Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-10-25
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PAYMENT OF SMALL OBLIGATIONS.

Few women, let us hope, are inten-
tionally dishonest. The majority OF
women are fastidious in the conduct
of their finances, shrinking from debt
as from disgrace, and preferring to pay
fully and honorably as they 60. Yet
now and then one hears wall of COM
plaint from people who suffer needlessly
because ofthe needless manner in which
other people keep them waiting for
money which they have earned. A
dressmaker said recently to one of her
patrons: II am nearly frantic when |
think how hard | worked and how
late sat up to finish Miss grad.
uation gown, and now Pm afraid pll
never be paid. l have waited six
months for that bill, and | cannot get
one cent, though | have almost begged
for it, even offering to take it in in
stalments. | am distressed in these
hard times, when everybody is re-
trenching, because people do not have
so many new things, and others who
have had them put Off paying me-"
On her way home the sympathetic
customer thought about it, happening
to know that there were no indications
of want or straitened means in the
family of the delinquent debtor, infer
ring that the thing was due to an in
grained Indifference to paying for work
when done. Probably there was at
first temporary Inconvenience in
settling the bill, and it was postponed
for day or two, and then the period
heightened insensibly, other creditors
brought their bills, larger amounts
were paid, and still the dressmaker
waited and wondered, and grew frant-
ic with worry, poor thing!
To defer even for one day the pay
ing of the laundress who has accepta-
bly, finished her days work in your
kitchen is, it may be, to force her to
ask credit, grudgingly given to such as
she, at the grocer's shop where she
deals, or else to send her children
mcagerly fed to their beds. People
who have comfortable balance in the
bank do not comprehend the straiten-
ed circumstances of the people who
live from hand to mouth.
Coal bins filled to the overflow are a
very different thing from coal purchased
in the dearest way, by the pailful at Il
time, yet thousands of poor women
can buy their coal only in very small
quantities, or go without. Think OF
being calmly told to wait till tomorrow
for ones wages when neither stick of
wood or ounce of coal was on hand for
the family fire
Apart from the inconvenience, en-
barrassment and misery entailed by lax
ity in paying what one owes, especially
when the creditors are the poor and
debts are small, there is evidently a
serious lack of principle in persons
who can comfortably continue in debt.
Any lapse in the rigid honor which in
sists on meeting each demand and
paying it in full at the moment of its
maturity involves loss of self-respect,
and brings in its train warped NOR
ality.
There are few things more important
in the education of children than the
fostering in them the right estimate of
personal obligation. The child should
be enjoined against borrowing and
begging in his small transactions. Let
him be held to strict account and re-
sponsibility as to the management OF
his allowance. Fidelity here will tell
in years to come, when his dealings
are no longer small, but affect great
commercial interests.