The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
SOLID COUNTRY BANKERS.
THE WAY THEY and THEIR IySTJ-
TUTIONS GROW UP.

around drafts for bank in n big city and be-
comes gray headed or bald eadcd at 40 from
working ten or twelve hours day as cashier
knows little about the life OF n country banker
unless he happens to run into one OF these in
stitutions while on q vacation trip. NOWADAYS
many OF the banks in tho larger villages have
put on airs" and put up buildings OF
brick and stone with plate glass win.
dows. steam heat, and gorgcously deco
rated ratings and counters. while tho presi-
dent and cashier sit in their leather. seated
swing back chairs. But the company which
has such home constructed out OF the surplus
may not he half as solid financially rs the little
onc-story affair across the way where n part
of n store has been fitted up with an old-fash-
Toned safe and cast-ir ratings. and where one
man acts rs cashier and bookkceper and runs
about town ut the noon hour to collect drafts
One can find the old fashioned banks in
many OF the smaller towns yet and some OF
them are study to the city people accustomed
10 stand In rows before the tellcr's window
and to draw out money or have their accounts
credited at the rate O. n thousand dollars a
minute. great many OF tho country banks
are formed in this way Half dozen mcr-
chants happen to get together. perhaps after
church on Sunday. or down at tho village hotel.
with lawyer or so. possibly doctor
and occasionally some OF the factory people,
* the town has any such industry
Inc talk turns from politics. the weather
anu tho crops TO business. then some
one says the town Is big enough to have
tanK; That there Is no reason for going ten
miles over to Shutdown and giving all the
business into this place. and some ono else
asks tho lawyer TO explain the legal proceed
inGs necessary to get up an account. They
figure on how much stock Peter Jones will
take. how much stock John Smith will take.
and some one says that he believes Old Man
Brown. who does most OF the note shaving
can be induced to put little money into the
concern II he sees ~ per cent profit IN II.
committee goes to SEQ Brown. who is
generally the closest an" richest man III town.
while the lawyer draws up formation papers
with the understanding that he is to be the
bank attorney. In a day or two tho bank is
one oil the topics OF conversation around the
stove OF every store in tho town and at all the
cross r,,1s for , lo,,r ,rilos ,r,r,I n,i >ror
0'o -N""9 10 "'"''' ''''''S "''""" o'u NAN
brown puts his name down Tor dozen shares
and everybody says it must be a good thing.
80 V.''' way Wv o"nN 10 .o' ile"' iar' oI "ie
o! tho stores il rented. fenced around with
an iron railing with IA hole for rccciv-
,''t anu p"y'ns U"' no"''' anu BUSINESS BUSINESS
begins usually with one man, 1t is rare
thing IL the bank does not earn dividend Of q
.Irs "' ,r a[',s' a u Imo rSJ 'sar tMt 'mo
for rainy day" when money is scarce and
, .urrlrs ,,,,I may. ,,,,,,, r., hoi,d, T.; oa,, ~,
later. but there is no hurry about it Iust vet
ria f ,"o,
"V "He','s ,o' ,"'s''I i'''o' '""''7 an" Su'eS
ana hundred other contriVanccs swarm into
the town and leave without getting an order
s,d thi,,,S ~, .n,tI,, S,,l -, | t
years it is announced at the annual meeting
that the carit,l stock had better he doubIaJ os
busircss bns iroro,sed 50 nm il = ,,,,.,s,,,r.
hOOkS often "A n = ia
capital And so it goes until the little group
Of merchonts and farmers m. manmf,n,
turer and the lawyer. possibly tho town
DOCTOR find their shares can be sold at double
what they paid for them. When the cashier
goes to the city he is surprised at the Difference
,,'n VIII seu hi, w. =, ,ae -
nahk addresses nun ne may not be aware
lnass'Nencss, ~ Tar as the Offices ami building
are concerned; has really less money on it, sur
r!Ts account than his own modest concern
checks at many curious banks, In httle
hatnlet III Georgia. not many miles from At
lnnta they started q bank i'll a grocery store.
The concern had no safe to begin with, and tho
sstorekeener put his cash into IN cracker
night one OF the clerks slept in the rear Of the
store; AMI this wns considered a sufficient
guard When the bank was formed the
stockholders did not think II was suf-
GENTLY protected. and an arrangement
was made :, to use tho vault IN tho
new Town Han. At the close Of business
every day the TN hoX was locked, put on one OF
the wheelbarrow~ If which stock was kept
for sale in the store and trundlct by n bug
negro, who did odd Jobs around the pa"n. to
the Town Hall, where the box was PLACED for
the night. The cashier, with n loaded shot
gun accompanied tho man TO keep of robbers
and to see that he did his duty properly.
In this bank the head clerk Of he grocery
store acted az cashier. teller and Pooh Ban
generally. 4 planter would drive up to the
door with crate OF eggs or a dozen chickens.
which could be exchanged nj the market price
for groceries. The clerk figured out tho
amount due. tied up the coffee. sugar Nc.. and
handed them over 70 his customer, The lat;
ter would then pull out his pOrketbOOk and
leave the money he, wished deposited and
II would be thrown into the tin box along
side OF the store receipts. only one book was
necessary for the bank accounts. and in it all
the deposit items were entered At the close
Of the day s business 50 much was counted out
Of the box to the credit OF the bank and tho
balance To the credit OF the store. II was
simple way OF doing business. but seemed to
he satisfactory to everybody concerned. After
while, however. tho bank grew to such pro-
portions that the officers decided to buy a new
safe. and the daily procession to the Town Hall