Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-06-23
On Going Surety.
ny HENRY WARD uercurn.

Ought man ever to 60 surety for another z
Why not2 1t is a most friendly act. 1t
prudoutly done it may be of the most eminent
benefit to a ncghbor. 1t gives him the bene-
fit Of your good reputation where he Is not
known 1t lends him your credit whore his
own is not sufficient. 1t puts him in funds
which otherwise he could not command
Such service to a friend is generous and some
times even noble. No better use can be made
of ones money than to help true friend
We are commanded to remember those IN
bonds as bound with them" To be sure this
was originally applied to bonds Of different
kind, but not with whit more propriety |
than to pecunary bonds. \ man who, by |
few thousand dollars, can save his friend, and
perhaps his family, from bankruptcy and
want, could hardly spend his money in man.
ner which, all his life long, he would rcmem- |
Der with more satisfaction.
But there are certain moral and prudential
considerations which should always be borne
in mind in going surety for a friend. You
should make up your mind how much proper
ty YOU have, and how much you are willing to
give away, absolutely, for that friend whom
YOU indorse. For no blunder can be worse
than to indorse on the supposition that you
will not have to pay. Never indorse without
saving to yourself, This may come around
upon me- may have to pay it; and, if it
comes to that, am able and willing" Nine
out of ten of the fatal mistakes made by
bondsmen arise from taking the opposite
course to this They consider the act of in
dorsing friends paper as a mere commercial
form. There is no risk. shall not have 1t
to pay. He is abundanty able to take care Of
his paper shall belp him without harming
myself, and he is stingy man who will not do
that" This is the calculation on which "a
man binds himself to pay friends debts in
case the friend cannot pay them himself. But
how do these things turn out? One need not
20 far to ascertain Every village has an
: Illustration. The borrower was more in-
volved than you supposed, or, perhaps, than
: he himself knew, and his creditors closed ON
3 him and wound him up, and were overjoyed
, to find such good name as yours on his
= paper Or, the sanguine scheme on which he
t had ventured which seemed sure Of success,
almost without possibility of failure, suddenly,
, like a loaded wagon, slipped oil a wheel and
4 upset into the dirt
l Or, Just as every thing was at the point Of
success our lrlchu slcAeueu anu Voui" "''
look alter his affairs some critical matter was
, neglected, or some dishonest person s'oppeu
in and crooked matters your friend died, th'
estate went mo executors hanus 10, sc''iu
I ment, was badly managed, warped and crook
! ed and hnally turned out insolVenI; ~,
And what became oi you why you
were surety tor the iuil amount ol what yol
are worth Ia an hour you hnu yoursol
i confronted with debt mat sweeps away you
= house your iarm' your niue sum III 'no oaliA
q and leaves you just Where you oeSan twenty
five years ago with the difference tnat 'nei
> you had only yourself TO ProVl1e i9r' ""u m nov
c you have a wie ana e'gh' cniluren' ine'
:, you were twenty-five years Ola ana ine wa
Il all before YOU ana now you are my year
> old' ana me pretty much N, penlnu you
Y You have gwen away your cnhuren proau
l. You have not saved your iriehd, oul nav
; ruined yourself ferhapS your irlonu ne' a.
y settled on his wlle small properly .
4 much the better i9r her, nc nau' Y
l. course she VIII dlYlde WIN YOU SINCE II wa