The age-herald., 1898-02-08
Religion, Card Clubs
And Back Taxes


 It seems little singular. no doubt. to the average newspaper reader to have as- sociated in big black type the supposed incongruous terms Religion, Card Ciuos' and Back Taxes" but such a ridfcuolus story comes to me that bears so directly and. connectedly on all these three things that 1t is worth the telling
 The certain section of Alabama, far from the noise and the blazing beauty of the great iron furnaces of Jefferson county, thare lives dear little woman, young prepossessing widow, who upon the nsath of fher husband a few years ago came into possession of a snug little fortune, chiefly in clean, cold cash, which upon the advice of business friends she began to lend to different persons at very large rate or interest.
 Upon this steady, handsome income the pretty young widow and her four children lived in ease and comfort She is very devout member of an orthodox denomina- tion, and quite brides herself upon her con sistent religious life. She disclaims having aspirations towards sanctfication which should be registered to her credit but she glories in living above the petty weak nesses of the world, and the flesh. She attends services with punctillious regulari- ty, which is also to her credit, and has no patience with the fashionable fad of card clubs and card parties. She has been known to read older and more mortal minded members of her family gentle, but firm lectures upon their unfortunate ten dency towards wasting precious moments in such deplorable, reprehensble way as playing for prizes at card parties and card clubs.
 In other words, the pretty young widow, with the comfortable income, has posed for years as an embryonic. saint, free from worldly guile, and earthly weaknesses.
 But, loi in an evil moent, in an unsus- pecting, unlocked for hour, a miserable, meddling, prying back-tax commissioner discovered that the aforesaid gentle spir- itual-minded young widow was due the state of Alabama nearly two thousand dol lars of back taxes which she had kept from the state treasury, and which had accrued from four years of money lending at high rates of interest!
 The little widow, who is a wonderfully good business manager, had lost sight of her religion entirely when she was de- frauding her state of just tax returns to the amount of nearly two thousand dollars in four years timei But the poor publi- cans and sinners who have indulged in card clubs and card parties and have been severely reprimanded for their folly and worldly tendencies, are sitting by quietly enjoying the discontinue of the exemplary CD non-tax-paying pretty young widow.
 Some of those same vile and miserable sinners deserve to be cannonized because they have not asked the aforesaid tax de- linquent which is the least sinful in the eyes of all honest men and women, few innocent games of cards or a wilful de frauding of the state treasury of nearly two thousand dollars?
 This same widow carried her opposition to card clubs to such an extent that her mother and sister, who are members of a very cicumspect organization of card play CTS, have been compelled to invite their fellow club members to accommodating neghbors' homes when it became their time to entertain.
 So now after telling the absurd story of woman's inconsistency it can be readily understood how religion, card clubs and back taxes were woefully mixed up in one woman's sad experience. The card club bers are anxiousiy hoping that the iron hearted back-tax collectors will force the widow to pay her just taxes to the state. The cara ciuD Henus nave palu therS as they fell due, and have not delivered any sermons on other womens weaknesses. either. Perhaps the pretty widow will not have enrgy Left for further reprimands when she finishes paying two thousand dol- lars she attempted to defraud the state treasury of. Perhaps she may conclude that even few card prizes would have come cheaper to her purse. and her con- science in the end. j