The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-01-17
From tie Phsld. Lsdg~.
The Expensiveness OF Borrowiug.

Ef - 49, Ell
ia Mexico, slavery was long sgo eslablish-
cd, buta law was a. The same time passed.
by which, If poor man failed 10 pay his
debts, or especially 10 return borrowed mon
ey, he could be made the "peon,n or servant
Of the leader, until ihe debt was raid. The
nebles accordingly would lend the poor and
ignorart four or FIVE dollars. and then de.
mand them for servants, until the debt .v1s paid.
By then, putting ineir wages low and their
board and clothing high, They have thus
become as completely bound to them Is any
slaves. - =
This may seem to some an extreme case,
but yet we apprehsnd that il only fairly Illus
traies the tendency Of the borrowing system.
The truth Is as old as creation, and register.
cd as such ever since the time of Solomon,
that borrowing is; alter oil, dear way Of liv-
ing, or, as il is more expfessively said by The
wise man, t'the borrower is servant to him
that endeih." .e8ii sr @
( There is an old fable Of Sinbad the Sailor
meeting with a little old man who was in the
habit of enticing passers by to lei him ride on
their shoulders for short distance, bul when
once he had his legs iairly round their necks,
never relaxing his hold, but making them
carry him for days or even for years, lill they
dropped exhausted, when having fairly suan-
gled them, he would selec, another victim.
II is thus that many strong man becomes
the hopeless victim Of The borrowing system,
by himself only accepting some unfor,u.
nate loan. The lender thus gets bic legs
most s'ranglingly and unrelenhngly Gouad
his ueck.
Every one knows the expensivsnessi 10 an
honest man Of lending, and the most liberal
person in the world, sfier few experiments,
will be even more slow 10 lend withouia fair
equivalent, than to give. Whether il tbemon.
ey or any other kind of property. the loan Of
il, simply to be returned IN as good condition,
is rarely appreciated. Dr. Maryland, 10 his
Political Economy. contends that a just per
ceniage ought to be paid for an endorsement,
suggestion which has probably not been
acted upon, only because The risk beng thus
paid for, would not be considered SO binding
on the personal honor Of the borrower. +
To some it may seem inconsistent wilhths
foregoing o asser, that borrowing is general
ly even more dangerous aud expensive
habit still. Yet such is The fact. All parties
lose by these accommodations. as they are
generally conducted, because any system
which does not admit Of being estimated By
some appreciable standard OF value, M u,l,
soon end in disappointment, the two parties
not agreeing as 10 the favor conferred. II is,
therefore, only in cases where ihecarsfulness
and friendship Of both parties are of the very
highest description, such that they win feel
an interest in each others affairs about equal
10 their own, that such u system can be safe
ly carried out, or without producing much
unhapiness.
TIE Merchant who boHows few hundred
to day to meet bill, only because he has
been too'careless and improvideni to provide
beforehand, may receive grea, accommoda-
lion from the loan without inconveniencing
his neighbor. There was, perhaps, no ap-
preciable risk or Inconvenience in the first
transaction on either; but the borrower lays
himself under obligation TO lend in return,
and il may prove very different in the second
case. In fact as 70 man knows the concerns
Of his neighbor SO well as he does hrs own,
here is always risk and uneasiness, which is
loss Of itself, even if all sums borrowed on
both sides are puncIually returned.
AS 10 books, umbrellas, and penknives,
hey undoubtedly are seldom returned, but
he mystery is what becomes of them. Thou
sands are very sensible of their losses by all
these transactions, but who can boast OF his |
yainsa You perhaps borrow a volume, READ
i, take care Of il. and return it punclual,y. |
You hare done the lender no harm, the book !
was lying idle; ard il has done you good
But have you done yourself no hs rm You
have given the isnder claim upon you. He
nvades your library, borrows one volume Of
! set, keeps it for months, defaces The bind
ing, OF, peIhaps, loses it altogether, and the
Talue Of the whole set is gone.
The farmer who borrows tools may restore
hem safely, but must lend in retdrn to those
who will not perhaps be equally exact. The
,ousekeeper WHO first borows articles for
housekeeping, reiurnsperhaps ,he full amount
,ut this may moi always be tie case with the
'bliging neighbor who lent The direct los
les thus occasioned are as nothing, however,
o the loss Of confidence and friendship which
he leas. carelessuess may at any time occa.
lion, add habilual borrowers become habilu-
ally careless.
II is by no means necessary even tina, there
should be any actual injury in the default on
,iiher side, to produce this result. Every
nan will be apt 10 value his own goods a
title higher than any other person would
He may not have seen the article he lends
nst before parting with 1t, but is surprised at
10 appearance on being returned, and atlri-
,utes the deterioration erroreousiy IN the
,ouduct of the borrower. II takes great
TO survive the evil surmisings
which rise in his mind, and which are not the
ess dangerous, that they often canno, be ex-
pressed. s-5s
What. then Shall all borrow;no ca,sEt