The sun., 1899-07-08
DEBT ~ RURAL DISTRICTS.
The Result of Extravaganza ms Prevalent
There ms in cities.


There ms in Cities.
One thought Of country life that comes to the
city man viewing 1t from distance as tho
career least disturbed 10y worldly troubles con-
Germs the freedom from debt that is usually
considered more likely accompaniment Of 1t,
The duictudc and peaccfuness traditonhly
supposed 10 be tho lot Of those who live in the
country seem at variance with the troubles 80
frequent in town living. Various instances
havn gone to show that this tranquility might
not dwell In all suburban places. Storos OF
legal means to collect unpaid bills, disappointed
tradcsmen left in the lnrch through tho
sudden departure Of fnvorite PATRONS
for ii Is a fact that the dashing city
patron who pays slowly but orders freely
makes the best impression on the suburban
trndcsman--nnd the sudden closing OF country
houses have done much to impair the belief in
the regularity OF country living. But these
faults are attributed to the summer sojOurner
who passes the months of his stay in combi-
nation OF extravagantly good living and country
sports Nobody who did not know the actual
situation would believe that such an existence
was possible to the regular country resident
who lives the year through in his rural home
or at least spends most OF the twelve months
there. II only takes n knowledge of the life
about fcw country towns near New York to
" Debt is easier to a man here" said res
idcut OF a region near New York that Is filed
with handsome country residences. " than II is
in town. because the methods OF business are
not strict and things drift along easily before
ono realizes that the relation Of btor and cred
itor has begun to exist to any great exist. This
is as true Of the men occupying tho largo places
here as II Is OF the poorest among the country
people. Farmers who supply feed. vegetables
and country produce let their accounts run
"onnt % as 'E Ssr Crcd9rs nre TRs htchars
are nearly as slow to awake to such n situation
They are not SO tndugrnt as the farmers be-
cause they nav" to pay Tor more OF their sup
plies. Debts that have grown large can
readily BE- made, grcnter. because, unlike his
ways slow t. cease his visits A social relation
unknown in the towns EXISTS between him and
his customers. Often they hav" known one
another for wears So it takes unusual provo
cation to bring their business connections to
q crisis only a few days ago on" Of the
under a mortgage Like nine out Of ten
places in the ncghhorhond it was mortEnged
thought of forcrlosing until it became evident
that there was no chance Of the interest being
transaction. Farmers, butchers and trades
m"m in the neighhoring towns saw the last
racc. ali Of thc,n had known for son some y years m
nr d s
debt on that account. They kept on. with o.;
caSiOnal murmurs, conversations and mild
protests, until the indebtedness TO them was
too great to make payment ever possible.
" Another man who lived here for years In n
more elaborate fashion than ANYBODY else died
closure sale and the farmers who had supplied
his table and his stable were never paid 1t
was he effect OF this astonishing result which
walked up even tn" Slumhering business sense
oT III" community and led n carpenter to refuse
to commence alterations on n residents house
until the wood had been paid for in advance.
dacity had never hcen heard Of before This
customer was a newcomer in comparison with
other residents and had not made himself pop
uInr. That was one explanation Of the phe-
nomcnon Another was tempered with the
characteristic malice ot small communities
II was said that tho carpenter had not been
it. whatever the facts were. the incident did
not have the effect Of increasing the carpen-
trrs reputation rs n man Of business"
one explanation Of the debt into which city
falI is their belief that country life will prove
cheaper, and their consequent indulgence in
that 1t is going to cost so little. Before the
error ot this view is discovered they arc in
debt. Th" financial circumstances OF persons
who move INTO the country for economy, are
such difficulty. SO they fall into the easy
fashion Of drifting along with their neighb9rs:
| paving n little hero and lit le there, aud IL
they have house. mortgaging that, after a
| while. ana paying M as much as they can
| Tint arrangement usually satisfies everybody
Creditors are never nresslng, said the
debt themselves II the farmer or the butcher
is not maid there is somebody in the back
ws th;s TO 1ss ss nm wnos to hs S
! country places moves along on an uncertain
! foundation Of small Indebtedness. The man
With sSyeTa Thousand dollars IN chsh and his
sorts OF rumors are heard about the extent OF
his wealth