The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-10-27
The Boy forsook the Good
Old Strait Way,
BENZ The KNEE TO GOLD
ca. Enormous Wealth by ",nf=raaI RascaIit,'
and from Being a Mob .dy 6ecams a Power
B.fore Which Men Fell Down ard
Wo'shipped.

...E ' hHH' = 'hN(i
hazard that honor, courage, industry and
...lIigcnce were what caused respecta-
.,tv and ! was fool enough to believe it.
odd women said II a boy had good morals
.mI Industrious habits he'd be respected
he didn't have a dollar to his back.
Preachers would warn against the cares
a- the world and the deceitfulness Of rich
e4. and admonish everybody TO seek the
pearl Of great price, and thus win Il crown
~.arurruptible, undefiled and that fadeth
r.t away.
Ign my youthful credulity [ believed
they meant it, but later | observed that
the man OF wealth was the one that the
r.pr9v visited. and his sons and daughters
we're The one fiattered and caressed Some
ol The wealthy people were the vulgar
rich who would have driven Lazarus
away u~nalmsed, and ground the faces OF
the poor, oppressed the hireling, and taken
the widow $ OK for a pledge. | had, mean
time. become 1t slave to the unpopular and
accur>ed hab.- OF observation, and would
suggest that things were not being car
ried out by priest or people according to
The text. and would be rebuked. Mothers
i'm Israel would skin then sanctified eyes
heavenWard and say: Judge not that We
be not judged" Howbeit, they would
Judge me as a mover of sedition.
Later, 1 sought the borders of North
Carolina, where tradition said that broth
elhood and fraternity were religiously
taught and practised. Ia the trail of
The serpent was over them all, and the
image Of the dollar mark was burnt into
every soul.
I felt the sting of poverty, and the
badge OF ostracism. I, therefore, resolved
to become a capitalist, and throw scruples
To the -four winds of heaven. My training
was in favor of temperance and my Chris
tan parents had taught me that no drunk
ard can inherit the kingdom of Heaven,
and that the terrors OF the law threaten
ej the man who put the bottle TO his
neighbours lips. But l wanted filthy lucre,
and stifled the still small voice of con
science and set at naught the teaching of
my youth. l put up a grist mill, a store,
and a blockade distillery and put all up
on borrowed capital.
AT first the church raised Il row and
earned me out. I got plenty OF corn to
grind, and had toll corn to spare, and
tattened plenty of hogs to sell at my dis
tillery. If some poor honest widow, or
man who had been sick wanted corn OF
meat. he never got it without the cash.
! took at least one fourth more toll than |
claimed. sold goods on time at rs per cent,
and of course, defrauded the government.
BY the time 1 built me a white house
and bought a fine carriage and a span OF
horses. the church offered to restore, but
l was not ready yet. l put up a big saw
mill and stole lumber and a cotton gin
and claimed to gin for the twentieth.
When 1 ginned 400 bales [ would have sc
bales for toll, but this gave me reputation
as a fine business man. But when | made
an assignment defrauding my creditors.
beat the government by eVadlng the tax,
stole my goods from the trustee, as vel
rs pocketing all the cash l had collected.
I was restored to favor in church and
society. and am universally respected.
I am a Commercial Democrat, ie.-cal
myself a Democrat but talk "sound
money" and vote the Radical ticket.
When 1 walked to Sunday school, paid
my debts. told the truth at times, wore
shabby clothes and listened to the cry Of
distress l was nobody. Now | am worth
$500, 900. got it by internal rascality, wea1
imported tabernacle goods, ride an auto
mobile, and am called colonel. 1 drank
NLiohtN I'LL the uOClolS saw II NOuiQ Nil
he and told me so.
Now l am a great temperance advocate,
and am listened to with great respect
when l raise my voice against the curse
OF the demon rum.
teach my boys that no man is worth
a d. by a dollar and a half if H. has
ho money, and that the sin that IS neither
forgiven III this world nor the world tC
como ; ,,o,+ yrla- r 70, ,,CnJs md
honest l was never noticed nor visited by
preachers, except when they wanted
.4uarterage' or heather money, but now
Jhey fairly fawn on me and try to bark II
any favor. Sunday school superintendent
used TO scOWl when l opened my mouth
n Sabbath schools, but now all ny plat
laolhous uttcrances are considered az
words Of wisdom. When I go to town, al
the cus~ed little time-serving country pa
Peers swear that a rising capitalist, a stat
H0rt Democrat, and Christian gentleman
Aonoted then sanctum. If [ get off The
''is'nal observation that if it don't rain
i'll VIII be a long dry spell, all the
17nphools explode with merriment. Wher
VAS poor l used to say better anc
brighter things than can say now, but
These cIislnine hill-Billie would look a
though they had heard a piece of sac
-'"s- Some times now I make talks II
-. church and Sunday school when | an
- dlunk | can't brush a horse fly iron
-1 END OF my nose. My admirers say
"" so peculiar" when in my days O
poverty they called it drunk as usual.
pay me preacher 500, which is easier to
'S tAIh The $500 | paid in my days o
l.'erly. But now I am a monument o
.''f@Ity, While then l was worth nothing
10 the church.
gave %25 to help the heather in Africa
"@'-5 my eXtortion and so-called "busi
stsaclty' makes heather here, but
s' 10 sleep about a North Carolin;
.'1,eh. Il l hear a smart poor maj
~''",ing about the equality of man. uni
E'I educaton, working roads by taxa
h D or claiming recognition, ] pay some
a Starved, long-haired, ass of a country
"'''' 80 10 suppress his articles, an1 de