Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-02-22
For the Journal.
SHORT SERMONS BY A LAYMAN.

SHORT SERMONS BY LAYMAN.
No. 5.
Words are curious things to study, as Mr..
Trench has proved in his interesting essay
There is one word upon which he did not
enlarge, but which has become of painful
interest to most people, and purpose dis
cussing it. [ mean the word Creditor. Ii
you will pardon the expression, consider
it bully word. Perhaps you know what
creditor is, but did you ever think OF its
derivation? It comes from credo H believe)
and hence a creditor is zone who credits
or believes" For instance, if a man has
money to lend, and you promise to repay
him provided he lends it to you, and he be-
lieces you and lends it to you, then he is a
creditor-if he don't believe you, he gen
orally hasn't got any to lend. Creditors
are great fellows for remembering things,
and they are very strict observers Of set
DAYS and times, as old Franklin says. They
beat debtors in that line. Debtors are
powerful on forgetting dates, in fact they
have a contempt for them but creditors
| fill Mrs. Hemans' description of death !;
they have all seasons for their own. Credi-
tors are at heavy discount in North Caro-
lima Debtors being in the majority, par
ticularly in thelegislature, have lately been
putting creditors through course OF
sprouts. They have unanimously resolved
that creditors shall take back seatand stay
there. The Act which operates thus
| o1o]; ic na1 no
-" stay " law, and was the happy conceit of
legislator who believed with Mr.. Sur
faces FRIEND that there no use to
squander money paying old musty debts.
Some people are deluded with the idea that
hese kind of laws are calculated to shake
the faith of creditors-that, in fact, they
are not creditable but such people have
run credit into the ground. The majority
is bound to rule, and don't the Legislature
represent an overwhelming majority of in
solvent constituents, and isn't the Legisla-
ture itself insolvent? What have they got
to do, then, with creditors, but to squelch
em.
By the way that word ''insolvent " is
another queer word. Strictly speaking it
means s'not to be freed or loosed," blt the
meaning has been greatly relaxed, and in
solvents are about as free, and slosh around
about as loose as other folks, if not looser.
Indeed most folks belong to that class, and
most folks are morally and financially slack
twisted, and loosening every day. Paying
debts is a subject not to be named in com
pany, and to ask man for security is, as
Falstaf says, to put rats bane IN his
mouth"
J But to return to creditors. It is actually
becoming discreditable to be CREDITOR
| It is dangerous too, for sometimes debtors
| give creditors a sort of g satisfaction"
which don't liquidate the debt. Creditors
exercise a very demoralizing influence
| They cause fellows to tell more lies, and
make more promises, and dodge around
more corners and they make more people
near-sighted and deaf than other men alive.
What if a man has got Il little property
and is able to pay, and has promised to
pay, isn't he good for it," and oughtn't
| that to be satisfactory
LIZ you huON WHY ouIutt ID CCl1Su VIC
celestial country? It's because they have
a law there which wipes out all debts on
the first day OF January, whether people
are able to ply or not. Who will say that
is not better than the villainous custom of
taking notes, or keeping accounts. How
delightful it must be, after a constable has
set up with you faithfully until the 3lst day
of December, to emerge the next day and
not know him! Creditors are very insignifi-
cant creatures there on New Years day
The Chinese are very respectable people in
my opinion, and [ have no doubt that if
their law was adopted here, it would be
considered big thing. Then there would
be no lawyers, and writs and sheriffs and
other disturbers Of domestic peace, and
every body would prosper, instead of being
in q state Of chronic insolvency like we are.
In conclusion I would advise you not to try
to be a creditor. Creditors are nuisances
and are about to be abolished. They are
what are facetiously aud elegantly termed
bad eggs.