The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1869-05-28
No. 90.
ON GOING SURETY.
HENRY WARD BEECHER.

Is act. Ii prudently done, IL mag be of
| the most eminent benefit to ncighbor.
|, gives him the benefit Of yesir seea rep
utation when he is not known. 1t lcnds
him your credit where his own is not stl-
ficicnt. II puts him in funds which 9TH
crwisc lro coult, not command. Such scr
vice 10 a friend is generous. aud some
times even noble. No better use can DO
made of ones money than to hclpa truc
friend We are commanded to ''rcmcm-
Der those in bonds as bound with them"
To DC shrc, this was originally applied to
bonds Of different kind, bat with not a
whit moro propricty than to pccuniary
bonds. A man who, by a few Thousand
dollars, can save his friend, and perhaps
his family, from bankruptcy and want,
eouldhardy spend his noneyiua manner
which, all his life long, hewould remcm-
beg with moro satisfaction. wssi
But, there are certain moral and pru-
Dental considerations which should al
ways be borne in mind in going surety for
a friend. You should make mp your mind
ho'e much property yoa haze, and ho,0
much yot are uiupg 10 gre array, abso-
lutely, for that friend whom you endorse.
For no blundcr can be worse than to in
dorse on the superstition tiat yoH tcW not
hfcc topdy. Never indorsc without say
ing to yourself, "This may como round
upon nc ! may have to pay il; and, if
il comes to that, / am able and willing"
Nine out oftcnof the fatal mistakes made
by bonds ncn arise from taking the OPP
positc course to this. They consider
tho act Of indorsing a friends paper as n
mere commercial form. "Thcrc isno risk.
L shah moi have it to pay. lie is alum
dainty able to take care Of his paper. l
shall help him without harmiig myself,
and he Is stingy man who will not do
that" This is the calculation on Which
man binds himself to pay a friends
debts in case the friend cannot pay them
himself But how do these things turn
out 7 che need not 90 far to ascertain
Every village has an illustration The
borrower Vas. more involved than you
SUPPOSED, or, perhaps than he himself
knew, and his crcditdrs clnsed on hm
aud wound him up, aud were oycrjoyed
to find such a good name as yours on his
paper o., tho sanguinc scheme on
which he lad ycnturcd, which seemed
sure Of success, almost without possibili-
1 ity of failure, suddenly, like Il loaded
wagon, slipped off a wheel and upset in
or, Just MS every ding was at tho
1 point Of success, Your friend sickcncd
and could not llvk fer HI; HI; affairs, sons
critical matter, was neglected, or some
dishonest person Stepped in and crooked
matters your fricnd died, the estate went
into executors hands for settlement, was
badly managed, warped aud crooked, and
finally turned out insoIycnt. y ~
And what became Of your Why, you
we're aresy ioI the full amount Of what
you are worth ! IN m hour you ind
yourself confronted with debt that
sweeps away your house, your farm, Four
litlic sum IL bank, and leaves you just
where you began twenty tivc years ago.,
with this difference, that then you had
only yourscIfto provide for, and now you
have a wife and eight children; Then
you were f@etay sf9c years old. ana life
was all before you, and now yoli are fifty
years old, and lie Is pfJtfy inneii ar be-
hind you! You have given away your
cliildrcn's bread. Yon' ilHvc nit saved
your friend tltEruinedr yoarselfE Per-
haps your, friend bad setllel on bis wife
asmalI property, SO much thc. better
for her, if he had OF course slc. wilt
divide svilhtyqu, since it was to saye,her.,
husband, that .yoa wcse rgriped. ! But, if
she will not, land human natarc is lnadc
u, Of sisaky stuf,) and erscl.ilareu go to.
school, While yours stay, at honit;;.;and IL
they Eyc in comfortable house, Meas
an, y furnished, while you. arc. hiring 4
few rooms in the cheapest .qnarterofI the
town then | suspect that you will Chew
the be end ola great many bitter reHcc-
IONS; vab.a baa aas8simaGxs snaiS. !,
When i iytoo, late, you viii Be very
wise, You will say 10 YOURSELF it may
be, - man is a fool allo signs for any
argersg'n than lGeaRcgn ysiepiienhy pay"
A'hcp ssV Tin N kaa .dlBae gtuisa
"Bcfore man puts his name down
on another mans paper, he shoald ask
himself, AMI wiling to giycthis person
as much money as | sign for II Amen,
say II! ...,sr...., u, - NJ.
40 sign bond on the sqpPosition
that i is mere firm, and thai you will
have nothing TO paJ, is 70 put ones head
into fools noosc."s Amen again say ~
There is no harm in sieYipsF for
ncighbor if you have got tic property J;
if yon arc able to pay the amount With
out harning yonr own houscholdi and
If you love the man for whom yOl sign
enough TO be willing to GIVE him outrisrt
the sum covered by your Endorsement.
Otherwise TOT 80 surety for a'nefShbor IS
a folly, sin and shame. B haa
HE is happy whose circumstances suit