Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-19


strip his widow of everything. Aha,
that young man did not realize what
Keen, shrewd, farseelng. Satanic plan.
ner could be when I told him to in.
crease his outG0 over his financial in.
come. am well worthy to be called
thy child, mother. I curry misery and
woe wherever I CO." Such Is nearly
always the outcome of every mans
life when Pride and Debt go hand in
hand and are allowed to sit down by
the domestic firesidc.
The Tyranny OF Debt.
This tyranny Of debt, which is the
offspring Of false pride, makes its con-
quests over those who have large in.
comes MS we'll MS those with small.
Only the other day there was buried
in one of Chicago's cemeteries man
who for ten years had salary of over
50, 600 per year Yet that man was al
ways in debt. While he had an in
come of $500 he was trying to live on
the scale of those who had 5000 in
come. When he was appointed n gen.
eral superintendent OF n large corpora
ton, at $3.50 per month salary, he i'm
mediately moved his family into n
new nclghborhood and tried to associ
ate with Chicagos millonalres. That
man, when lie died. did not own the
home he lived in lie did not even own
the bed on which he died. Every parti
Gle of real estate held in his name was
plastcred over with mortgages. Last
r.,If Ia. T.
policy to lapse because he could not af
ford to pay the few hundred dollars
necessary to keep it up, though he had
n salary of $4,000 per year. So we find
today Tint many a man who lives in
a fine mansion is in the mrrciless clutch
of debt Tho financial curse of this
age is that nultitudes of people. or
account of false pride and pcrnicious
extravaganza ARE cklng out a misera-
bic existence These people may move
in the best society, so called, yet they
arc far poorer than the humble clerk
with palt,y salary of $40 a week
who saves at least oDe-tenth of his in
come.
Debt is not only the offspring of
pride. but is often the parent Of Il
large family of criminal children. The
study of genealogical tables is among
the most interesting of studies. Ger.
tain families nearly always have good
children; you can trace them down
from generation to generation. Other
families nearly always have bad chill
drcn: there is apparently something in
their blood tina: is diseased and con
tamnated AS the waters falling down
the cascades near Duluth show the dis
cOlorationS contracted In passing
through forests of cedar and tamarack
miles away. so the blood of some chill
drcn is tainted with criminal tcndcn
cies. inherited even before they are
born. They are born with a propensity
for lying, for stealing. for inebriety.
which they are seldom able to eradi-
cate. But. though those children may
not be able to overcome their evil tend
encics in their own strength. they can
overcome them by the help of a super
natural power which Is offered to al
who are tempted.
WiIIfully Running Into Debt.
Willful debt is that kind of debt into
which many allow themselves to run
through useless and sinful extrava-
ganccs. While the young man is being
financially ground to pieces by the mp
per and neither nillstones of this kind
Of debt what il often the most natural
thing for him to do? Ask that young
collector who is taking some of his
employers money to win. as he fool
ishly thinks, a fortune at the gamblers
wheel. He is not at heart bnd young
man. He intends to pay that money
back. He expects to use it only for O
little while and then return it with in
terest after he has escaped from the
clutches of merciless debt. Ask that
young embezzler who has Just felt the
heavy hand of the law placed upon his
shoulder. Did he ever expect that the
late suppers, the theater tickets ant
the attendance at the races would ye
end in prison cell? No. no. lie was
led as lamb to the slaughter by the
evil WORKINGS of debt, accommodating
debt. Ask that wildcat Spectator II
Wall street. Did he ever think for one
moment that he would lose the estat,
confded to him in trustee form whcl
be began to run into debt? No. no
These men are being destroyed by deb
In the same way that the learned Lore
Bacon was led to accept brides. The,
are being lured to destruction as Bene
dict Arnold was lurcd when his debt
drove him to embark in the plot to dc
stroy West Point. The bloodhounds o
debt had barked at his heels ever sine,
his Philadelphia extravagances, and hi
debts not only made him traito
against his creditors, but at the las
they made him a traitor against hi
country.
Crookedness, gambling, wildcat spec
ulation and a betrayal of ones bes
friends are often found among the nal
formed offspring of hideous paren,
Debt. But without doubt the create
number of the children of this infa
nous progenitor are those with the ia
tai marks of perjury stamped, Cain
like. upon their brow. Lying Away
rides upon. Debts back" once wrot
Benjamin Franklin. 1.-The second vic
is lying; the first is running into debt.
When a man needlessly and willfull
runs into debt, he opens the sluice gate
Of falsehood. He processes his willin,
ness TO clasp hands with deception an
deceit. The debtor says to his credlto
II have no money this morning, but