The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-08-31
Lei no Man Forfeit His Integrity or
~ComnrOmiSe His Honor.

These are times that will try mems
souls.n aud circumstances will most like
" put a large minority of our citizens
10 a test Of their honor and their in
,egrity. The aggregate product of the
cotton crop of Abhevill" county GER
tsinly canrot be O than n third OF
what il was last wear, and in individ-
nal Instances it will not be more than
a fifth of 4 fair yield. Admitting this
to be true, and remembering that u
large majority of the crops of our
planters are NortGaged for more than
they are worth, many of those who
have toiled ass;duously throughout
the wear now see nothing out ruina and
threatening starvation for themselves
and their fumilics. The records Of no
year in the past can furnish 4 parallel
for the scarcity of food in this county,
and the crops of no year in the history
of this section Of country have been as
short as will be the yield of this Fall.
have no money, aud circumstances
have combined to raise the price Of the
provisions which we usually buy from
the West. What ever way the I'M
fortunate planter may cast his eyes he
sees no haven Of safety to which he
may flee for rest and plenty. If he
looks for a home elsewhere he finds
the lands of the most inviting fields rs
dry and as parched as are those which
surround his own home.
We fear that in eXtremities like
these some Of our citizens may he
tempted to net unfailhfully to them
selves and their families, and dishon-
estly to their creditors. Every man
who is true to himself and true to his
own family must faithfully and punct-
ually discharge as much as possible OF
his obligation to his merchant, even IT
it take the last pound Of his cotton and
the last grain of his corn. Because
OF the general distress of the country,
let no mar deceive himself with the
idea that q dishonest act in appropri-
ating to his own use, the goods which
he has mortgaged to the merchant VIII
be excusableor overlooked. No poor
mau can afford to blot the character OF
a life time, or stain the name of his
family for the sake of q bale of cotton
or for the value Of Il few bushels of
corn. IA good name is rather to be
chosen than great riches" and the
poor man, as q matter Of business cam
not ruin his credit for a paltry sum.
A poor mans credit is Of inestimable
value to him, and without it he can
do but little. A bag of cotton Is OF
little moment in a life time. Act hon-
estly. Surrender all that you nave
promised, and more too if necessary.
Stand to your merchant in this ex-
tremity, and even If he is unable to
help you again, your honest act viii
Inspire confidence in another, who
will appreciate the worthy act on your
part, and will. be ready to help you
when help is needed. With us "all is
lost save honor" Let us not now lose
that. It is our only source of credit,
and without credit we are undone.
Let no mar who deserts his crop, or
leaves it for the merchant to gather,
again hold up his head or lay claim to
honesty. "Act well your part, there
: all the honor lies,"and from which ac-
stion springs all prosperity and happi-
!, ness. A few pounds Of cotton and a
few bushels of corn are trash, when
,ompared to the value of a good name.
The rich may afford to descend to a
lick, but no poor nan a afford to
Save his honor smirched. 1t is all
that he has. EVENT. q poor man have
no pride Of real personal character, as
a matter of policy, it is best to act hon
estly and pay to the uttermost far
:. thing. Let the poor men of this U
: ty not ruin their credit. 1t is bad pol
~icy, to say nothing of bad principles.
The dishonest action of every man
will BE- noted, and in after years the
dishonest man will be brought to
shame, while the nan who withstands
the present temptation has forever es-
tablished an honorable record. of
which his children's children may
we'll be proud. In a country likethiS,
no industrious honest man will go
hungry, even though he be penniless,
nor will the seed of the righteous suf-
fer for food. Let the most discouraged
citizen gather his crop, and surrender
it. Then he must work a little more
industriously, live a little more eco
nomically, apd encourage the hope
which prompts US to make the efforts
which finally secure a competency.
Let no man sacrifice his honor, or give
up to disgrace himself andhischildren
for the sake of a store bill. There is
no man in Abbeville who cannot sur
viye the loss of a crop. Many have
lost much more than that, and still
preserved their good name.
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