The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-24
THE POROUS PLASTER NOT
IN IT WITH THE CROP LIEN
AS Drawer the Crop Lien Stands Alone, How an
Old Man Took Meeting from
Two Preachers.

has grown to very large proportions. VI
course it was a great conven,elce to De.
able to go to a store and buy what enc
wanted or to send servant with an
order and have the thing charged. The
result, however, was that wants inc"eas
ed, and great deal was bought that was
not really needed. :.
I.remember reading story ABOUT ihe
this. One neighbor said to another, IN
a sort of boastful way: Il have made ar
rangements, with merchant, u WEich
l can get whatever / need on my 1a'ni'
all through the year, without paying ny
cash" How did you do that! askeo
tn other neighbor. Why L Just save
him a crap lien,'" answered the mrs.
neiphbor. what is a crap lien" asked
neiehbor number two. 80. it's nothing
but a promise to pay. at the end OF the
year, when the crop IS gathered, saio
neighbor number one. l peilstG ~. 9a au
neghbor number two, 1 mad rather pay
the cash. for what am obliged to have,
and do without what can't pay the cash
for" said neighbor number two. 20, you
are an old fogy," retorted neighbor NUM-
Der one. My motto is, while we live
let us live That's may motto, 100
said neighbor number two; land while l
am living I had rather keep out of debt.
That crap lien you tell me about, may
be a dangerous thing after all, instead
of a blessing. At any rate. | wish you
would let me know at .Ae end OF the
year how it worked
AS a matter of course, neighbor num-
Der one who had given the crop lien,
traded extensively-and SO did the fami-
ly-they got such things as they severally
wanted. all the time feeling highly elated
over the fact that they had such good
credit.
At the winding up of the year the
crap lien began to draw, and 1t kept on
drawing. 1t drew all the cotton and the
corn, the wheat and the oats, the shucks,
the hay and the fodder, the horses and
the mules, the cows, the hogs and the
poultry. the farm utensils, and the way
ons, the carriage and the buggy and,
not being satisfied with its drawing out
side, it drew the household and kitchen
furniture, and as neighbor number one,
in sadness explained to nelghbor number
two, it didn't quit drawing until it go,
the table the plates and the dishes, the
cups and the saucers, the knives and tn.
forks, and, when it had gotten every
thing else, it reached for the dish rag,
and wiped up the whole concern, not
leaving even a grease spot.
think they must be using that same
old crap lien yet; tor very often l
see an auction going on in 'front.' OF a
store. and l notice that the horses,
mules, wagons, nuggles, plows hoes and
rakes, baskets and buckets, and every old
thing is put up for sale. Some people
don't seem to care; but it does seem to
me it's paying too dear for the whistle
to give crap lien prices for things
which might be made at home, and then
have to give up what has been made, at
the end the year. But, that Will con.
tinue to be so, as long as farmers buy
their meat in Chicago, their hay in Ken
lucky and their corn and wheat from
the Northwest and depend solely on cot
ton or tobacco to foot a.. the bills. ~
people who run in debt for meat and bread
all the. year can't expect to have much
in the fall. 75Qass
I don't know how honest our great
grandfathers were, nor how much reli-
J gion they had; but, If a story / have
8 heard was true they must have been an
gels, in comparison with the present gen
Grafton That sto--- was to this effect
Two old farmers traded-one buying a
horse from the other, on time. When
the trade was made, one OR the Other
suggested that note, or promise to pay,
ought to be written. to show that they
had been trading. They had pelther pen,
ink nor paper. So, the first thing to
do was to catch goose and get quill.
The next move was to mix some SCOT
and vinegar for INK, and then, to COM
plete the matter, blank leaf was torn
out of an old book. The goose quill
pen dipped in that homemade ink finally
produced the note. Then the question
arose, which one should hold the note?
Tine man who sold the horse said to the
one who bought him: "Neighbor, you had
better keep the note and then you'll be
apt to remember that you owe me the
money So the purchaser had in his
possession both the horse and the note
After a while, SO the story went. he took
the note over and paid it off, sayinc az
he did so. Nov, neighbor, you must
keep the note to remind you that L have
paid your" A mortgage, indeed! such
thing was not thought of.
Those must have been very primitive
days and very honest people; but no
more honest than all men must be Il
they would be like Him who said:
Therefore, all things, whatsoever, We
would that men should do unto you, do
We even so unto them" BY the way, it
may not be improper for me to remind
the politicians as wen as the business
men OF the country, who may read this,
that the golden rule--"doing unto Others
as we would have them do unto us''-is
the very first thing a man must learn to
do, before he can take a single step IN
the direction OF that holy city whittier
Jesus has gone to prepare homes for the
righteous.
I wonder, sometimes, when / read OF
the dealings of men with men-how the
better-informed take the advantage of
the ignorant. ana now the rich take the
advantage of the poor; I say I wonder,
If they have ever read the Sermon on
the Mount, OF nave even read the golden
rule, which Jesus said, was the Flaw and
the prophets"
mans inhumanity to man makes
countless thousands mourn is as true
as it was when the poet penned the
lines, and it's as disgraceful as well.
1t is a sad commentary upon man to
say that he is the author of his own
misfortunes and the promoter of all the
evils that affict the race. Take, for ex-
ample the liquor traffic. What greater
misfortune. than the manufacture sale
and use of alcoholic liquors, as bever-
age, could have befallen this earth:
Alcohol sold by the consent OF men Is Kilt
ing men, and yet, for the sake OF money,
men go on numbering eacn other, and
each others children.
IF were to go into mans yard and
dig pit, and leave it OPEN for his little
children to fall into and be killed. |
would be a murderer, and the law would
punish me. But, | can set UP place
for the manufacture and sale of alcohol,
that will not only destroy the lives OF