The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1869-09-01
ON GOING SURETY.

Ought u nun ever to 90 surety
for another? Why not? 1t il IL
most friendly act. II prudently
done, it may be of tho most emf
nent benefit to q neiShhor. 1t
gives him tho benefit Of your good
reputation when he is not known.
1t lends him your credit whore
his own rs not sufficient. It puts
him in funds which otherwise he
he could not command. Such ser
vico to II friend in generous, and
sometimes oven noble. No bottcr
use can he made Of one's money
than to help q true friend. We
arc commanded to "rcmemher
, those in hondsns bound with them"
10 DC sure, this was originally
applied to bonds ofa different kind,
but with not u whit more proprie.
ty than to pecuniary bonds. a
man who: hy II few thousand dol
lars, can save his friend, and per.
haps his family. from bankruptcy
and want, could hardly spend his
money III Il manner which all his
life long, no would remember with
moro satisfaction.
But there are certain moral and
prudential considerations which
should always be borne in mind
in going surety for Il friend. Y"n
should make up your mind ho'o
m"rh property uou hnre, and ho'0
much yon are ,oitling to gire a'cay,
absoIuteI y, for that FREUD whom
.yon ind'rSc. For no blundrr can
hn worse than to indorsc on the
supp"sition that YOU will not
have to pay. Ncverindorso with
out saying to yourself, "This may
come round upon me. Imay have
to pay il and, itit comes to TINT, g,
| am allie and wi'ling.' Nine ont
"t ten of the fatal mistakes matl'
hy hondSmrn arise from taking
the opp ,sitc course to this. They
consider tho act of i,dorsing II
friends paper IA II mrrc com
mcrciul form. "Thcrc is i,n risk
| shall not hnv. it to pay. lie j.
ahumdantly able to to take care OF
his paper. shall help him without
harming myself, and he i. II slingy
man who will not do lhat.'
This is he calculation on which
Il man binds himself to pay II
ti'irnd'S debts in case The friend
cannot pay them himself. Eut
how do these things turn on,
One need not go far to asrertain
Every vilInrc has an illustration
Fhc narrower was moro involved
than vmn supposed, or. perhaps
han he himself knew and bis
creditors closed on him and
wound bin up, an'i were over
ioyed to lind such Il g"o. name as
yours on his paper. Or the san.
yuiuc scheme on which ho had
vcnturc,l. which seemed snrc nI
success, almost wit Ihont roSsihiIity y
OF failure. suddenly. like Il loahc,
wagon, slipped off II wheel and up.
set into the dirt!
Or. jTst ~ every thin. was at
|
sickencd and could not look after
his affairs. some critical matter
was neglected, or some diShoncs,
person stepped! in and cracked
matters; your friend hic.l. the e>
tate went into executors hand
for settlement. VAS badly mannyrd
warped and crooked and finally
turned out inSnlvent.
| And what became nfyon? Why
YOU were surety for the full amount
Of what you arc worth In All
hour yon iud Yourself confronted
with u debt That sweeps away
your house. your farm, your IHtle
sum in bank, and where yon be,
gan Twenty-Five years ago, with
this difference, that then You
had only yourself to provide
for, now you have u wife and
eight children. Then you were
twenty-five years old and liIc
was all before yon, and now
yon arc fifty years old, and
lHo pretty much all behind You
You have given away your child
ron's bread You have not saved
your friend, but you havo ruinrt
yourself! Perhaps your friend
had settled on his wife asmall prop,
crty. So much the better for her
if hc had. or enursc she will iii
vide with You. since it was to sav,
ber husband, that you wcr,
ruined. But, it'she will not, (and hu
man nature il made up o:' shaks
stuff, aud hcr children 70 to school
while yours stay at home; and !,
they 1.-Two in Il comfortable house
pleasantly furnished, whiIo yor
are hiring few rooms in tht
cheapest quarter Of tho town, ther
| suspect thnt you will chew tho
cnd Of q great many bitter re
0ections. When it is too Iato, yor
you will 10 very wise. You vii
say to yourself, it may be, "a
man is a fool who si ms for any
ger sum than ho can con
| -oninntlv Dnv.n A mon. sny