The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-06-05
OWE NO NAN ANYTHING.
Those Who Make Light Of Payi6s Their
Debts VIII Make Light Of other
obligations.

tan, while cUlpable neglect to give
others their dues is a mark Of disgrace
and brings religion to ridicule.
A common way OF breaking this divine
law nowadays ia the non-payment OF
debts and non-returns OF loans. The
greatest pest Of business men, the most
insolent imposter and the most brszen
~defrauder that torrents society is the
man or woman that owes bills or loans
! and willfully refuses to. pay. Store
keepers, doctors, undertakers, publish
much more from bad debts than from
stealing, robbery, business depression
aud other causes combined.
The culpable debtor or dishonest Dor.
rover is a thief because he takes Sc
cretly the property OF others and the
bad payer procures goods under the
pretense Of paying, but does not pay.
Where is the difference, then, between
the person who does not pay for the
goods and the thief? The loss is the same
to a man whether he is robbed or sells
goods for which he receives nothing In
return. Do you not suffer the same in
Justice, whether ten dollars are stolen
from you or some sleek individual Dor
rows that sun and will not return it?
The injustice is the same In both cases,
hence willful debtors and dishonest
borrowers are thieves and are to be
branded as the worst enemies of society.
A willful debtor or dishonest borrow
er Is a most shameful ~defrauder, because
he breaks a contract entered Into with
a fellow man In good faith, and binding
in conscience until fulfilled. When a
person buys goods on credit, rents a
house, subscribes for a paper, employs
a doctor or undertaken, he agrees to
pay within a reasonable time. When he
culpably fails to do so he violates his
contract, his pledge Of honor and be-
comes guilty Of having obtained goods
and services by fraud. The dishonest
borrower incurs the same Infamous
stigma. To inIure a person Is a great
wrong that can be made good only by
reparation, but to add to injury the
crime Of fraud is to become worse than
a thief.
The dishonest debtor or borrower Is a
base migrate. The ingrstitude and in
suit offered obliging storekeepers, lend
ers of money and others by such i'm
posters are most contemplate. Have
you not heard men say after having
been victimized by such ingrates: at is
bad enough to be robbed, but it is most
painful to be shamefully deceived"
This is especially the case when a
loan is made or credit given as a special
favor, only to be repaid by the blacklist
ingratltude. The sleek borrower or
buyer makes profuse promises to pay in
a certain time, but they ignore these
promises and grow indignant II you re-
quest the return OF your money or pay
meut for your goods.
Such dishonest debtors and borrowers
often i%nlure deserving and upright peo-
pie In adverse circumstances, who are
deprived Of the advantages Of borrow
ing and buying on credit. Storekeepers
and others, after being defrauded a few
times by dishonest debtors, will refuse
credit to many who are deserving.
Thus bad payers and dishonest borrow
ers close the doors Of credit against the
worthy poor and cause them to suffer
want through inability to procure goods
without cash.
Too often odium is cast on religion
by so-called Christians, who willfully
refuse to pay their bills and restore
loans. Often it can be said: "Some
good church goers are bad debt and
loan payers" They run recklessly into
debt for mere ~luxuries, drink, cigars,
parties, dress, entertainments, etc, and
do not in the least worry about paying
their bills. They borrow here and
there, live beyond their income, ape the
manner and style of the rich, dress ex-
travagantly, have luxurious weddings
and expensive funerals, without con-
sidering how they can pay their debts.
Economy is pr~aise-worthy, but waste
fullness and extravaganza are sinful.
They who can save can afford to give to
God His dues and pay their bills.
Nothing is mean which is honest and
which enables us to do Justice to all
men, but that way Of living which
makes a show at the expense Of others
is mean and un-Chrietian. Can any
thing DO o humiliating to honest
people than to see so-called church
members, who owe bills right and left,
defantly pass their creditors by and
spend for Injuries, entertainments.
drink, travel, ETC., the money that
should be used to pay their debts?
What can be more notifying to Chris.
tian women Of refinement than to learn
that their husbands owe bills all
around and make no honest EFFORT to pay
them? How painful to men Of good
principles to know that their wives are
wasteful and e~xtravaGant with their
wages and w~illfully negligent In paying
bills long overdue? Is it no a frightful
disgrace, then, II Christian families for
felt all confidence and credit, because
they refuse to pay debts and loans?