The Hickman courier., 1916-01-27
DOES MONEY SEEM TIGHTP
HOW ABOUT YOUR CREDIT?

just at this season, locally, men
begin TO lay plans for the year $
business, and with them, come the
all important proposition of fl
nance. How does the money sit
uation seem to youi Is money
tight and scarceH Probably that
depends pom how you met your
obligations for the year Just pass
ed. Ask any Hickman business
man and he will tell you that GER
tain debtors have made no at
tempt TO settle their honest debts
and these are the fellows who will
find money and credit hard b
procure. A man makes a serious
mistake when he deliberately
sacrifices his credit for the tenn
pOrary gain of n few dollars, even
ii he succeeds in getting away
with il.
Every man should be jealous of
two things: his good name and
his credit. A good name helps his
credit and good credit helps Il
good name. lie should value his
reputation aS his choicest pos.
session, and he should guard his
credit equally as well, if not bet
ter than he guards his money. lie
can protect his good name by
keeping good company, avoiding
questionable places and bad hab-
It's in general. Ills name is what
he chooses TO make IL. lie can
build up and protect his credit by
one course-borrowing and pay
ing rs he agrees-buying on time
and paying on time.
The greatest force in the bust.
ness world is er,dii-the power 10
borrow 10 get trusted 10 obtain
the property of another TO use as
our own on mere promise 10
Ipay. Credit" says Webster,
has done more a thousand times
10 enrich the nations than all the
mines in the world" " Credit
spans rivers, opens mines, builds
railroads, moves commerce aud
wages war Our whole business
structure rests upon it. For ox.
tension of credit there must be a
debit and there can be no credi.
where there is no debt.
Debt is not diShonorable; the n
buse of credit is. The man who
truus in debt is not a business off
cast, but "A sensible man-provid.
ed he uses his credit Alright. There
are some forms of debt to be en-
couraged; there are others TO be
avoided. To buy a house with a
mortgage on 1t is commendablc
but to buy an automobile from
the proceeds Of a mortgage on
lyour house ought TO be a disgrace
To run a grocery bill is no crime
10 fail 10 pay as you agree ought
10 be. To furnish your house on
the inStallmcnt plan may be the
best thing you ever did - some
peOple could not have a home
any other way.
Strange as 1t may seem, those
who have operated ON the pay as
you 90 or don 't-goplan find il
ldlfficult when they must ask foI
credit The trouble is. they hav,
done nothing 20 establish their
credit. This is particularly tu,
in large cities where one 's habits
are not well known, but in small
places % reputation as a cash Gus.
TONER soon gets TO be a common
property At any rate it is a
good plan 10 deal ON credit for
the sake of the time when YOU
may need accommodation.
One of the BEST known public
accountants in New York states
that early in life he saw the time
coming when he would need Ia
borrow, and concluded, TO csiab-
ish his credit beforehand. He
knew that if he borrowed and
paid promptly, he would soon have
good credit, and SIX per cent for
credit is cheap And so he open
ed a bank account, got in favor
with his banker, borrowed but
paid pumctually, until he was well
regarded as a credit risk.
The time came when he need
ed money TO finance his undcrtak-
ings, and he found no trouble in
getting what he wanted, because
he had established himself aS a
safe borrower.
Guard your credit as you guard
your health. IL will always be a
good friend 10 you and never de-