The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-04-12

vsnisnce Of the centuries, and indispensa-
BILE to commerce and the advance of ma
tions. With one hand it blssses the
lender and with the other it blessss the
borrower The bank was born of the
worlds necessities, and is venerable with
the marks of the thousands of years. Two
hun dred years before Christ the Bank of
Hum existed aud paid it's dspositors ten
per cent. The Bank of Venice was estab-
lished in I'LL, and was of such high credit
that its bills were at a premium above
coins, which were frequently clipped.
Bank of Genoa, founded In 1915; Bank Of
Barcelona, 1401; Bank of Amsterdam,
1899; Bank of Hamburg, founded 1919, its
circulation based on great silver bars kept
in the vaults: Bank of Englan d, started
by William Patterson in 1912,
up to this day managing the
stupendous debt of England; Bank
of Scotland, founded in 1886; Bank
of Ireland, 1888; Bank of North America,
planned by Robert Morris, IT'LL without
whose financial hslp all the bravery of
our grand fathers would not have achieved
American independence. But now we
have banks in all our cities and towns,
thousands and thousands. On their
shoulders are the interests of private in
dividuals and great corporations. In
them are the great arteries through which
run the currents of the Nations life. They
have been the resources of the thousands
of financiers in days of business exigency.
They stand for accommodation, for
facility, for Individual State and Ma
tional relief. At their head and in their
management there is as much interest
and moral worth as in any class or men
perhaps more. How nefarious, then, the
behav ior of those who bring disrepute
upon this venerable, benignant and God
honored institut ion.
We also deplore abu Sc of trust funds,
because they fly in the face of that divine
goodness which seems determined to bless
this land. We are having the eis nth year
Of unexampled National harvest. The
wheat gamblers get hold of the wheat,
and the corn gamblers get hold of the
corn. The full tide of Gods mercy toward
this land is put back by those great bikes
of ishonest resistance. When God pro-
vides enough food and clothing to feed
and apparel this whole Nation like princes,
the scrabble OF dishonest men to get more
than their share, and get 1t at all hazards,
keeps every thing shaking with uncer-
tainty and every body asking, what
next? Every week makes new rev.
Citations. How many more bank
presidents and bank cashiers have
been specializing with other peoples
money. aud how many bank directors are
in imbecile silence letting the perfidy go
on, the great and patient God only knows !!
My opinion is that we have got near the
bottom. The wind has beer pricked from
the great bubble of American speculation.
The men who thought that the judgment
day was at least five thousand years off,
found it in 1888. 1887, 1885; and this Nation
has been taught that men must keep
their hands out of other peoples pockets.
Great businesses built on borrowed capital
have been obliterated and men who had
| nothing have lost all they had. / believe
we are started on higher career of pros
perity than this land has ever seen, il,
and if. and if.
If the first men, and especially Christian
men, will learn never to speculate upon
borrowed capital. II you have a mind to
take your own money and turn it al into
| kites, to fly them over every commons in
the United States, you do society no
wrong, except when you tumble your
helpless children into the poor house for
| the public to take care Of. But you have
no right to take the money of others and
| turn it into kites. There is one word that
has deluded more people into bankruptcy
and State prison and perdition than any
| other word in commerce al life, and that Is
the word borrow; that one word is re.
| spon sible for all the defalcatons, and
embezzlements, and financial consterna-
/ tions Of the last twenty years. When
executors conclude to speculate with the
funds OF an estate committed to their
charge, they do not pur,oin, they say
they only borrow; when a banker makes
| an overdraft upon his institution, he
| does not commit theft, he only borrows.
| Why, when you are going to do wrong,
| pronounce so long word as borrow, a
word Of six letters, when you can get q
shorter word more descriptive of the
reality, word of only five letters, the
I word steale
There are times when we all borrow
and borrow legitimately, and borrow will
the divine blessing. for Christ in his SER
mon on the mount enjoins "from him
that would borrow of thee turn not thou
away" A young man rightly borrows
money to get his education. Purchasing
a house and not able to pay all down in
cash, the purchaser rightly borrows it or
mort gage. Crises come in business when
it would be wrong for man not to Dor.
row. But l roll this warning through all
these aisles, over the backs of all these
pews, never borrow to speculate;
not a dollar, not a cent, not a farthing.
II had only a worldly weapon to use
on this subject, would give you the fact
fresh from the highest authority, that
ninety per cent. of those who go into
speculation in Wall street lose all; but
have a better warning than worldly
warning. From the place where men have
perished-body, mind and soul-stand off
stand off! Abstract pulpit discussion
must step aside on this question. Faitl
and repentance are absolutely necessary
but faith and repentance are no more
doctrines of the Bible than commercial
integrity. Render to all their dues. Owe
no man any thing. And while mean t.
preach faith and repentance, more and
more to preach them, do not mean tc
spend any time in chasing the Hittites and
Jebusites and Girgashites of Bible times
when there are so many evils right around
us destroying men and women for time
and for eternity. The greatest evangel.
l ;ct;r IL a. \