The Virginia enterprise., 1907-06-28
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People Who Are Either Too Busy or
Too lndolent for Self-lmprovement. @s

That person who takes no interest
in affairs of his fellow men, who fails
to keep himself informed as to what
is transpiring around him, is far from
being either progressive or well-in'
formed. These days when papers and
magazines are so plentiful and so
cheap, there is little excuse for the
average person not keeping closely in
touch with events, and particularly
keeping enlightened as to what is
transpiring that may affect his own
individual interests.
One of the great beauties, and an
extraordinary privilege of our Amer
ican form of government, is the right
of ever citizen to take part in pub
lie affairs and particularly in gov
ernmental transactions. How many
follow party leaders, perhaps blindly,
and too late find that they made er-
rors through not having understood
the situation? How many who are
negligent in the study of measures
that are brought up for consideration
both by state and national legislative
bodies, and too late find that unwise
laws were enacted that directly op-
pressed certain classes to the ad
vantage of others? How many people
are gathered in by alluring promises
made in the finely printed literature
sent broadcast through the country
for the purpose of exploitation OF
fraudulent stock companies, just
through not keeping informed as to
the means and methods employed by
schemers to entrap the unwary? 1t
is conservatively estimated that each
year more than $5O,00O,000, are taken
from the earnings of the people just
through the operations of fraudulent
mining, oil, insurance and like con-
Germs. It would be impossible for the
promoters of such frauds to exist were
the people careful readers of the
newspapers and the magazines, the
pages of which are filled with ac-
counts of the doings of "get-rich
quick" schemes.
These days there is every oppor-
tunity for self-improyement. Rural
deliveries carry papers to the most
remote farms, and telephones connect
the farmhouses in the average CON-
munity. If the people were only to
utilize the means so close at hand,
and to take the time to read, and ex-
anime into such propositions as inter-
est them, there would be less causA
for complaint on the part of those
who perchance get their fingers bis
tered" 1t is evident from the success
that exploiters of schemes meet with,
that the majority of people lack good
business judgment, or that they are
blinded by some inherent gambling de-
sire. 1t is always a safe plan to avoid
any investment that offers more than
legitimate returns on an investment.
Any proposition that will pay even
ten per cent. year, and where the
principal is secured, can find all the
capital that may be required for it's
operation, without calling upon the
general public. It is only the uncer-
tain kind of investments, the ones
that are "gamble," such as mining,
ana the ike, tnat are most prominent
in the advertising columns of the pa
pers. The basis on which the promot-
ers work, is the inclination of the peo-
pie to seek great returns for little
money. 1t is the same sentiment that
allows numerous establishments To-
Gated in different parts of the country
to dispose of cheap goods at enormous
profits through holding out to the peo-
pie the promise Of extraordinary
values. The well-informed man will
avoid all kinds of Investment schemes
that are designed to draw money from
the pockets of the people, and will
also refuse to buy any pigs in bags"
it matters not whether the matter of
barter be stocks and bonds or the nee
essaries of life.