The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-03-12
ENTERpRrsING MAN.

"A young man just liberated from the ap. |
premiership Of common clerk, conceives
the idea Of becoming immensely rich in a
few years, and resolves to open a Wholesale
dry goods store, or perhaps large banking
house. From his late employers he receives
fsttering letters Of recommendation, just as
quack medicines receive puts from newspa.
pers; and from his mercantile acquaintance
he begs testimonials, just as bad actors beg
applause from the galleries Of theatres.
Armed thus with both the sword and
shield Of the commercial mposter. he obtains
credit; borrows money; opens a splendid es
tablishment; employs dozen dashing clerks;
mprries bell who must be attended by a
train Of liveried meuials; rents first class
tbouse on the most fashionable avenue; re-
ateives on deposit the earnings of lsborers and
seamstresses; drives splendid span of blood
ed horses; gives dinners. evening parties, and
birth day bsfls; toyt.bol tickets At tho thea.
tire; heads the list whenever a complimentary
benefit is rendered to favorite actress; oc-
cupies front pew at church; never offers
less than hundred dollars at donation
party; spends the summer at Newport or
Saratoga; announces his intention to visit
Paris and London the ensuing spring; bor-
rows, and borrows, and borrows, till he can
borrow no more-and then there is a star
Ting rumor that q failure has occurred, in.
volving in ruin hundreds of Industrious and
economical people. The telegraph sends the
astounding intelligence all over the country,
editors consult their dictionaries for words
to utter their regret and astonishment, com.
merciul men tender their sympathy and ex.
press renewed confidence in the integrity Of
their unfortunate brother, and the cheated
poor again commence their weary journey at
the bottom Of their steep and rugged path OF
life
The author Of all this wasteful extrava.
gance and this glittering falsehood, and all
pompous liberalty, and all this snobbish ad
miration, and all this undeserved sympathy
and all this piteously abused confidence, ab
sents himself from public assemblies till the
nine days tempest has blown over and ther
| comes forth to seek some new field of opera
d ton, and play the same game over again.
4 The shivering beggar who steals web o
: flannel is promptly arrested and punished
d No sympathlsing crowd follows him to tn
o grim entrance of the solitary and dreade,
e abode Of counterfeiters, thieves, and assas
sins. No sorrowful paragraph reluctant
>. tells how, in an evil hour, he committed tn
unfortunate deed. And yet how small hi
poor offense seems alongside of the enormou
crimes of the wicked and reckless vagabon
who steals the value OF many thousand wei
of fannel who, though he never earned tn
daily food of a starveling dog, yet ofte
sqnandsred in single nights licsntious rio
" more than whole years wages of an ndu
u trious man; who beggared hundreds of fam
~ lies whose humble dwellings he was not wo
= thy to enter; and whoa bankrupt debto
10 yet wasting the substance Of others with tt
r most shameful extravaganza, and covered a
over with the recent stains of treacher
r. falsehood. fraud, and extortion-goes off tt
in stage he disgraced, not only unpunished, b,
m with the sympathy of most whom he did nj
rolf