The Progress., 1893-09-23

liant example of the usurer's art and
trade.
He was hard up and wanted money so
badly that he finally concluded to de-
posit handsome diamond ring in the
pawnshop.
"Can borrow 800 here on diamond
worth $250?' he said to the proprietor.
'Lemme see the stone.' demanded the
money lender.
1t was handed over and examined.
"WellT' inquired the applicant.
81 guess you can have it"
Thanks. What are your ratesy'
Ten per cent month in advance
that is. take out the interest and give
you the balance"
Il don't care how you do it. All | want
is the money"
You say you want $1OO?"
"Yes."
"How long,"
Il don't know. but long while.
should think
For n year,
mo, not that long; say about 10
months" and the applicant hummed 81
want situation" in a low key as the
money lender was making his calcula-
ton on a sheet of wrapping paper.
That's all right" finally said the
money lender. you can get the ring
when you call with the money"
"But where's my hundredY" asked the
astonished applicant.
1.-The interest has absorbed it." re-
sponded the money lender, with n placid
smile. Ten months, you know, at 10
per cent in advance. Didn't you say
you wanted hundred for 10 months? !
think you did. There's your ticket
Thanks. Call again, please. We are al
ways glad to assist the needy"
The applicant was dazed for almost
seven minutes; then he walked out and
hunted up policeman.
If our national banks have simply be-
come national pawnshops, it's time to
call the police. In this crisis, in their
methods and their determination to look
out for themselves and let their patrons
do the same, have they not fixed here
their real status?
Second-The government should at
once establish complete system of pos
tai savings banks. The deposits of the
savings banks of New York alone are
about $500, 100000 in round numbers.
This is almost an incalculable sum of
money and is really the determining fac
tor in threatened stampede of the pub
lie.
These savings banks in the determined
efforts they made to save themselves in
forcing this time nctice of Withdrawals
did more to precipitate our commercial
ruin than any other one power outside
the primal ldoney conspirators. The
public should no longer be exposed to
such danger from this source. Let the
government establish complete sys-
tenn of postal sayings banks with the
government pledged to redeem all de-
posits, and private sayings banks will be
thing of the past, and these vast sums
Of money will always remain in circula-
ton in every threatened crisis.
MORE RELIGION NEEDED.
Third-We need more religion in bust
ness. The whole truth is, as nation
we are dying for the lack of great re-
vival of vital Christianity. Our souls
are rolling with materialism. We forget
the brotherhood Of man and the father
hood of God. We have been busy
looking out for No. 1. That seems to
be the first thing we think of when
trouble threatens. Some time ago / re-
marked in the presence of my little
daughter that the banks were breaking
and things in New York were badly
smashed up. She was all attention in a
moment, and rushing up to me asked if
her dolls trunk was smashed, and if so
was her doll hurt. The millennium
would be near if as nation we could |
attain even the childs care for her doll |
and rags in our care for our brother.
Let our established powers make note
of the fact there are the evidences Of
budding new life in the ranks of our
crank reform" journals that lifts them
into the skies in comparison with the
cold blooded selfishness of their more |
successful opponents. Out of pure love
for their cause they have been known
recently to send their subscription lists
to better conducted rival sheet and /
ask that sample copies be forwarded, at /
the same time urging them to subscribe
to their rival. Many of these editors
are working for nothing for their con-
victions
Heine once stood before the cathedral at /
Amiens reverently enjoying its beauty. |
Said friend. "How does it happen that |
we do not erect such edifces in our dayg' I
Heine replied, THE men of that day had
convictions. while we moderns only have
opinions, and something more than opin-
ion is required to build cathedral"
The hour has come for the church to