The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-03-15
THE PAINTING HABIT.
sHuN THE CRAZE If YOU ARE NOT
ALREADY a VICTIM.

| SHUN THE CRAZE YOU ARE NOT
ALREADY A VICTIM.
This Story of One Unfortunate Dupe's
Life Shows to What IN Untnmed
Thirst For Paint Mny, Bring the
Most Respectable OF Men.
Of all the vices to which the head Of
a family can be addicted the paint craze
is probably the most devastating in its
effect upon the mind. clothing and
purse.
Unlike drunkenness and playing on
brass instruments, it is vice which
can be practiced without publicity, and
this is doubtless one reason why it is SO
awfully prevalent.
There seems to be something wonder
fully fascinating in the private paint
brush and the cans of prepared paint
that are extensively advertised as COM
bining the twofold mission of preserv-
ing and beautifying objects upon which
applied.
The man who has once allowed him
self to paint the kitchen chairs or the
| dog kennel takes a step which he can
rarely retrace His thirst for paint
grows with indulgence. and he soon
comes to feel wretched unless he has a
brush in his hand
Among private painters there exists a
strange and morbid unwillingness to al
low a particle Of paint to be wasted.
The man who buys pound can of blue
paint with which to paint a table. and
finds that after the work is done he has
a quarter Of pound of paint left, in
| stantly tries to find some other article
| Of furniture on which to use it
Thus he is constantly led on from one
article Of furniture to another and re-
duces himself to poverty. madness and
despair
The story of man who was once Il
respectable and worthy ratepayer of an
| adjoining municipality presents fear
full illustration of the misery caused By
private painting The man in question
was induced by an indiscreet friend to
buy pound Of red paint with which to
paint a small dog kennel Without re-
fecting upon the danger to which every
one exposes himself who takes the un-
hallowed brush in his hand this man
painted the dog kennel and with the
quarter Of a pound that was left under
took to paint the bathtub, in order. AS
he told himself. that the paint should
not be wasted
He found that when the bathtub was
not more than half painted his supply
Of paint was exhausted. and he there
fore bought another can. With this be
finished the bathtub and Lad this time
three-quarters of pound left
It was. of course, impossible for him
to allow so much paint to be wasted.
and accordingly he began to paint the
six kitchen chairs There was enough
paint for five chairs only and the
wretched man saw that he could not
help buying third pound, nearly all of
which was left after the sixth chair was
finished
With hungry eyes and excited air he
now roamed through the house seeking
what he might paint. and finally de-
cided to paint the woodwork of his
study. Two additional pounds were
used before the woodwork was finished.
but he found that in his anxiety to
finish the work without buying sixth
| can of red paint he had laid on the
paint so lightly in some places that the
result dissatisfied him.
AS remedy he resolved to run a mar
row bar of black paint around each
panel. and therefore bought a pound OF
the best prepared ivory black. Not more
than half of it had been used when the
work was finished and it became neces-
sary to find something on which to use
the remainder.
The unhappy man now realized when
it was too late to save himself that he
was confirmed painter and that he
had not sufficient strength of will to
cast the accursed paint brush from him
no matter If he did thereby waste near
" u pound of ivory black. He pursued
his downward course with great rapid
ity Needless of the tears of his wifi
and the entreaties OF his daughters. he
painted everything in the house on
which Il paint brush could be laid
His wife and daughters could not SO
into the street without showing BY their
involuntary patches OF black paint that
the head of their house was q private
painter His money gradually found its
way into the pocket of the storel;eeper
who sold the paint. and his health
eventually gave way under the inf1u-
encc of painters colic.-Montreal Ga
zette.
Fishing For Anchors.
One of the queer occupations of man.