Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-04-13
A Sketch Which HIany May
Read with Profit.

John Perkins and SiIas Tower wer
walking in company. II was morning
and they were on their way to business
Perkins was young man-perhaps eigh
and twenty and Tower was approaching
/ the middle age
An said Perkins, in tone of fretful
ness, here comes Matthew Baldwin
The person alluded TO was at that mo
ment crossing thesstreet. and as he reach
ed the sidewalk he stopped in front o
our two friends. He was rough clad
brown-fsced man, with frank, opeI
countensnce, and lie earned his bread b,
hard work from day to day.
Good morning. said Matthew Baldwin
Perkins and Tower returned the salu
tation
Mr. Perkins,, pursued the laborin!
man, with show of nervousness in hi
manner, could YOU make it convenient
to let me have little money this morn
ing?"
4 declare, Matthew, you have hit me il
most unfortunate time,' replied John
Perkins, laughing. His laugh was a bus
mess laugh.
4 am sorry, SIR said the lsboring man
The bill is only eight dollars and / need
the money very much. If you could con
trive 10 spare me part OF it."
No, no,-bold on few days, Mathew
and you shall have the whole of H.
haven't gdt it now. If don't see yor
when have it, I'll send it in to you.
Mathew Baldwin turned away with {
reluctant step, and the two friends pur
sued their way.
/ Door Naffbaxr ~ IssSrpnin4al
marked Tower.
Yes, | suppose so; responded Perkins
Il had a half mind to offer 10 lend YOU
the money for him.
But, John, you surely would not keeI
the poor man out of his money if you
could raise it for him.
4 don't like to pay myself Short wai
Perkins reply.
Silas Tower believed that he knew his
friends fault, and he determined to speak
his mind freely
Il think he said, in careful, consid.
crate way, that you could have paid
Matthew Baldwin eight dollars if you
had so wished Am / not right?'
IF had wished to pay away all the
money / have with me, l suppose could,
But don't like to do that
Why notP
why not? repeated Perkins, with ele.
waited eyebrows. 'Why-because like
to have little money by me.k-------
For what?
For what p was the echo. Why
there may be thousand things for which
might need money.
And for what can you need money
more than to pay ar honest debt to a hard
working, needy man? Now John, you
must pardon me if speak plainly
go ahead cried Perkins, with light
laugh.
'Then here it is continued Silas Tow.
err If you had eight dollars in your pock,
ct when Matthew Baldwin ssked you to
pay him that sum. the money really be.
longed 10 him. He had worked for il,
and You received the full value of the de-
mand. You had no more right, in honor,
to keep that money than you had 20 en-
bezzle like amount.
Upon my life, Silas, you put il strong
but | don't see it. Do you ike to be
without money!
No; but I would rather be without
money than be in debt
DO you mean to say that you would
have paid away your last dollar had you
been in my place few minutes ago.
Certainly would. And why should
wish 10 keep it p have money in my
pocket, which isnot already appropriated
use il TO supply my wants"
And to meet emergencies,' suggested
! Perkins.
'Yes-to meet emergencies, admitted
Tower. And what greater emergency
can arise than the coming of such an ap-
plicstion as Baldwin made of your When
friend wants to borrow money of me,
am apt TO consider nv own convenience
! first; but when 8 man comes to me fol
money which owe him pay it, if have
| il in my possession. In the first place
the money is really and truly his, and
only have it in keeping for him. Mat
thew Baldwin is poor man, working
hard to support himself and family; and
when you hired him, you knew that he
needed the pay for his work from day tc
day-or at least from week to week
When he had done his work, you owed
him eight dollars; and if you had eight
dollars in your pocket, the sum was his
and not yours; and when he asked for il
and you told him you could not pay it
you we're acting out what | should call
one kind of embezzlement.'
John Perkins laughed
And, pursued Tower, taking no notice
of the interruption, there is another rea-
son why you should have paid him the
money, even though it took your last
penny. You should have done it for
your own good. While a man is in debt
he cannot aboard to waste money ne
needs to save with careful hand; but
he will not save if he carries money Just
for the sake of spending il. Now mark
me, John, and say if do not tell the
truth: If you made it the fixed rule OF
your life to pay all your debts as soon as
they were due, you would then never be
spending money which was not yours
This determination put in practice, would
+! free you from embarrassment, and lead
you into the confidence of your fellows.
In short the man who never gets into
debt, OF who, if debt must come, holds
the houidating of that debt as of the
ehiefest necessity, viii be pretty sure to
prosper; and, in the end, ne will not be
likely to be called upon TO pay away his
last dollar And now, my dear fel
low, if you want my advice, l can give il
I to you.'
! Go ahead
Do you go back this very morning, and
pay Matthew Baldwin what you owe him
Go now, before you go to work. If il
takes the last dollar, go and do it. Or, il
you have but the eight dollars, go and
tell him so, and ask him to divide it with
YOU :,
guess | must think of it awhile said
Perkins, with another laugh.
AT all events added Tower, you viii
allow me to speak with you again on the
subject -
Certainly
At this juncture the two friends sepa
rated. Tower going to his store where be
earned two dollars and half a day
This was Monday morning