The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-07-16

6ANE w III p1lAOD1- 1(AG "a NhO1"
sands of such thieves in all our big cities.
You see I call them by the right name,
for if Z man buys anything he does not
mean to pay for he is a thief.
Meeting Ones obligations.
OF course sometimes men are flung Of
misfortunes and they cannot pay. I know
men who are just as honest in having
failed as other men are honest in succeed
ing. / suppose there is hardly a 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 I put aside
There are a multitude Of people who buy
that which they never intend to pay for,
for which there is no reasonable expecta-
ton they will ever be able to pay. Now,
il you have become oblivious Of honesty
and mean 10 defraud, why not save the
merchant as much as you can? Why net
go some day to his store and when no
body is looking just shoulder the ham or
the sparerib and in modest silence steal
away? That would be less criminal, be-
cause in the other way you take not only
the mans goods, but you take the time of
the merchant and the time Of his account
ant, and you take the time Of the mes
senger who brought you the goods. Now,
il 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, stretch
ing himself to his full height, in a shrill
voice he cried out, "Mr. Chairman, I
have discovered the philosophers stone,
which turns everything into gold-pay
as you go!!' Society has got to be recon-
structed on this subject or the seasons of
defalcation will continue to repeat them
selves. You have no right to ride in q
carriage for which you are hopelessly in
debt to the wheelwright 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.
Oh, / am so glad it is not the absolute
necessities of life which send people out
into dishonesties and fling them into mis-
fortunes. 1t is almost always the superf1ui-
ties. God has promised us a house, but
not a palace; raiment, but not chinchilla;
food, but not canvasback duck. / am yet
to see one of these great d~efalcations
which is not connected in some way with
extravaganza.
Extravaganza accounts for the dis
turbance of national finances. Aggrega-
tions are made up of units, and when one
half of the people of this country owe the
other half how can we expect financial
prosperity? Again and again at the ma
tional election re have had a spasm of
virtue, and we said, "Out with one ad-
ministration and in with another and let
us have a new deal Of things and then we
will get all over our perturbation" I do
not care who is president or who is sec
rotary of the treasury or how much
breadstuffs go out of the country or how
much gold is imported until we learn to
pay our debts and it becomes a general
theory in this country that men must buy
no more than they can pay for. Until
that time comes there will be no per-
manent prosperity. Look at the PERM
cious extravaganza. Take the one fact
that New York every year pays $3,000,-
600 for theatrical amusements. While
once in awhile a Henry Irving or an Ed
win Booth or a Joseph Jefferson thrills
a great audience with tragedy, you know
as we'll as i do that the vast majority of
the theaters are as debased as debased
they can be. as unclean as unclean they
can be and as damnable as damnable
they can be. Three million dollars, the
vast majority of those dollars going in
the wrong direction.
Harmful and Unnecessary Expense.
Over a hundred millions paid in this
country for cigars and tobacco q year.
About $4,000 03.CGJ paid for strong
drink in one year III this country. With
crrnl artr xo ~ ,,nri,o,. ,-4ra-,
gance, can there be any permanent pros
peIity? Business men, cool headed bust
ness men. is such a thing a possibility?
These sxtravagances also account. as l
have already limited, for the positive
crimes. the forgeries, the abscondings of
the officers of the banks. The store on
t.v business street swamped by the resi-
Joncr on the fashionable avenue. The
fathers. the husbands craft capsized by
carrying too much domestic sail. That
is what springs the leak in the merchants
money till. That is what cracks the pis-
tolls Of the suicides. That is what tears
down the banks. That is what stops in
surance companies. That is what halts
this nation again and again in its tri-
umphal march of prosperity. In the pres
ence Of the American people so far as /
can get their attention I want to arraign
this monster curse of extravaganza, and I
want you to pelt it with your scorn and
hurl at it your anathema.
How many fortunes every year wreck
ed on the wardrobe. Things have got to
such a pass that when we cry over our
sins in church we wipe the tears away
with a $3.50 pocket handkerchief! / show
you a domestic tragedy in five acts:
Act the frst-A home, plain and beauti-
full. Enter newly married pair. Enter
contentment. Enter as much happiness
as ever gets in one home.
Act the second-Enter discomfort. En-.
ter desire for larger expenditure. Enter
envy. Enter jealousy.
Act the third-Enter the queenly dress,
makers. Enter the French milliners. En-
ter all costly plate and all great extrava.
gances.
Act the fourth-Tiptop of society
Princes and princesses of upper tendon
floating in and out. Everything on q
large and magnificent scale. Enter con.
tempt for other people.
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