The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-12-06

BY CLACDIUS.

|
book and ledger, and expressed some sur
prise to his confidential clerk, as we'll as the
highest qualification, that he had found the
books of the concern in such excellent or
der. He had done business there, in tha,
same house, for over half a century; and
while many of his neighbors had been Oh
lighed 10 make an assignment, his affairs
had gone on prosperously, without being
sensibly affected by those periodical com
mercial revulsions that had swept away like
cobwebs the fortunes of so many Of our
best business men
lie scarcely knew himself why he had ne
yer been compelled to apply for bank accom-
modatioRs, or ask friend to endorse his
paper, while so many others seemed to de-
pend wholly upon this practice for their sue
/ cess. While cursoriy inspecting the &C
/ counts on the morning above alluded TO, he
noticed that the faithful Mr.. Barlow, his
head clerk, had politely invited no less than
! eight Of his best customers to walk into the
| counting room and attend to balancing the
books Not word OF disagreen. cnt drop
ped from the lips of either party as they
looked over the catalogue of items, and the !
| each cheerfuly paid the amount of their in
debtcdness in cash. or embodied it in pro-
rnissory note, payable in sixty or ninety
debtor This was the uniform practice Of
this mercantile establishment, for which its
prosperous proprietor indebted to the
rigid, methodical business habits of Mr..
Barlow. Once a quarter the books must be
balanced.
Mr.. Graham now realized more than ever
how much ne was indebted to the industry
and fidelity of Mr.. b. for the almost prince
" fortune that La found its way into his
hands. lie found no long strings OF old ac-
counts running through half dozen day
books and halt as many ledgers, reaching
back over a period OF tive or six years
But everything indicated frequent and re-
cent settlements lie found, much to his
surprise and satisfaction. that but few Of his
customers who had dealt with hiin for 50
many years, owed him any considerable
amounts while the bank book showed that
many thousands were safely deposited in
bank. His clerk and himself had grown 0 d
together for Mr.. b. had been in ms ser
vice now over forty ycars-and for more
than thirty the former rad been regarded as
4 frt1lre of the concern, without whose at
teutions its business would be serIousl en-
barrassed. Everything had been 80 pru-
dentIv conducted, that but little time was
necessary to prepare for retircml nt-and
Nr. Graham now testified his appreciation oI
the valuable services Of Mr.. Barlow by be-
slowing upon him a liberal fraction Of the
accumulation Of so many long years Of toll.
is with Mr.. Grahan's, 50 with every
well-regulated business establishment, what
ever its character, frequent settlements
must be among the established order Of
thugs. But, whether frequent or unfre-
qugnt. the day Of reckoning is sure to
come Some short sighted patrons aud Gus
toners are weak enough to tsiter them
selves that because they are not often sum
moned to final settlement, they VIII he al
lowed TO trade on credit ai mH8itRrI. They
presume upon the liberality OF their chief
creditors, trade on carelesS'y and Iechlessy,
urIErrfrE 'sf',a ~ fvf t'''V HJ"', ''''i
finally, and Unexpectedly, the day "i recA-
oning dswns. and they are by no means
prepared to meet its imPeriOus deinanda--
often the results in such cases are bfhArHPt-
cy ami rqig They reap the bitter fruits o.
their own negligence and folly
The summons, " ITaik into tie colrtihg-
roam uad scttje,' will sooner or later come
to al. The mother who imprudently feeds
70 her darling child swectmeatS, sugar can
dies. rich cravieS, hot teas and coifees, aud
dresses it to show off, instead of TO promote
It's health, with heavy sighs and sca!ding
tears will follow that little one to its infant
tomb, or, il may be, the child will grow mp
10 be a man or woman, all Lautled with IN
firmities, that convert life into one perpetu-
al curSe-no blessing TO soclcty-no conso-
l.tion to friends. The summons To that in
considcrate parent is. please walk into the
couniing-room and settle up the books -
The young lady sometimes spends all the
long hours Of the night in the dissipation ci
the ballroom; walks on the damp ground
or cold pavements in thin slippers aad stock
ings; suspcuds upon her hips. day after day
and year after year, fifteen or twenty
pounds of dangling skirts; laces herself up
with d mechanical pressure equal to burden
Of from sixty to one hundred pounds, and
exposes her neck and arms TO freezing cold.
By-and-by she is inv ted into the counting
room to settle up, and balance the books,
and 10 she is found bankrupt, has over
traded goes into a decline, and dies OF
consumption
The iuebriate goes on from year TO year,
rejoicing that he has sufficient seilcontrol to
govern himself, while thousands OF others
gradually sink below the reach Of hope; he
drinks with moderation, sips little only,
every hour of the day, looks down upon the
poor bcsottcd drurkard, deSlises the lost
and wayward victim Of appetite, thanks
contends that little, drank with regulari-
ty, Injuries no man-especially him. But
the day Of reckoning approaches, the books
must be balanced hc is summoned into the
counting-room for settlement. poor bank
rupt, he dies long years before his time,
with all the frighttul, tormenting horrors Of
delirIum tremcns.
The snuff-taker, tobacco-chewer and
smoker considers las departure from the
laws of life and health SO slight that he
cannot regard it probable that lie shall ever
hear the rude summons, to walk into the
counting-room for settlement. He pays ont
his money in small sums, poliutes his
breath, rots his teeth, poisons his blood and
nerves, slowly puts out his eyes, destroys
his hearing, palsies his organs OF taste and
smell, invites into his system every Kind OF
disease known TO the flesh, and fancies him
self very exemplary, temperate man, and
perhaps a very devoted Christian! Yes,
pous soul. mouth filthier than the sewers
of the streets, and the Holy Spirit in his
heart Pious, prayeriul spirit. sending up
his morning and evening obiations to the
throne of his Maker, all bcsmeared and pol
luted with the smoke and juice of tobacco.
breath SO rank and offensive rs to almost act
like an emetic upon the stonachS Of by
ISLANDERS, this, the breath Of prayer. Ho-
" man grieved into fits, perhaps, because
a neighbor, or brother member of the
church, sometimes drinks glass Of bran
dy Oh! We tobacco mongers! your time
will soon come-the sunni onses are being
made out, that will call you into the count
jns-room of settlement!
The loathsome debauchee, the heartless
libertine, the villainous seducer, seek to
elude the gaze of mortal eyes, and transact
their deeds of infamy under the cover of
thick carknsss, vainly and foolishly hoping
TO escape re,ribution. They secretly boast
that ay-day will never come But soon