Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-09-10
On Going Surety.

III di'tilcf why not! IL Is q
most friendly act. If prudcntly
done, it may be Of the most cmi-
ncnt benefit to Il ncighbor. 1t
gives him the benefit Of your good
reputation when he is not known.
1t lends him your credit where
his own is not sufficient. It puts;
him IN funds which otherwise he
could not command. Such service
to friend is generous, and some
times even noble. No better use
can be made Of ones money than
to help q true friend. We arc
commanded to remember those in
bonds rs bound with them." TO
be sure. this was originally applied
to bonds Of different kind, but
with not a whit moro propricty than
to pecuniary bonds. a man who
by a few thousand dollars, can save
his friend, and perhaps his family,
from bankruptcy and want, could
hardly spend his money in a man
ncr which all his life long, he would
remember with more satisfaction.
But there are certain moral and
p u !cntial considerations which
should always be borne in mind in
going surety for friond. You
should mako up your mind how
much property you have, and how
much you arc willing to give away,
absolutely for a friend whom you
indoTsc. Mover indorse without
saying toyonrself, "This may come
round upon inc. I may have to
pay it; and, if it comes to that, I
am able and wllling." Ninc out Of
ten of the fatal mistakes make by
bondsmcn arise from taking the op-
positc course to this. They consid-
CT the act Of indorsing a friends
paper as a nero commercial form.
"Thcrc is no risk, I shall not have
it to pay. lie is abundantly able to
care Of his paper. I shall help him
without harming myself, and he is
stingy man who will not do that"
'Ihis is the calculation on which
a man binds himself to pay a
friends debts in case the friend can
not pay them himself: But how
does do these things turn out? One
need not go far to ascertain ? Every
village has All illustration. The
borrower was moro involved than
you supposed, or, perhaps, than he
himself knew and his creditors
closed on him and wound him up,
and were overjoycd to find such a
good name as yours on his paper.
Or the sanguinc scheme on which
which he had vcnturcd, which SEEM
cd sure Of success, almost without
possibility of failure, suddenly,
like a loaded wagon, slipped off
a wheel ana upset into the dirt!
Or, just as every thing was at the
point of success, your friend sick
cncd and could not look after his
affairs, some critical matter was
neglected, or some dishonest per-
son stepped in and crooked mat
ters; your friend died, the estate
went into executors hands for set
tlcment, was badly managed, warp
cd and crooked, and finally turned
out insolvcnt.
And whatbecame of you? Why,
you were surety for the full amount
of what you are worth In an
hour you find yourself confronted
with debt that sweeps away your
house, your farm, your little sum in
bank, and where you began twenty.
five years ago, with this difference,
that then you bad only yourself tc
provide for, now you have a wife
and eight children. Then yor
were twenty-five years old and life
was all before you, and now you
1 are fifty years old, aid life pretty
much all behind you! You have
given away your children's bread
You have not saved your friend
but you have ruined yourself
Perhaps your friend had settled o,
his wife a small property. So mucl
the better for her if he had. %
course she will divide with you
since it was to save her husband
that you were ruined. But, if sh,
will not, (and human nature i
made up Of shaky stuf,) and he