The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-11-03
Deferred Pay.

other sense, an annuity, or other periodical
payment, is said to be deferred" when it
falls due only after the expiry of a certain
number of years-thus forming perhaps
prudent provision for old age-or it may
be only receivable after the decease of a
relative. or conditional on the occurrence
of some future event. These are instances,
upon which we may not here enlarge, of
some of the ordinary uses of deferred pay
ments; and, generally speaking, the phrase
has much the same Specification when
otherwise employed, usually denoting a
postponement to some future period, often
at present sacrifice, of some existing re-
source, in order to secure a corresponding
benefit afterwards 1t is, in fact, the alb
stract principles of self-denial and fore
thought reduced to a concrete form, and
adapted to the ordinary transactions of life.
There are many persons, however, ap-
parently unconcerned with deferred pay
ments, in the ordinary use of the term,
who are uuquestionably entitled to them,
although the consideration they hope to
receive may not in every instance take the
shape of money. Indeed, apart from the
chasing of all education as, properly speak
ing, a provision for future returns, the
higher training and earl ly career of many of
our best and most gifted men is little else
than prudent forethought in this direction.
The principle, in fact, may be traced deeper
still, and may be found to underlie all our
national industry and enterprise. 1t is as
ancient as the civilization of which it is
one of the Distinguishing marks-this sys-
TEN of present endeavor, the suffering and
endurance, perhaps, of toll and hardship,
the working time of life with its sparse op-
portunities for leisure OF recreation-in
short, the training undergone for the sake
of the future recompense which forms the
deferred payment.
The expenditure involved in some indi-
vidual cases, either of actual toll or of its
equivalent in patient waiting, is often
greater in proportion to the reward obtained
than in others. In the race of life some
men are heavily handicapped by hindrances
in social position, or lack of opportunities
for training; for, although there is no royal
road to learning, the approaches to it are
often blocked by what, after all, are but
adventitious circumstances The ambitious
student born and bred in the humber
ranks. coming to the university city to train
for professional pursuits, makes large pay
ments, in kind, to carry out his cherished
scheme. His has been arduous preparatory
study at home, perhaps under great disad-
vantages The contest for the much COW
eted bursary has been hard one. Even
with it secured to him, the struggle in town
life to make ends meet, and to maintain
respectable exterior, the scanty meal and
the prolonged study-all these form his
provision for the deferred payment of the
college diploma, which shall enable him to
enter on his professional career. Nor can
it be said that his reward is gained even
then. The self-denying spirit has to be
carried forward far into his future life.
Such a one may fairly be said to have more
than earned his deferred payment. And
yet it is only one instance out of many of
the same kind of self-denying discipline for
certain end, and that perhaps without
promise of the highest rewards. The pros
pect aimed at throughout may be only that
of middle-class distinction, with social po-
sition and emoluments of very ordinary
kind, and yet such may be the sunsnsana
bonum of the aspirants hopes.
There are, however, loftier ambitions
cherished by the few who will not be salts
fed with mediocrity in attainment, even
though it should be accompanied with
affiuence We have at this moment in
our recollection the instance, amongst many
others, of BARRIERS boy-"not barber,
as he himself said, 'but only barbers
boy'-whose aspirations were not satisfied
until his name was inscribed on the roll of
England's peers. The instances we could
easily adduce are of men who started with
little or nothing in their favor, and sue
ceeded; others, whose hearts were perhaps
as high, and who had better opportunities,
failed or not attained the highest honors,
were at least fain to be content with what
Law within their reach. But in this our
moral lies-that there must necessarily
have been, even in examples of the most
brilliant and unqualified success, no small
amount of careful provision, of payments
into the Bank of Futurity. Many of the
pleasant and harmless enioyments which
lie around us all, and which moderate
means and station might have secured, and
the easier attained success which would
have satisfied others-all these must have
been foregone and disregarded, in looking
to the larger prize ahead. 1t was strife,
doubtless, in each case against cold and
unsympathizing world-against rivalry,
competition, and professional jealousies;
but it was also victory over self-satls-
fled contentment with the lesser, so long as
the greater prize remained in view, and so
far, therefore, it was self-denial for the
present. Then all the obstacles proved
surmountable, and the present enjoyments
capable of being resisted, and the looked-for
payment, long-deferred, came at last
Even in those exceptional instances when
so-calIed Fortune proved propitious, and
where favorable opportunities may be said
to have gained half the battle, there has
doubtless been throughout much postpone
ment of contentment and ease to future
years. There may have been, perhaps,
much to endure in an early and uncOnge-
NAL lot, before the golden opportunity
presented itself, and ere the future career
was made plain; for although ''the labor
we delight in, physics pain" the burden of
a thoroughly distasteful occupation, to an
ambitious mind is an uneasy and CALLING
yoke, hard to bear.
Then there is the dark side of the pic
ture-tbe payment, hardly earned, which
if it comes at all, comes not in expected
measure, or too late, to be solace only at
the very ending of life, or to hang its laurels
upon the tomb. The deferred payments
Of posthuwogs fame, the too long delayed
tribute to merit and genius, form some of
the saddest pagest in history.
All we have said, however, concerns in
stances where deferred payments previ-
ously provided for we're actually due, at
some time or other But, in addition to
the truism, that opportunities neglected
seldom or never return, we can add this
one, drawn from our suhject-that if there
he no timely provision there will certainly
be no store for after-drawing upon, If
there be no self-denying labor, there will
be no future recompense, "Does he work.
inquired Ruskin, when told Of the great
abilities of contemporary; and we may be
mo-, oeIya1 With n viaur IN