Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1860-11-03
af(istellantous.
Gift Enterprises.

OF all the transparent humbugs ever Yau.
kee ingenuity coDcocted or invented to ease
the credulous of their money, the gift enter
prise stands pre- eminent and, although it has
been in existence 10 some shape or other
until one would reasonably suppose that no
more dupes we're to be found it no sooner
dies natural death in one form, before the
PrOtean monster comes up under new and
still more gltteriDg guse. First the gift
man offered you dollar book for one dollar,
and gift valued ct from fifty cents to one
hundred dollars. OF course he could not
do it, he could not give you dollar book
and gift worth fifty cents for single dollar
for that would leave him no margin for profit,
aud Yankees, above oil other, never do bust.
ness without profit. Next he offered you q
farm, town lots, silk dresses, or anything else
yon might draw, for q dollar. This was mani
festly q lottery, and as such was summarily
stopped, although thousands upon thousands
had invested their money.
The enterprising individual who gets up
enterprises for the benefit of the people was
not to be put down, asd he next offered to
sell gold pencils all over the country for
IS co. aud accompany them with gift OF
jewelry which if not satisfactory might be
returned. This fellow was on the highway
to fame as well as fortune, # the law had not
cut his career short.
| All these swinders are transparent, and it
is not apparent to US why the law should
wink at them, and permit them to 60 on
which they most assuredly will so long as
fools live to encourage them, and that they
are not all dead yet, we had occular demon
stration on the occasion of our last visit to
I Philadelphia, when We accidentally dropped
into a gift book establishment, and there
found two western clergymen laying in o
stock of theological works, and receiving
| with evident satisfaction, on article OF brass
| jewetry with each volume purchased Could
gullibllty farther go was the inherent human
passion for gambling ever exemplitied ip Q
stronger light?
| The book dodge, however, being on its last
| legs, it has been found necessary to resort to
some other means to give the greens pain
| ful realization of the fact that "it is not oil
gold that glitters." We now notice that au
establishment has opened in Market street
which does business on a new pricple. The
customer purchases a bottle of the balm oil
Gllead"-a medicine which is supposed to
possess the most unbeard of medical virtues
for the small consideration of rs cents
With the bottle of medicine, the purchaser
gets certificate, for which he pays an add
tional dollar and gets any article named on
the certificate, on presentation at the counter
the article being a piece Of gold jewelry
valued at from one to ten dollars BY this
system Of doing business they evade all laws
except those which require them to take ou,
retailers license, aud they actually only
sell their gifts. But the fraud upon the very
face of their system is that they profess tC
give four our five dollars worth OF jewelry
for one dollar, when they do no such thing
and he only is the verest ass who gives then
one dollar 10 hopes of getting in return the
value Of two dollars.
The business is like O whited sepulchfe-
fair to the eye, but foul within. 1t is a pal
pable deception of the grossest kind because
there are no known laws of trade-no system
orthdox or heterodox, by which We can b'
convinced that man can give you two dollar
worth OF anything-even brass jewelry-fo
one dollar. The thing is simply preposter
Gus.
The Balm in Gilead, we believe is made o
the buds of this we'll known tree, and pos
sesses some curative qualities. A good sze'
bottle full would cost about the price o
gathering the buds. If, therefore, you bl.
from this Professor, his margin OF profit j
about 80 per cent. II You give him dolIa
for the certificate, you may get an artcl
with fcticious value set upon it OF iron
one to ten dollars, but if its real value gee
from thirty to beyond eighty cents, be
doing an absolute losing business An
who will say that such is the mission OF th
gift jewelry manY Not US, reader, for We ar
not TO be duped by any such shallow arttice
-hy look at huudreds who are. Daily me