
Ire and from that we learn that he held Mephis
- tophe!es ian alias for another less polite) t.
eff tb. f,Il,winq contract. .u.
ire fatteringly delude me into being pleased
II with myself, if thou canst cheat me with en-
M %joyment, be that day my last. = ( L
~ ever l say to the passing moment stay
va thou art SO fair = then mayst thou cast m,
~ into chains; then will l readily perish thel
We may my death bell toll then thoa art fire.
. from thy service" The old Broker sealeC
~ the contract and commenced whirli az Faus
:" tus through some very novel yarieties-ver
'ns pretty ones too, but the more he whirled tn
old scholar the more he 1cOuId not utter tn
ii' fatal word stay" The old broker ha
- met with his match, and in the end bad tn
modification Of seeing his victim slip throug
'"0 his why fingers. So the only we'll authen
ticated account Of a sale of a soul, proved il
!" self-d sell!
The soul-seller does not often come eve
eye with the snulbuyer. lie has his Office
and agencies in every lane and at every co
ner Of the great city of society, and the yer
moment a person feels a longing to sell GU
: ~ be finds an -aecrndi1ad ooant ithautsor nm
YOU in a social chat with a neighbor that he nev
mig er suspected of any birthstone %afinitie
Lfoe when suddenly upon slipping out some wol
WHO upon some certain subject, he finds his Eeig
q Dor duly clothed with power ana letters pa
ID SO ent as an envoy extraordinary anu ambass
flesh dor plenipotentIary OF the PIT, ready to tire
fel- with him en- the mightiesto OF all matters, a.
may even venture SO far as To put IN a /
for the precious and undying commodity.
hury Next week we propose to notice some
gam the ways, and for what Considerations tht
blue unfortunate exchanges are made. i