Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-08-23
.sNO Tools 70 Lend -

These words, inscribed on the door of farmers
tool house, recently caught our eye, and furnished
a ready theme for meditation. Borrowing is an
ancient and evil custom, the fearful source Of many
troubles. In the RIDER stages of civilization there
might have been greater necessity for borrowing
than now; but as the world progresses there can
be less and less need of it The tendency of cuti>
vated humanity is to independent action; the ten
dency of barbaFism to a servile obligation. The
more educated a community, the less they borrow;
and, consequently, the more the borrowing element
predOminates, the greater their degradation There
are several kinds of borrowers at the present day
There are the careful and the eareless-the slack
and the prOmpt-thOse who expect to pay for the
privilege, and those who don't expect to-those who
help themselves without permission, and those who
forget to return.
The careful, prompt, paying borrower is q well
come visitor. lt is = pleasure to lend to such a
man. This class know how to appreciate favor
and it is Of these that Solomon spoke when he said
"the borrower is a servant to the lender" But
there is class to whom the lender is q servant,
degenerate class of borrowers always to be dread
ed. They wear a fair smooth face to begin with,
and mean, sneakng face at the end. They take
the precious property of another and subject it to
a Pougher usage and severes strain than does the
owner. The chances are that the article is return
ed in a broken or damaged condition. man who
can misuse borrowed thing, seldom has delieaey
enough to make amends for an injury. Thus in
suls is added to injury, and if complaint arises,
neighbors become enemies. That such are the fire.
quent, final results CT borrowing, any one familiar
with social life knows.
At that farm house where the inscription above
referred to was limned, there may have been pecu-
liar reasons for it. Of these reasons we know moth
ing, and have 40 desire to. But our sympathes
auckened by the trials ia this lending line have led
US to reeal cases that may have been real For ex-
ample farmer A keeps all sorts of tools neat bright
and in perfect order, He prides himself on having
TOOLS and sacrifices other pleasures to save money
to buy and pay for them. He has neighbOrs who
are unable or too stingy buy, and they live by
borrowing and making old apologies for tools an
swer instead. They can appreciate good tools, and
willing to save time in using them as well as
anybody, but they never think about the propriety
of remuneration
Farmer A buys new cornplanter, and the season
being backward, several neighbors are behindhand
in planting, and apply for the use Of the machine.
The implement cost money the owner never
pecting buy another handles it himself carefully
and reluctantly loans it. Some days after, when
farmer A. wants to use his machine he has to hunt
It up among his neighbors, and finds it dirty, un-
housed, nut lost off. and wooden Inch pin sup
plying the place of the appropriate iron one As it
has been used by several individuals, each throws
the blame of damage upon the other, cOolly leaving
the owner to pocket the loss and its injury.
Again, Farmer A gets moving machine and
puts it in running order some rainy day before the
time of using. Soon after a neighbering farmer
comes all prepared with his team and wants to try
it in his home lot intimating that he thinks Of buy
ing when he can decide upon its merits. The ma
chine is allowed to depart, and finally returned by
the borrower without thanks Offering, but with
cool impudenee that it would not do Its work. On
examination the knives are found capped and mark
ed by the sticks and bricks through which it has
run, and the loss Of an important screw is key to
the mystery.
Other cases might be enumerated. Suffice it to
say there wellof farmers in almost every town,
who for years have depended upon less Opulent
neigbors for plows, Fskes, fOrds and 9rindstones
This ought not to be. Every tub should stand or
fall upon its own bottom IL is neither charity nor
religion to lend to rich men without remuneration A
mans tools are property and like money are entted
to security and pay. We believe more and more IN
the sage sdYice to young men that Shakespeare put
into the mouth Of PoloRious in the play q Hamlet:
eNeher borrower lender be,
For loan Oft looses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dElls the edge of husbandry."