St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-03-11

save your soul unless your business
character corresponds with your re
ligious profession. Some of the worst
scoundrels in America have been mem
bers Of churches, and they got fat on
sermons about. Heaven when they NEST
needed to have the pulpits preach that
which would either bring them to re-
pentance or thunder them out of the
holy communions where their presence
was q sacrilege and an irfamy.
We must especially deplore the mis-
fortunes OF banks in various parts of
this country in that they damage the
banking institution, which is the great
est convenience Of the centuries and in-
dispensable TO commerce and the adj
vance of nations. In one hand it b!esses
the lender. and with the other it blesses
the borrower. On their shoulders are
the interests of private individuals and
great corporations. In them are the
great arteries through which run the
currents of the nations life. They
have been the resources of the thou
sands Of financiers in days of business
exigency. They stand for accommoda-
ton, for facility. for individual, state
and national relief. At their head and
in their management there are as
much interest and moral worth as in
any class Of men, perhaps more. How
nefarious, then, the behavior of those
who bring disrepute upon this venera-
BILE, beniguant and God honored insti-
tuition!
We also deplore abuse of trust funds,
because the abusers fly in the face OF
divine goodness. which seems deter
mined TO bless this land. We are hav-
ing a series OF unexampled national har-
vests. The wheat gamblers get hold
OF the wheat, and the corn gamblers
get hold of the corn. The full tide Of
Gods mercy toward this land is put
back by those great dikes OF dishon-
orabIe resistance. When God provides
enough food and clothing to feed and
apparel this whole nation like princes.
the scramble of dishonest men to get
more than their share and get it all
hazards keeps everything shaking with
uncertainty and everybody asking:
what next?" Every week makes new
revelations. How many more bank
presidents and bank cashiers have been
specializing with other peoples money
and how many more bank directors
are in imbecile silence, letting the
perfidy go on, the great ard patient
God only knows. Ny opinion is that
we have got near the bottom. The
wind has been pricked from the great
bubble of American speculation. The
men who thought that the judgment
day was at least 5000 years off found
it in 1898 or 1897 or 1896. and this ma
ton has been taught that men must
keep their hands out Of other peoples
pockets. Great businesses built on bor-
rowed capital have been obliterated,
and men who had nothing have lost
all they had. I believe we are started
on higher career of prosperity than
this land has ever seen-if and If and if.
IT the first men, and especially Chris
tan men, will Learn never TO speculate
upon borrowed capital-if you have
mind to take your own money and turn
it all into kites. to fly them over every
common in the United States, you do So
ciety no wrong. except when you tum-
bic your helpless children into the poor
house for the public to take care of.
But you have no right to take the mon
ey of others and turn it into kites.
There is one word that has deluded
more people into bankruptcy and state
Prison and ruin than any other word in
life, and that is the word
borrow. That one word is responsible
for the defalcations and entertainments
ard financial consternations Of the last
20 years. When executors conclude 10
speculate with the funds OF an estate
to their charge, they do not
rurloin; they say they only borrow.
When q banker makes an overdraft
upon his institution, he does not COM
nit theft; he only borrows. When the
officer of company, by flaming adver-
tisement in some religious paper and
gilt certificate of stock, gets multi
tHde of country people to put their
small earnings to an enterprise for car
rying on some undeveloped nothing, he
does not fraudulently take their mon
ey; he only borrows. When young
nan with easy access to his employ
er's money drawer or the confidential
clerk by close propinquity to the &C
count books takes a few dollars for a
Wall street excursion, he expects to
put it back. He will put it all back. He
will put it all back very soon. lie only
borrows. Why, when You are going to
do wrong pronounce SO long word as
borrow, o word of six letters, when you
can get a shorter word more descriptive
Of the reality, a word Of only five letters
the word steal?
There are times when we all borrow
and borrow legitimately, and borrow
with the divine blessing for Christ in His
sermon on tho mount enjoins: From
him that would borrow of thee turn
not thou away" A young man rightly
Dorrows money to get his education.
q house and not able to
pay all down in cash, the purchaser
rightly borrows 1t on mortgage. Crises
.cme in business when it would be
wrong for man not to borrow. But
roll this warning through all these
aisics, over the backs of all these pews,
.cver borrow to speculate-not do
ar, not a cent. not farthing. Young
men. 1 warn you by your worldly pros
,ects and the value Of your immortal
ouls, do not do it. There are breakers
distinguished for their shipwrecks-.
he Hanways, TIE Needles, the Caskets,
he Douvers, the Anderlos, the Skerries
and many a craft has gone to pieces
IN those rocks, but I have to tell you
hat all the Hanways, and the Needles,
Ind the Caskets. and the Skerries are
Is nothing compared with the long line
II breakers which bound the ocean of
life north. south, east and
vest with the white foam OF their de- !
pair and the dirge of their damnation
the breakers of borrow.
II had only worldly weapon to use
IN this subject, I would give yon the
act, fresh from the highest authority.
hat 90 per cent. Of those who go into
Wild speculation lose all, but / have o