Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-03

Owe no man anything-out to love
one another.-Rom 1873.
The first time we saw Diamonds
on Credit" it gave US start. 1t had
never occurred to US that the selling
of articles of luxury upon the IN
stallment plan" was about to become
an established custom. But of late we
note that the papers are full OF such
appeals to the vanity and ambition OF
youth.
There is no more infallible test Of a
business sense than the possession OF
a sound judgment respecting debt ana
credit Many a man has been ruined
by reckless borrowing and 1t is quite
as true that many men have been kept
forever poor by the fear of mourning
obligations beyond their present
ability to meet Our country would
be still literally "a bowling wilder
ness" had all the farmers waited to
pay cash down" before buying unim-
proved land Probably not one acre
in ten throughout our union was paid
for "out of hand" by the man that now
tills it. Through the organization OF
building and loan associations tens OF
thousands of American families that
had always rented have come into the
ownership OF family homes and be-
lodgings. And even the furniture
man, who supplies everything from
coal scuttle TO a grand plano, is an i'm
portant factor in teaching young cou-
pies that nursery costs less than the
theatre. And the parsOn who is timid
about running into debt for a book will
always have a meager library.
But Diamonds on Credit" That
starts one thinking. Americans i'm
port every year about s4o,e0o,OOO
worth of diamonds. One suspects that
Some dealers must be long" on dia-
monds by this time. And SO they
must be sold, for cash If it can be
done, but sold anyway, cash or credit
And not few who would hesitate
long before buying a home or farm
or a business stand on credit will be
caught by d hook baited with dia-
mond.
With some men vanity is a fal
stronger passion than economy. and
we suspect that many smiling bride
groom has presented to many happy
bride q solitaire that later must be
paid for out of his life insurance
policy-should he be taken suddenly
away Americans are not the only
ones to be dazzled by the brightness
! of such jewels when we remember
that on the occasion OF a coronation
| in London, not many years ago. the
papers announced that there was not
a single diamond left in any London
shop. All were rented" out to people
| who meant for once to Took as well
as their neighbors." That ambition
for display lies at the base of half
our Commercial stringency and
three fourths our national defalca-
tons. We are nation subject tc
money panics because we have good
credit, and our credit tempts us to
| buy-not homes, but diamonds!
One suspects that a diamond on
credit must in the long run become
heavier than the odd man of the sea- .
When the butcher, the baker and the
candle stick maker are all clamoring
for a settlement OF their little bills
! the sum paid or to be paid for an un-
! productive and unnecessary article o,
| luxury must loom up pretty big. DR.
Holland wrote many years since II
his Gold Foil" Gent Per cent does
every man pay for vicious indulg.
ence, glittering pleasures. doing IL
Rome as Romans do. that bankrupt
health and morals. 1t is the club, the
opera, the racing car, that are wreck
ing the fortunes, clouding the gooe
name and corrupting the moral life OF
many young fellow who can gel
them all ION credit"
Said the owner Of q fashionable Nv
cry stable to US some years ago:
| when young man starts in career
that is sure to land him in the peni-
!tentiary or Canada, am the first one