Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-06-18

willing" Nine out Of ten of the fatal mis-.
takes made by bondsmen arise from taking
the opposita course tothia They consider
the set OF ihdorsing q friends paper as q
mere commercial FORM "There Is no risk.
] shall not have II TO pay He is sabupdantly
able TO take care OF his paper. l shall help
him without harming myself and he Is a
stlngy man who viii not do that" This
is the calculation on. which man binds
himself TO pay his friends debts in case
the friend cannot pay them himself But
how do these things turn outi One need
not 60 far TO ascertain. Every village has
an illustration. The borrower was more
Involved than you supposed, or perhaps
than he himself knew, and his creditors
closed on 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 had yentured,
which seemed sure Of success, almost
without possibility of failure, suddenly,
like a loaded wagon, slipped off q wheel
and upset into the dirt. 3 - =
Or, Just as every thing was at Che point
Of success, our friend siokened aud could.
! not look after his affairs, some critical.
matter was neglected, or some dishonest
person stepped-in and crooked matters,
your friend died, the estate went into ex-
| ecutors' handstfbr aettlemeHt, was badly,
managed, warped and crippled, and finally
turned out ipsolvent.
And what became, of your Why, you
| were surety for the full amount-of what
ysu re-wortht' In an hour you Ind
yourself confronted debt that
sweeps away your house, your farm, your
little sum IN the bank, and leaves GU Just
where you began twenty-five years ago,
with difference, that then You had
only yourself to oproyide for, and now you
you were twenty five yeArs-old and life
was an before you, and now you are. lifty'
years old, and life pretty much all behind
you You have given away your
children's bread, You have not saved
your friend, but have ruined yourselfl
Perhaps your friend had settled on his
wife a small property. SO much the bet
| ter for her, If he had. OF course she will
divide with you, since IL was to save her
husband that you were ruined. But, If
she will not land nature is made up of
shaky stuff, and her children go to school,
while yours stay at home; and if they live
In q comfortable house, pleasantly furnish
| ed, while you are hiring afew rooms sin
tho cheapest quarter of the town, then |
suspectthat you will chew the cud of a
great many bitter reilectfons.9 p.
rs When 1t is teO late, you will be very
wise, You will say 10 yourself, itmay be,
A man IS a fool who signs for any larger
sum than he conveniently pay"
Amen, say II -
"Before'a man puts his name down on
another mans paper, he should ask him
self, am l willing te-give this person as
much money as sign for?" Amen, say | /
"To sign bond on hesupposiuon that
1t is aDcre form, and that you viii have
nothing to pay, it is to put ones head into
q fools-noose" Amen again, say l =
There is no harm in signing fora neigh
Dor IT you have got the property; If you
are able to pay the amount without harm
ing your own household and if you love
the man for whom you sign enough to be
willing to give hin outright the sum Gov
cred by-yOur indorsement. Otherwise, to
go surety for neighbor is a folly, a sin
and a shame. e.-Henrp Ward -Beecher.