Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-01-07
A,exa. Gazette IL Virginia Advertiser
uPAI AS YOU GOV

his lOmely Ou audeo nHi0u "ut ei"'o
mothers have never failed to impress on Il e
minds Of Young men and madens about to eu-
ter the threshold of active le as we'll as Il 9
accompanying adtnouitun to ''lay up some
thlup:tor a rainy day" are, unfortunately, tco
little headed The meu OF wealth are generaiiy
those who have practlsed these admonitons,
and saved their early earnings as the tounda-
ton Of their future gains. Those who keep
running accounts with their tailor, shoemaker
and grocer are astonlshed at the Size OF their
bills when payday comes. having kept no re-
cord of their daily expenditures. They get be-
hind hand and keep up their running accounts
until they become hopelessly involved, and uo-
less some streak Of good fortune come to them,
grope on through lite, dodgiug their creditors,
and striving how they eau succeed ID opening
new accounts with those who are not aware OF
their uDtrustworthiness Many young men get
married and borrow money to 60 on wedding
tour, and even owe their alors for the clothes
in which they stand up before the altar. They
start iu life weighed down BY debt, and are so
hopeless!y involved that, with the lDceaslng
EXPENSES of married life there is DO chance OF
their ever recuperatiug. Whether 1t is reck
lessness or insauity matters not, the result Is
the samoa life Of hopeless poverty. They
attribute all their troubles to bad luck, and
point TO the prudent and prosperous as the ia
vorites of fortune, who are attended by good
luck" iu all their ventures. Having failed to
heed the admouitions, Pay as you go!' they
should attribute their failure 10 life TO folly and
stupidity, il not to something akin 10 criminal
dishonesty.
The man who ruus iu debt without any hope
or expectation of ever being able to pay, Is no
better than commoo sWinder. He steals
another mau's s goods, but keeps within the pale
L.. ba of pich
ment, and 10 appropriating to his own uses the
goods Of another, takes with it the responsible
iIy OF detection. 10 that extent he is more to
be respected than those who steal by this ind-
rect system Of living beyond their means.
The pauic of the past year has done much to
check the ''credit system, and 1t Is to be
hoped with the return OF good times the relns
will be kept tighter than has been the case
heretofore Merchants do not let their goods
20 as recklessly as they formerly did, and must
know something Of the character OF customer
before they allow him to purchase upon credit.
If the retail dealer would be more careful III
giving credit, except to those who are known to
pay upon demand, he would be able to sell his
goods cheaper to his prompt paying custom
ers. Those who pay as they go" have 10
make up to the dealer for the losses sustained
by indiscrimnae credit. and they fed il to
their advantage to deal with those who keep
these reckless credit-seekerS at respectable
distance.
The good results flowing from the largest lib
erty given to commercial agents, or drum
mers," which some of our merchants 50 streuu-
ously opposed few years siuce are now gen.
orally admitted. 1t has teuded to brlDg the
buyer aud seller in closer Intimacy, aud to en-
able the merchant 10 know the exact standing
and responsibility of his customers. He no
longer gives credit and sends his goods TO peo-
pie whom be knows po;bing about; part Of
the 'drummer's" business being to ascertain,
in his travels, whose credit is good, and who
those are who formerly only came to Baltimore
to purchase goods when their credit was gone
10 other cities. The first effec, has been to limit
the amount of sales, but it has also dlniniShed
bad debts to such an extent that in most lines
been greater than those when much larger
amount of goods went iuto consumption. Dur
iDg the year just commenced ii should be the
constant effort OF every man who has goods or
wares to sell to have as few bad debts on his
ledger at the close of the year as possible. BY
SO doing he will be meeting out justice to those
who pay as they go'-justice TO himself and
his cred,tors-and will help to attract to the
CITY larger and better trade by the lower
prices at which he will be enabled to dispose
of his goods. Bali. american.
THE New NEWSPAPER POSTAGE LAW went
into effect on the lSt, and the new stamps
were affixed to all newspaper mail matter seut
out. The stamps are Of various colors, but all
have representation of the Goddess of Liberty
from the statue on the dome of the Capitol.