The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-04-11
A FACT, A FAeLE AND A MORAL
A FABLE

Once upon a time a Man-we shall
not say a gentleman-went to a Lady
who owned a farm and said: Il have
no wheat. Hare is $40; send ME a
bushel of wheat every week. As l
know it is the custom of your patrons,
whom you furnish in this way and
whom you believe to be honest, to pay
$40 at the time, and when the $40 sup
ply has been exhausted you continue
sending the wheat and the patron pays
another 80 as soon thereafter as pos
siole." Whereupon the Man went his
way. The Lady then sent a bushel of
wheat to his house every week az he
REQ Vested. Every time q sack Of wheat
was delivered tbs Man was told how
many bushels were yet due him, and
if be wished the Lldy to stop sending
the wheat when the supply purchased
by the SO became exhausted, notice
to that effect should be sent. "Other
wise, " said the Hired Man, each week
as he delivered a sack of wheat, lit is
understood that you wish US to con
tinue sending you a bushel of wheat
each week, which we will do, and you
may pay when you can. When you
wish to stop taking the wheat Just pay
up and say STOP" Time went on and
ere long the $1O supply was exhausted.
Then every sack OF wheat was labeled
to show how much was due the Lady
who owned it, and the hired man de-
livered the same speech we have given
ABOVE. But at last the Lady, needing
money to raise a new crop of wheat,
sent a bill to the Man. Then did the
Man grow exceedingly wrathy, and he
sWore that he ordered only 80 worth
of wheat. ''And 1 will pay for no MORE"
he declared. II will leave the wheat
each week right where the hired man
leaves it, and then he will tell the
Lady to stop sending it," This Man
was exceedingly wicked and all good
children must be glad to know that
after all it is only a fable. But now
let US listen to
A FACT.
Every person who subscribes for
The Progressive Farmer thereby aeks
Mrs. Polk to send him the paper. He
pays 81 and we inform him by a little
notice which we print on page 1 every
week that if he wants his paper stopped
at expiration of subscription, notice to
that effect should be sent. "Other
wise" says the notice, it is assumed
that continuance of the subscription
is desired, and all arreareges must be
paid when paper is ordered stopped"
Then apaper is sent to the subscriber
every week and every time a paper is
delivered a little red slip tells him
how many papers are yet due him and
the little notice makes the statement
recorded above. We continue the
paper as we promise to do, and after
subscription expires the little red slip
is as faithful as yer 10 telling the sub
scriber how much he owes Mrs. Polk,
and the little notice every week tells
the subscriber that he is expected to
pay up as soon as possible. WhRtcould
be fairer than this9 And yet in spite
Of all these warnings Mrs. Polk some
times finds a man with a soul so small
and a heart so wicked that he refuses
to pay his subscription. Instead, he
says that if we continue his paper after
subscription expired, it'snot his look
ou5," which means that if Mrs, Polk
was foolish enough to believe that he
had manliness enough to pay an hon
est debt she has been very much de
c8ived. Then he leaves the paper in
the postomce and the postmaster or.
ders the paper discontinued, Com.
paratively speaking, only a few men Of
this class have aver subscribed for The
Progressive Farmer and we believe we
have cleared our entire subscription
list of such trash. We do not believe
that any such animals now take The
Progressive Farmer, but il one does
We trust that some of our
friends will point him out to US in or
der that We may watch him.