The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-04-13
DIR. TALMAGE ON DEBT.
Some Good Advice to Young Men ON the
Necessity Of Living Withtn
Their Incomes.

UldtU0 tuC luuVeuCCS luAt OCStTOy SACA' |
Society slaughters great many young |
men by the behest, ''You must keep up
appearances; Whatever be your salary,
you must dress as we'll as others, you |
must wine and brandy 40 many friends,
you must smoke as costly cigars, you
must give 40 expensive entertainments,
aud you must live in as fashionable 4
boarding house. If you hayn't the
money, borrow. If you can't borrow,
make q false entry, or subtract here and
there bill from bundle of bank bills !
you will only have to make the decep-
ton little while; in Q few months, or
in year or two, you can make all right.
Nobody will be hurt by it !; nobody will
be the wiser. You yourself will not he
damaged. By that awful process 8
hundred thousand men have been
slaughtered for time and slaughtered
for eternity.
Suppose you borrow. THERE'S moth
ing wrong about borrowing money.
There is hardly man in the house but
has sometimes borrowed money. Vast
est tes have been built on borrowed
dollar. But there are two kinds Of
borrowed money. Money borrowed
for the purpose Of starting OR keeping
up legitimate enterprise and expense,
and money borrowed TO get that which
You can do without. The first 10 right,
the other is wrong. II you have money
enough of yonr own 10 buy coat,
however plain, and then you borrow
money for a dandy's outfit, you have
taken the first revolution of the wheel
down grade. Borrow for the necessi-
lies; that may be we'll. Borrow for
the luxnries that tips your prospects,
over in the wrong direction.
The Bible distinctly says the bor-
rover is the servant Of the lender. 1t is
bad state of things when you have to
go down some other street TO escape
meeting some one whom you owe. II
Of being in debt more of them would
keep out OF it. What did debt do for
Bacon, with mind towering above
the centuries? 1t induced him to take
brides and convict himself 40 GRIM
inal before all ages. What did it do
for Walter Scott? Broken-hearted
at Abbotsford it kept him writing until
:,is hand gave ont in paralysis 10 kesp
the sheriff away from his pictures and
statuary. Better for him ii he had
minded the maxim which he had CHS
eled over the fireplace a. Abbotsford,
"Waste not, want not.''
The trouble is, my friends, the peo-
pie do not understand tie ethics of
going in debt, and that If you purchase
goods with no expectation Of paying for
them, or go into debts which you can
not meet, you steal just 90 much money.
II go into = grocer's store, and il /
buy sugars, aud coffes and meats, with
no intention, of paying for them, am
more dishonest than il I go into the
store, and when the grocer's face is
turned the other way, fill my pockets
with the articles Of merchandise and
carry off ham. In the one case I
take the merchants time, and I take
the time of his messenger to transfer
the goods to my house, while in the
other case take none Of tho time of
the merchant, and wait upon myself
and l transfer the goods without any
trouble to him. In other words, a
sneak thief is not so bad rs man who
contracts for debts lie never expects to
pay.
Yet in all our cities there are families
that move every May day to get into
proximity to other grocers and meat
shops and apothecaries. They owe ev-
erybody within half a mile of where
they now live, and next May they will
move into q distant part of the city,
finding = new lot OF victims. Mean
while, you, the honest family in the
new house, are bothered day by day
by the knocking at the door OF disap.
pointed bakers and butchers, aud dry
goods dealers, and newspaper carriers,
and you are asked where your prede-
csssor is. iou do not know. 1t was
arranged you should not know. Mean.
while your predecessor has gone to some
distant part Of the city, and the people
who have anything 10 sell have sent
their wagons and stopped there to solici,
tho "valaable" custom of the new
neighbor, and he, the new neighbor,
with great complacency and with an ail
of atiiuence, orders the finest steaks
and the hishest.priced sugars, and,
perhaps, all the newspapers. And the
debts will keep on accommodating until
he gets his goods, on the 30th OF nexi
April, in the furniture cart.
Now, let me say, il there are any
such persons in the house, il you have
any regard Tor Your own convenience,
you had better remove 10 some greatly
distant part Of the city. 1t is too bad
that, having had all the trouble Of con.
Stunning the goods, you should also have
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