The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-15
A VICTIM AND A TENDENCY.

A most interesting case for sociologsts,
despite the extreme sadness of it in all it's
phases came up in the court records of the
city during the past week. trusted en-
ploye of wholesale house was arrested
and thrown into Jail. charged with irregu-
larities amounting all told to something
like $500, covering a period of years. Evil
IDENTIFY there had been no preconceived plan
to rob his employers. for the amounts TAX
en- were very small and there was no par
ticular method of covering up the irregu-
larity.
In all the other relations of life the man
was not merely known as but was most
exemplary citizen. No breath Of scandal
ever had touched him, he had no habits
even as bad as smoking, and his time
away from business was spent in the bosom
of his family, for whom he unquestionaby
had deep and abiding love- At the same
time he made no pretenses Of being overly
good by special activity in religious or
philanthropic work, nor was he in the
| habit Of working" people whose friend
ship might stand him in good stead in the
was he ostentatious with money or seem
ingly extravagant-
1t Is not case Of high social ambition,
Of gambling. Of drunken recklessness, of
scheming criminality, or anything Of the
sort. He merely wanted to live in a good
neighborhood and have nice friends for
the daughter growing into womanhood-the
kind of friends he and his wife had been
accustomed to. 1t all cost just a little
| more than the salary he was drawing of
$1,000 year. Thousands of men find them
selves in a similar situation, but they de-
ceive the tradesmen that trust them and
finally move on to new pastures, leaving
their trusting creditors to mourn. but with
no criminal charge against them. POSI-
bly, they morally not one whit better
than the man lying in Jail. because he
| came into conflict with the law by taking
the money from his employers, instead of
from people willing to take chances on his
| credit. What mental quirk was it that in
duced him to thus go out of the beaten
! track and keep all his bills paid, while un-
dertaking the dangerous plan of borrowing
from his employers without their knowl-
edge. in order to do it?
But much more important than such idle
| speculation as this is another question:
What is that quality in our modern Amer
| lean civilization that drives so many peo-
| pie to living beyond their means? There
| is no question of the commences of the
| practice. nor is there any question that it
usually ends in disaster more or less tragic
| Refinement. culture and the quiet little
| ways that come with what we vaguely
| term good breeding are very attractive,
Of course, but is it worth such tremendous
| risk to get in that atmosphere instead of
| living in quarter where life is simpler and
cruder, if you will? But the attractiveness
of these things is a comparatively small
| factor in the great popular movement
| toward living at a too expensive rate.
Usually it is the ostentation, the social am
| bition and the rest of the more vulgar
| things that seem to attract the victims.
Is there no remedy for it? is it one of the
| things that must grow along with the gem
eral growth OF wealth and luxury among
| the people?