Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-07-16
Drones and Swindlers.

In almost every community there are
drones and swindlers that are feeding and
preying upon the industrious aud honest por-
ton Of the society in which they reside.
Too lazy to earn their bread, or too dishonest
to acquire living by fair means, they lie in
wait for some willing or unsuspecting victim,
whom they can rob of his substance or hard
earned fortune.
Since law or custom provides no means for
their determination, and they must be toler.
ated in every community, how to be shielded
from their plunderings becomes question Of
no small Importance.
1t requires but little sagacity to detect
these leeches in society, and those who do
not seek to be bled, need not suffer by them.
The lazy man cannot deceive the world as to
the nature of his complaint, nor should his
affection challenge any great amount of SYM
patty. If he does not earn his living, he
either brings poverty and want into his own
home, or trespass@ on the benevolence of the
world. His crime, if not heinous, is very
burdensome, and his industrious friends and
relatives suffer seriously on account of his
affection.
The class Of swindlers, of one kind and
another, is very large, and it requires more
skill to detect them than to discover the
drones in society. Tuis class is made up of
all persons who are trying to get a dollar
from the world without paying in return one
hundred cents for it. The equivalent rend-
cred may be in labor, mental or physical
goods, or anything that has one dollars value
in it; but where there is an attempt by dis
honest trade, by deceit or intrigue, to de-
fraud, then the party who resorts to it is a
swinder and thief
There are no rules that can be laid down
to protect the innocent from the ravages OF
the worlds swindling banditti. The lively
exercise of common sense, with keen sus-
picion of all persons who profess to have a
keen interest in our welfare, and all things
that have not been proved by experience to
be valuable, will generally protect us from
much harm. Among the many classes Of
'drummers' that are preying on every commu-
nifty, may be mentioned that class Of robust
men who go about the world vending small
wares, useless articles, worthless medicines,
pictures and thousand things that nobody
needs, but for which tho people pay enor-
nous prices. If the world must be torment
ed by peddlers, the law ought to provide that
only the feeble and infrm should have the
right to travel as SUCH 1t was only few
days since that we saw man Of over six
feet in height, once noted as the champion
wrestler in the north part Of his county,
who was lazily sitting on his cart, and try
ing TO coax a small boy that was hoeing in his
fathers garden to buy some of his goods.
We next mention class that is increasing,
and has already become an intOlerable nuts.
ance-book agents. They are almost as
numerous and quite as bloodthirsty as gnats
1t is safe to let these fellows alone the books
they offer for sale, if not valueless, are very
dear and whoever has money to invest in
books, can buy two at good bookstores, for
the same price that agents get for one
Agents usually get forty per cent on subscrip-
tion books, so you will pay the agent two
dollars for tho privilege of being bored al
hour or two, if you buy his five dollar book
Patent right vendors are another set Of
swndlers. Not one patent in five is Of any
value, and the man who invests his money in
patent right is looed in nine cases out Of
ten.
Another egregious swindler is the travelling
quack who heralds himself as wonderful
doctor" All really eminent physicians find
patronage at home, and do not 60 about the
world to find business You may be assured
that these travelling doctors, who advertise t.
do remarkable cures, are humbugs; you will
be severely bled in the pocket if you patron
ize them, and will DO fortunate if their medi
cine does not kill you
Another large class Of thieves live in cities
and inform you by circulars and advertise.
nents that they Will send you postpaid Oh