South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1888-02-24

der OF many how one family could
do 80 much for others without be.
coming impoverished thereby.
Johr Whiting, on the other hand
was little ifany better off than wien
ten years before he complained to
his sister that Sam was IN the road
to the poor.house. In fact John's
rapidly increasing family taxed his
resources to tho utmost, aud one
day he was forced to call on Sam
Tor a small loan, IL ough it cost him
an effort to do 60.
oh, certainly said Sam, Il have
a little fund which I keep for just
such purposes Here is the money,
and when you are in need call a.
gain z q 579r f
John was considerably overcome,
but finally he said: = aaf ~
Sam. I don't know what to make
OF you
why SO, John p
well, when you we're first mar
ried you and I were worth just a.
bout the same. Yon were always
spending your money .reely-even
worse, thought giving it away
while l saved every dollar. and yet
you have plenty aud to spare. and
| am not as we'll off as was then.
cannot account for it, for we both
had an equal start, md you have
worked no harder than l have
John, let me give you little
bit of history. You remember
when | commenced business here
| bought wheat and stored it to
ship in the spring. 1t so happened
l had about all of certain kind of
wheat the farmers at that time used
for seed. When they had done
their spring sowing a long rain
came on and the seed rotted In the
ground. Vow, reasoned, l can
get double price for every bushel
OF wheat have. The Sabbath day
came, and while sitting at home l
could not refrain from congrai ula-
ting myself on my good luck to
Dolly. | noticed size did not say
much. and presently she took up
tie Bible, us she frequently did, and
read aloud the eleventh chapter of
Proverbs, closed the book, and said
never word, Icould MOI tell, nor
do | know to this day if she lntcnd-
ed to read me a lesson, but / took
up my hat and we 1t out for walk.
| thought OF tile thousand bushels
OF grain. really worth about one
dollar. which l could sell for two if
| should demand that pn,e, and
then. ringing in my ears, were the
words Dolly had just read
He that withhoIdeth corn the
people shall curse him.
you see what it says, the people
shall curse him. l interpreted this
to mean. II was not only their right
but their religious duty to do so,
because ofthe iniquity ofth action.
Was | then hitting a crime =?
The next day I commenced selling
my wheat at a dollar busheI,
Which gave fair margin of profit.
Men called me a fool. Dolly and
my own conscience told me l had
done right. About that time, YOU
may remember, came up for dis
cussion the question how mach
ought we to give to objects o. char,
lty and for the public good gene
rally. had long talks with Dolly
about il, and she advised that we
lay aside one-tenth of each years
income, to be devoted to such pur-
poses as tie occasion might war.
rant. The plan was adopted, and
we have never missed the amounts
thus expended H. fact it has seem.
ed like good seed sown on good
ground, or like bread caet upon the
waters. Leaving out Of the uues-
ton our duty to God, which should
be he ruling principle of our lives,
there lie sound wisdom from a blu.
siness standpoint in the twenty
fourth and twenty fifth verses Of
that same chapter, which, you will
remember, say:
There ia that scattereth and yet
increaseth and there is that with
holdeth more than is meet, but il
tendeth to poverty
The liberal soul shal! be made
fat, and he that watereth shall be
watered also himself.
Such ls the history OF my sue
cess, for in the eyes of meu have
been successful. / have merely
followed my guide-the blessed
Word-aud my good wife has help.
ed me to do 80. 1 have been bless
ed beyond my most sanguine ex-
pectations, and have realized that
IT is surely more blessed to give
than to receive
Sam, ten years ago I told Dolly
you were a fool, and On the way to
the poor-house. have had my
eyes opened, and am now con-
vInced that yours is the right path,
even though my predictions had