Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-07-20


the druggists, the butchers, the baker,
and the grOccrymen come and giyi
them the best rounds of beef and tn,
best sugars and the best mcrchandls,
Of all sorts until they find out that th'
only compensation they are going tt
get IS the acquaintance Of the patrons
There are thousands Of such thieves II
all our big cities You see, | call then
by the right name. for If Il man buys
anything he does not mean 10 pay fol
he is a thief.
OF course sometimes men are flung
Of misfortuucs. and they cannot pay.
know men who are Just as honest in
having failed as other men are honest
in succeeding. suppose there is hard
~ 4 man who has gone through life
but there have been some times when
he has been so hurt of misfortune he
could not meet his obligations. But all
that | put aside There are multi
tude Of people who buy that which
they never intend TO pay for, for which
there is no reasonable expectation they
will ever be able to pay. Now, if you
have become oblivious of honesty and
mean TO defraud, why not save the
merchant as much as you can? Why
not go some day to his store and when
nobody is looking Just shoulder the
ham or the spare rib and In modest ST.
lence steal away That would be less
criminal, because In the other way you
take the time of the merchant and the
time OF his accountant, and you take
the time of the messenger who brought
you the goods. Now, If you must steal,
steal In a way to do as little damage to
the trader as possible
John Randolph arose In the American
senate when a question Of national
finance was being discussed, and,
stretching himself to his full height, in
a shrill voice he cried out, "Mr. Chair
man, have discovered the philoso-
piers stone, which turns everything
into gold-pay as you CO." Society has
or the seasons Of defalcation will con-
tinue to repeat themselves. You have
no right to ride In carriage for which
you are hopelessly In debt to the wheel
wright who furnished the landau and
to the horse dealer who provided the
blooded span and to the harness maker
who caparisoned the gay steeds and TO
the liveryman who has provided the
stabling and to the driver who, with
rosetted hat, sits on the coach box.
Wasted Wealth.
Oh, I am so glad II is not the absolute
necessities of life which send people
out into dishonestles and fling them
into mlsfOrtunes. 1t is almost always
the superfuities. God has promised us
u house. but not palace; raiment, but
not chnchIlia; food, but not canvas /
back duck. / am yet to see one OF
these great defalcations which is not (
connected in some way with extraya-
gance.
Extrayagance accounts Tor the dis !
cations are made up of units. and when |
one half OF the people OF this country !
owe the other half how can we eX-
pect financial prosperity? Again and |
again at the national election we have
had a spasm of virtue, and we said,
"Out With one administration and in
with another. and lot Us have 4 new
deal OF things. and then we Will get
over all our perturbation" | do not
care who is president or who is secre-
tary OF the treasury or how much
breadstuffs 90 out Of the country or
how much gold is imported until we
learn to pay our debts and it becomes
Il general theory in this country that
men must buy no more than they can
pay for Until that time comes there
will be no permanent prosperity. Look
at the pernicious extravaganza. Take
the one fact that New York every year
pays $3.OO0000 for theatrical amuse-
ments. While once iD awhile a Henry
Irving or an Edwin Booth or a Joseph
Jefferson thrills great audience with
tragedy, you know as well as l do that
he vast majority of the theaters are
IS debased as debased they can be, as
mclean as unclean they can be and as
iamnable as damnable they can be.
Three million dollars-the vast major.
~ of those dollars going in the wrong
direction.
Over a hundred millions paid in this
for cigars and tobacco a yearl
4 bout 50, ,000, 100000 paid for strong
rink in one year In this cOuntryl With
uch extra vagance. perniciOus extraya-
,ance, can there be any permanent
Business men, cool head
d business men, Is such thing a pos
ibIlityf These eXtravagances also ac-
cunt, as have already hinted, for the
positive crimes. the forgeries. the alb
condings of the officers Of the banks. {
he store on the business street swamp
d by the residence on the fashionable &
venue. The fathers, the husbands {
raft capsized by carrying too much do
nestle sail. That Is what springs the s
eak IN the merchants money till. That c
J what cracks the pistols Of the sui r
ides. That Is what tears down the v
anks. That Is what stops insurance :
ompanies. That Is what halts this ma !
lon again and again in its triumphal 4
larcb of prosperity. In the presence +
I the American people, so far as can .
ct their attention, want to arraign q
his monster curse of extravaganza,
nd ! want you to pelt 1t with your
corn and hurl at 1t your anathema- 7
Fortunes Wrecked. Il
How many fortunes every year wreck. +
] on the wardrobe! Things have got g
, such a pass that when we cry over j
lr sins in church we wipe the tears il
way with $3.50 pocket handkerchief! v
show you a domestic tragedy in five c