The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-11-27
Borrowing and Borrowers.

are to be found those who depend
upon borrowing for daily maintenance:
They do not borrow everything, out
thew are not careful to keep themselves
so well supplied with the necessaries and
conyeniences of life that they do not
need to borrow to make up their deli
ciencies. The borrowing woman gets
out of flour, and sends to her neighbor
for q quart or two; her sugar fails: ana
she borrows some until she can buy;
this act extends to every namable pos
session; scissors, flat-irons, thread, NEE
dies, ink, pens, stamps, note.paper,
books, furniture, horses, carriages
bread, butter, tea, sugar, cloth, wood'
the use of machinery. !,
Many good people, Interpreting tne
letter Of the law rather than its spirit
"Erom him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away"-feel in duty
bound to lend whenever called on and
whatever called for. But, as when CIV
ing in charity we are careful that our
| aims are worthily bestowed, so that we
do not, in giving, increase pauperlsm.
so in lending we should take care that
by "obliging" the borrower we do M, not
confirm him in his vicious habit. We
read "He that will not work neither
shall be eat" and in applying this to
professional tramps and refusing to give
at their asking, we feel that we are act
ing rightly and for the interest OF society.
The habitual borrower is in the nature
of q tramp; he proposes to live on the
forethoupht of others, and like the
tramp he ought to be suppressed as q
common nuisance.
Even when the borrower pays, which Is
by no means to be depended on, heis sci
dom careful to return IN quantity or quail
ity what he receives. So we'll is this un'
derstood by some discerning people that
they keep on hand goods Of an inferior
order to lend to those who persistently
borrow, and in this they illustrate thu
, saving that "the children of this worlt
b are wiser in their generation than tn
, children of light" If lending really di'
any good to such people, the case woul'
/ be different, but lending only whet
: their appetite for further tavors and con
, firms them in the habitual neglect Q
Q forethought as to their own supplies:
: is difficult to see how the habitual boz
rover differs essentially from the thiel
t lie takes your time in getting for hlr
r what he asks for and in putting it ava
i when returned; be wears out you
}. books, your tools, and often break
4 them and dulls them and makes no con
t pensation for the injury they sustain
}, he consumes your strength and e1
|, thusiam in acceding to bis requests, an
d he often causes you to waste enoug
ir mental force to do days work in pu1
" vexation at being so annoyed; Tor
n which you get back absolutely noth'n'
It We know q kind hearted family . gre
n part of whose time was occupied
1. their neiehbors in lending and receivit
it back what was lent. The good wi
x finally refused to learn to use the SCI
I'd ing machine her husband provided, b
j. cause she said all her neighbors wou
be come in to get her to do little site
re ing for them. These worthy peol
he really thought they were doing good
n being 50 obliging. They would ha
IN done vastly more good by refusing
let lend to those who were as well able
lts buy as they were. As an illustration
cir the spirit Of habitual borrowers we g
he this: Years ago we lent . table
on which we had no use to q neighbor. q
he when We needed it and intimated t
Of to her, she coolly replied, lit could
8 . sent for at any time" and we actus
". had to send for it and have it repair
before we could use it.
If there is one class Of borrowers M
ian yexatious than another it is that CT
md who spend their little surplus in p
RED sonal luxuries and borrow of their mel
nut bors the small necessaries of life. LII
but are women who will buy ribbons
ea Iaces and perfumes and cosmetics
keep their work.boxes SO ill.furnls
MT that they are always borrowing p
ina ina needles, tapes, dress lining, battt
''' thread. There are men who smoke