Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1858-09-18
VARIETY,
Gift Enterprises.

readers, and especially the young, the fol-
lowing article on the above subject. 1t is
written by the Rev r. p Franks, the
preacherin-charg of this Circuit, and is
taken from the .SoWhera Christian idco- |
cate. The hint is needed in our immcdi- |
ate community, and we hope the good coun-
sci OF Mr.. T. will not fall on listleSs cars ;
but that his words may be cffcctual iii pro
ducing the good result desired by the wri-
ter:
/ regard the gift enterprise as connected
with book-selling, as being highly obicc-
tionable There must be SrinWc some
where with the business The iuduccment
offered to purchasers, who are led to expect
n gift, influence most if not all who patronize
those concerns. They stand chance for
a gift. Should they receive one, it will not
be worth their money, or others patronizing
the same establishment must losc.' For the
lnen engaged in carrying on this business
arc not going to confer (boncvoleutly) gifts
upon their customcrs-but are endeavoring
to establish themselves in the business OK
pressly to make money. How frequent the
occurrence that the edollar is sent on-a book
and gift comc-thc book one that could
be bought at 35 cents, the gift worth ten or
fifteen cents. Here the purchaser pays one
dollar and receives in return half thcamount
iii value. True, this is a "golden age"
and many of those gifts shine-but we
should know that 'al is not gold that gilt
ters." There is fraud involved in the
enterprise.
If the loss of dollars and cents were all,
we would be disposed to say less upon the
subject But principle is involved. The
country is being flooded with books ofa light
and trihing character to an alarming extent.
There is sort of bcwitching influence about
the gift enterprise, that is calling up the
patrC 1age of hundreds and thousands over
our country Agents are scattering their
catalogues broadcast among us-books CON
tanning unwholesomc matter are coming
into the hands both of young and old A
taste for unwholcsomc reading in many in
stances follows.
Perhaps there is no subject requiring
more care than that of proper selection of
particularly ryoung persons No
one can read everything. How important
that a proper selection be made Has it
not been so that the reading of one book
properly selected has turned the scale in
the right direction, with reference to many
of the great and good connected with the
past and present And how frequent the
instances where youth, being misguided in
the selection of books have laid the founda
ton of recklessncss and ruin.
These gift enterprises involve 4 game at
chance-therefor to patronzc them is to
cultivate n disposition to gambling. Should
parents teach their children to indulge in
b1 fhinot of o,o,,,ll;no.2
The sending to those gift enterprises fer
books is evidently shoot in the dark -
You send very often to receive yon know
not what, until it comes, and however great
the fraud, you must submit.
A few proper books, well selected, and
thoughtfully read, will do more in the for
nation of mind and character than all the
gifts and books connected with these swim
ding concerns.
A lady some time ago said to me, that
she had bought a new book entitled "Mr.
Mason, ten years a circuit rider" that she
had bought it for her sons to read. Not
having read the book herself, she did not
know, until directed to the fact, that she
had bought book, the object of which was
to burlesquc the Church of her choice
Another lady Ga Methodist) was recently
induced to join club, and send on to Du-
ane Rellison's gift concern in Philade ,hia
for a book for her daughters-o course ex-
pecting the gift with the book she sent for
"The Young Woman's Friend" written by
Rev. Daniel G.. Eddy. The book came and
with it the gift. The book, had it contain
ed good reading matter, ought not to have
sold for more than forty ccnts-the gift was
by no means worth more than ten CENTS
She had sent one dollar. The cheat, so far
as the price was concerned, could be endur~
ed. But who can abide the innocent and
Insulting language contained in the book
Among other things, we have a description
of G slave auction in the South---in which
are several indicate illusions of a most OBJ
iectionable character.
Here we have aboltionism in its most
satanic form, bare.faned- outright
lent. And those who defend our institu-
tions with the teachings of Gods word, are
charged with "blasphcmy" A fine speci-
men of a book this, for Southern circulation,
and especially for the young ladies of the
South!!
We can make books in the South. AS
Methodists, we have tried the experiment |
and feel satisfied that we will succeed-let !
us, as one man, ;un opr faces against these
Dorthcrn, swindling gift enterprises and !