Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-02-25
WHICH ARE your

How many times lie n impressed
with the inhumanity OF man in this
day, when he steps aside Of the busy
throng, puts mp his umbrella and
quietly watches humanity jostling
against humanity in that awful strug-
gle for the Almighty dollar, or a place
in which the dollar can be gathered !
Ever try the experiment. II you have
not, don't get the idea into your head
that life is too short for you to spare
the time to do so. Il will pay you.
There stands a fellow on the street
watching for something. Is he trying
to inform himself of the various phases
Of mankindH Is he studying human
nature, and trying to improve him
self intellectually by the investigation
Not on your life. He is looking for a
sucker, for some one he can turn a
tick with and make a dollar. He pro-
fesses all manner Of piety, perhaps,
even to the extent Of being able to dis
play a letter from a church or a GER
tifcate Of membership in some high
order. He is not thinking about the
betterment of his tellowmen, but
studying how he can add to his own
worldly possessions, and he isn't radi-
cal about how he does it. Everything
that will bring gain is legitimate in his
sight, and he lie looking for another
fellow Of the same trend Of mind as
himself, to chow him how to get rich
quick, and get him to invest in the
scheme. People who are looking for a
chance to get rich quick are easy
marks for the willy schemer. Men who
haye never earned an honest dollar get
their heads to working and formulate q
plan for specializing on the credulity
Of this class. A mining company has
been played long and successfully.
Then caIne the oil field Vsnder and the
hundreds Of other organisations
formed and stocked for the purpose of
selling shares to those who are looking
for an opportunity of clipping coupons
from the parchments purchased at q
bargain. 1t Is easy to get the people
to hunting for this sort Of investment.
rhe receipts for the first few sales can
be paid out IN dividends. and flaming
advertisements issued to show what q
fast money maker this new company Is.
Then the sucker fights with his neigh
boring suckers for a place ct the coun-
ter where he q lay down his cash,
and get q few chunks of the stock yet
for sale. Time drSgs on and the divi-
dends cease to come. The promoters
find they have played that string ont,
and they organize 3 new one. That
fellow over on the corner. who looks
so placid and serene, lie the agent Of
the new concern. II he happens TO
catch up with one who has been vic
timized in a former concern, he does
not disclose his identity with the fail
ure, but presents a prospectus showing
that it is impossible to lose in the new
plan he offers. Called BY the former
loss and yet with the fire Of hope e
obtain something for nothing, the
sucker bites again, and lie carried the
same old route.
And thus the ten thousand suckers,
who are born every day with but one
dying probability in a month, continue
to supply the meat and raiment for th'
promoter Of get-rich-quick schemes.
and thus it will probably go on for al
time, or at least until people learn thai
roast chicken is not TO be found hang
ing on trees with knives and forkI
sticking in them, crying: Come ca
me-"