Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-07-27
THE DEMON DEB +.
Running Accounts and the Troubles An,
Worry Caused by Them.


One of the most serious and insidiou.
obstacles in the way of thrift, of ease
mind and of true household comfort,
the running account" Doubtless th,
credit system originated in bencvo
lent intention to do good, and, in it
wider application, it is necessary t.
carry on the great commercial, socia
and financial undertakings of tht
world, but it is great enemy to homf
economy. 1t is the foundation fo'
debt and all the distressing formula o.
indebtedness, duns, notes of hand
liens, mortgages and thousand-and
one OF the miseries and membranes
known to legal phraseology and prac
tice which are the bane of life.
Jack Fallstatf, who got all the good
out ofthe credit system there was in it
declared: "If had q thousand SOM
the first human principle | would teach
them should be to foreswear their po.
tations and addict themselves to sack. {"
But Jack was the prince of scape.
graces, and only remembered one-hali
of the meunl et tuuns division of prop.
erty. His debts never bothered him,
except he had difficulty in making
them. If the writer had thousand
sons and daughters the first human
principle she would teach them would
be never to establish n running ac-
count. No one can live within his or
her income who spends money in ad-
vance of earning it. Persons who live
in this way, in fact, never have any in
come; they have an outgo that eats
up income before it gets inside the
door.
The running account" however, is
more dangerous for the housewife, be-
cause she is not usually either the wage
Garner or the paymaster in the house.
hold. She gets what she wants on
credit, because there is no particular
trouble in getting it and without the
appreciation of the trouble of paying
for it, which grows out of the necessity
for scraping the dollars together in
whatever way the husband comes by
his money, whether it be in swinging
blacksmith's hammer, in throwing Il
weaver's shuttle, in measuring tape and
molasses or ia guiding the handles of
his plow. She does the multfarious
md never-ending work of her house.
hold, keeps the table well spread, the
house tidy, the beds aired and the bread
well-baked and nutritious, and it is not
at all to be wondered at that she thinks
his is enough. The mistake is in the
beginning in having things that are not
paid for. The housekeeper who spends
only what money she has to spend is
not only relieved of the worry of debt
for what worries the husband will
worry the good wife-but she is made
conscious power in the pay and prov
ender department of her establish
ment Instead of being drag upon
her husbands energies she is made to
understand for herself the limitations
Of the fund which she draws upon and
how much may be paid out and how
much laid up for emergencies.
Young couples who start out by run
ming in debt should remember that they
can not, in the long run, get an inch
ahe start of the world ia that way.
They can only live up to their earnings
after all is said and done. By running
an account with the butcher, the baker
and candlestick maker, they give these
several dealers an opportunity to
charge them high prices for their pur-
chases The store keeper who sells his
wares on credit is always obliged to
make good the accounts of his bad GUS
toners by taking larger profits from
those who get credit and pay. Besides,
it is q rule, which acute business men
thoroughly understand, that money is
worth and will usually fetch some rate
of interest, or an equivalent sum, by
being frequently turned over. 1t is not
fair to suppose that the shop-keeper
looks TO his oredit-customer to make
good the deficit in his bank accounts
brought about by the system of "run-
ming accounts" On the contrary, the
buyer who buys for cash can choose
where she will buy, which is great
advantage, and she can buy for lower
prices. Inc casn price Is always Ine
low, st, and the cash customer is always
the preferred customer.
1t too often happens that no check is
kept upon the running account. Set
tling day is always u day of surprise
for the debtor, and big store-bills are q
perpetual source of family broils and
discomfort. People who pay "somc
other day" nine times out of ten carry
the improvdence of their getting into
an improvidonce of use. Those who
are accustomed to get without care use
without stint.
There is no rule in the world for large
affairs or small ones like the rule of
''pay as you 60" 1t is the foundation
not only of good finance, but of good
temper and good fortune as well. And
especially the housewife who is wise
enough to give the matter q little
serious thought, and determination
enough to stand by her convictions, will
need no monitor to warn her of the
folly and danger of running ac-
counts. ."-PMladelphia Record.