The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-08-13
THE CHURCH DEBT.
Bill Nye Expresses His Satisfaction With
the Life of an Eccentric Millionaire.

Bill Nye Expresses His Satisfaction with
the Life of an Eccentric Millionaire.
have been thinking the matter over
seriously, and have decided that if /
had my life to live over again would
like to be an eccentric millionaire.
have eccentricity enough, but can
not successfully push it without more
means.
l have a great many plans which l
would like to carry out in case 1 could
unite the two necessary elements for the
production of the successful eccentric
millionaire.
Among other things 1 would be will
ing to bnd myself, and give proper Sc
curly to any one who would put in
money to offset my eccentricity, that j
would ultimately die. We all know how
seldom the eccentric millionaire now
dies. would be willing to inaugurate
G reform in that direction.
| think now that | would endow a
home for men whose wives are no longer
able to support them. In many cases
the wife who was at first able to sup
port her husband comfortably finally
shoulders a church debt, and in trying
to lift that she overworks and impairs
her health so that she becomes an
invalid, while her husband is left to pine
away in solitude or dependent upon the
cold charities of the world.
My heart goes out toward those men
even now. and in case should fill the
grave of the eccentric millionaire. | am
sure l would do the square thing by
them.
The method by which our wives in
America are knocking the church debt
silly by working up their husbands
groceries iato '.angel food" and selling
them below actual cost, is deserving OF
the attention of our national financiers.
The church debt itself is deserving OF
notice in this country. 1t certainly
thrives better under republican form
of government than any other feature
of our boosted civilization. Western
towns spring up everywhere, and the
first anxiety is to name the place, and
second to incur church debt and es-
tablish roher rink.
After that general activity in trade
is assured. OF course. the general hos
fifty of church and rink will prevent
ennui and HStlessneSS, and the church
debt will encourage business boom.
Naturally, the church debt can not be
paid without what is generally known
through the West as the festival and
hooFaw." This festival is an open
market, where the ladies trade the
groceries of their husbands to other
ladies husbands, and everybody has
perfectly lovely time" The church
clears two dollars and thirty cents, and
thirteen ladies are sick all the next day.
This makes boom for thephysicians
and, later on. for the undertaken and
general tombist. So it will be seen that
the western town is right in establish
ing church debt as soon as the survey
is made and the town properly named.
After the first church debt has been
properly started, others will rapidly fol-
low. so that no anxiety need be felt If
the church will come forward the first
year and buy more than it can pay for.
The church debt is comparatively
modern appliance, and yet it has been
productive of many peculiar features.
For instance, we call to mind the cler-
gyman who makes a specially of going
from place to place as a successful debt
demofisher. He is part of the gener-
al system, Just Us much as the ice-cream
freezer or the button-hOle bouquet.
Then there is the row, or social knock
down-and-drag- out. which goes along
with the church debt All these things
add to the general interest, and to &C
quire interest in one way or another is
the mission of the C. d.
Ionce knew a most exemplary woman
who became greatly interested in the
wiping out of church debt, and who
did finally succeed in wiping out the
debt, but in its last expiring death strug
gle it gave her wipe from which she
never recovered. She had succeeded in
begging the milk, and the cream, and
the eggs, and the sandwiches, and the
use of the dishes, and the sugar. and the
loan of an oyster. and the use of freez-
er. and about fifty buttOn-hOle bouquets
to be sold to men who were not in the
habit of wearing bouquets, but she
could not borrow circular artist to re-
vofve the crank of the freezer, so she
agitated it herself Her husband had
to 90 away prior to the festivities, but
ordered her not to crank the freezer.
He had very little influence with her,
however, and so to-day he is widower.
The church debt was revived in the fol-
lowing year, and now there isn't more
thriving church debt anywhere in the
country. Only last week the church
traded OF seventy-five dollars worth of
groceries in the form of asbetos cake
and celluloid angel food, in such a way
that if the original cost of the groceries
and the work were not considered, the
clear profit was thirteen dollars, after
the hall-rent was paid. And why should
the first cost of the groceries be reck
oned, when we stop TO think that they
were inyoluntarily furnished by the
husband and father?
| must add, also. that in the above
estimate doctors bills and funeral ex-
penses are not reckoned.-N Y. Mer-
curry.