The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-09-17

younS pcopsc ~ the outset Ut their
housekeeping. the sentcacc that would
put forrmos, would bc, "il..t run ~
sior hWr' And there are people no
longer very young who would profit by
he~iing tho advice.
Thchsbi, a having small bills charged
becomes, af,cr a time. seeming ncccs.
si'y 10 certain classes II pcoplc, while
To many u them Il seems such from the
cu:se, II their beginning. Certain ar,i.
clos aEs required, ,hcr is M ready cash
TO pay Cor them, tho shop.kcupcr Is
asked 10 charge the amount, and so the
account continues with frequent add.
tons, until at tho end ot . year there's
large bill tn he paid for what, l, ~.
pears, there has been NO substantial ben.
eft from. My knowledge Of "store
bills" is Of an entirely indirect charac-
ter, for if my memory serves me rightly
l never had store bill charged. NV
father very thoroughly trained me never
to buy an article unless had the money
in my pocket to pay for it, and the older
l grow, the more apparent the sound.
ness of the principle becomes. III had
no other cause for which to thank his
memory, that alone would be sufficient
to fill my heart with large measure Of
gratitude, as it has saved me q great
deal of annoyance, as well as of money.
It has saved me from buying what l re.
ally did not need. 1t has saved me the
modification of small debts. 1t has
taught me to discriminate between real
and apparent necessities. It has held
me to wise decision in innumerable in
stances. It is an invaluable doctrine to
teach child, and l in turn shall teach
it to mine with explicit care. But sin
direct knowledge is sometimes very
emphatic, and from what I know Of
''store bills'' judge there is nothing
else that eats up so surprisingly All
amount of money, and yields in turn 80
little satisfaction. lhave observed, too,
that tho habit Of making such bills leads
people into dishonest dealing, and bills
are run up, here and there, wheney-
er one can get trusted, until finally
honest payment is out Of the question,
and the shop-keeper may whistle y
for his money. There are people who
have no conscience whatever about their
Indebtedness to shop-keepers, their en-
tire anxiety being limited to ways and
means Of supplying their wants, and
will wear garment that is unpaid for
with all the aplo,nb imaginable. Such
people have no true pride of character
and the audacity with which they face
the world is simply incomprehensible.
But to the person Of ordinary feeling
and honesty, to be in the meshes Of
small debts must be very narrowing. I
can't well imagine anything more I'M
comfortable than to owe for ones tea
and coffee, sugar and rice, nutmeg and
allspice-to always be cognizant Of the
fact that the food you eat and the
clothes you wear are unpaid for! A
large debt, like that for land, or for any
basis upon which ones income is to be
obtained, is altogether different affair,
while to be owing for what is all the
time being lost sight of, really, what is
more annoying and degrading, too? As
rule, l opine, the bulk of store bills is
made up of what could hare been DIS
pensed acith until the money was at hand
to pay for them. The people who at
once dispute this are those who have
never made the experiment of dispens-
ing with what can not be paid for on
the spot, and to my mind there is no
comparison between tho enjoyment :"
of gratifying ones appetite at the cost
of sel-respect and the freedom and in
dependence of mind that comes from
self-denial, for the worst slavery is that
which hampers the mind and vexes and
irritates its serenity. To incur debts
for the sake Of excepting up appear
ances," is to mortgage ones liberty to
the most ungrateful Of things-the pub
lie. l can see no difference between
living off the charity of others and in
buying what you require "on credit, "
where you do not see your way clear to
the honest payment of such debts, ex-
cept that in the one case the help extend
ed is gratuitous, while in the other it is
extortion in legal parlance. The result
is the same, tits living off the labor and
income Of other people.
There is no time in the career Of
householders when self-denial and q re-
solve to keep free from small debts can
be more easily put in practice than by
| young people at the outset Of their
housekeeping. They have youth and
health and hope and ambition, and can
forego many Injuries and ssnecessaries''
that would be hard for old people to
dispense with. At all events, believe
It to be the experience of the majority
Of people that money, or its equivalent,
usually comes somehow to meet the de-
mands Of what is Absolutely essential,
and that It Is possible for even the poor
est to avoid running in debt for their
daily expenses.
| used often to see q poor little lady
in Paris who earned . modest living BY
teaching music and French, and when
pinched by her poverty she comtorted
herself by saying: SIT is so dtstingue to
be poor-and honest" and / Otter
think Of the consolation lying in The
truth of her remark. To be poor, and
to owe no man beyond ones means, i
consistent with great happiness. Bu1
there is nothing at all .'distinguished'
in being poor, and in debt up to your
ears. ! would have peace and freedom
! Of mind, Il I had to live on . crust and
had nothing better with which to serv,
my friends Mary Wager-Fssher, 1,
i Rural Nev Yorker.
i Debris OF Old Buildings.
4 The varied materials collected from
:, old buildings in course Of demolition
form enormous accumulati0ns in SOM
!, Of the upper wards in New York City