Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1879-01-27
Rhe REPUBLICAN has the largest
etreuIation Of any paper In Della
ware. Advertiser take . note OF
thln,
Fashionable Virtue.


rasn In business, there is an evident
decadpnce of honesty III business cir
cles. So long as men who desire to get
rich, can do so by being honest they
NAV stick to tina, rule, but if by
sharp trick that contamination can be
reached sooner, the trick is chosen. We
are happy to say though that there are
many exceptions to this rule, but it Is
feared that there are not enough 10 tip
the balances on the side OF commercial
virtue and honesty. Descriptive OF the
decad-nce OF this honesty, which it is
feared has become only too general in
high commercial and social circles, the
st. Louis Republican :" publishes a
case in point, where one OF the bellies
of society accepted the matrimonial
proposition of worthy young gentle
man, and was asked by him tc name
the happy day. Sac consulted her
parents-who had previously given
their consent to the match-and a fam
lily council was held.
The decision reached was curious, as
well as characteristic of our country
and age. The father and mother agreed
that the social position of their daugh-
ter required grand wedding. The ia
Their, however, announced that mistor-
tunes in business had brought him to
the verge of bankruptcy; that he was
in fact preparing to make an assign
m.nt for the benefit OF his creditors
To this the mother replied that the
grand wedding, being OF primary i'm
portance, it must of course take pre-
cedence of the assignment, for pecuniary
reasons easily understood. And it was
so ordered. The marriage occurred
amid blaze Of glory, duly chronicled
in the newspapers, and few days after
wards Mr. Smiths paper went to pro-
test, and his creditors took possession
OF his limited assets.
Another case in point which occurred
not long ago, was that of fond hus'
band who informt his loving wife that
his financial affairs were in that condi-
ton which indicates speedy and dis
astrous collapse. The wife said little,
but thought much. The result Of her
meditation was that the next day she
went down town and bought seal-skin
sacuue and set of diamonds. She
told q female neighbor, who knew of
the impending calamity, that the
sacque and the diamonds "would last
her lifetime; that if she did not get
them now she never would, and SO she
got them" The collapse came in due
season, and it is hardly necessary to
remark that the furrier and ieweler are
whistling for their money.
Commenting upon these twin Incl
dents the Republican says that they are
only two out of the many, equally true,
that never find their way into the I'M
congenial and unwelcome atmosphere
Of print. They illustrate rascally
tendency which is doing more to I'M
settle the foundations Of commercial
confidence and destroy commercial hon
or than any other We know of. They
indicate. indeed, that in some quarters
of the every highest responsibility, y
commercial honor is already dead and
buried. Taken in connection with the
familiar process known as breaking
with full pocket" they show that
paying ones debts and buying nothing
you do not expect to pay for, are be.
coming exceedingly questionable.
Our tdth-rs-and a good many of
their sons hold the same views
We are glad to say-considered that a
man who would not strain every nerve
and make every sacrifice to pay his
honest debts was little better than .
scoundrrl and that the man or woman
who bought anything without expect
ing to pay for it was no better than
thief. Yet, matters nowadays have
come - such pass that one can
scarcely cross the streets Of a great city
without being splashed with mud from
the carriage wheels Of elegant bank
rupts, who ride, while the people they
owe are obliged t. wax. Persons live
in fine houses, wear fine clothes, and
give fine entertainments, who, if out Of
debt, would he as poor as the poorest of
their creditors. Fashionable society
encourages and patronizes this FASH
ionable rascality, and the one sin
which fashionable society will never
forgive is poyerty--even though
that poverty is the result Of uniinch
ing honesty. A prominent Bo>:on mer-
chant-an ex-Governor Of Massachu-
setts--ha5 hanging in his counting
room Photographic portrait under
which is written, can Honest Man."
The honest man thu, honored had
simply paid his debts in full after hav-
ing been compelled to compromise them
at a heavy discount. The Ex-Governor