Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1920-07-16
''Render Unto Caesar tie Things
That Are Caesars

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i. We are reminded of the above head
lines, the words of our Great Teach
er, when we read the letter written
by "Rusticus' and printed in las5
weeks Recorder. The name "Rusti
GUS is so suggestive that we shall
use it in these few remarks.
Yes, it is too true that we have
lot of "cusses" among the merchants
We believe numbers of them are prof
iteering not only in the sale of shoes
but are selling extracts and certain
kinds Of patent medicines to men and
boys, that such depraved characters
might become intoxicated by it's use;
that is forbidden by law and is 'cussid
neess" Of the lowest type. But there
is but little said about it. May be, it
is because it is not considered prof
Iteering; or may be. it is because the
merchant making practice of doing
such business keeps the "Rusticus"
quiet by selling them goods a little
cheaper. If that is the reason for
their silence, truly it is poor one
for it is helping to undermine the
manhood of our country. The, au-
thorities might be urged to look after
that evil while they look after prof.
teering.I
The merchantsithat will sell pair
of shoes for SIS to a boy when they
only cost s4.25 and then say the
Government" fixed the price, or the
merchant that sells the crosscut or
any other file at profit of $50 per
cent. or the merchant that sells you,
your boy or some other mans boy ex-
tracts or patent medicine containing
alcohol with which to get drunk from
we all know to what class thep be-
long.
Now we are thankful that all mer-
Ichants do not belong to the file, shoe,
land booze gang.
Again we are sorry that all the
profiteers, Rusty cusses and low down
cuses do not belong to the merchant
class, for if they did what grand
and noble country we would have.
No, we find crooks among all
classes; sorry but we have to include
the churches, and this reminds us of
a church member who was appointed
once upon a time as a delegate to a
County Sunday School Convention.
Well, this is about what happened
between the C. S. S. c.. delegate and
merchant with whom the delegate
had been running ar account. The
delegate came into the store as he
was on his way to the convention and
says, "Well, in very matter-of-fact
way, IT just stopped in, I'm going to
the Sunday school convention and l
thought I'd stop and settle my little
account with you" Now, that ex-
preston sounds good to most mer-
chants, but we are not through with
our story yet. The delegate added,
land l would like to add five dollars
Ito the amount and get that much
money as I'll need little spending
money" The merchant looked and
found he had seven or eight dollars
on hand and thought may, be he
could manage somehow with the lit
tie bit of change that would be left.
So the delegate proceeded to write a
very neat check for the account, plus
! the five dollars, the merchant gave
out the five dollars in change to the
Sunday school delegate and the dele
gate went on his way rejoicing. Not
long after the merchant sent in the
check to the bank thinking he had
at least that much with which to pay
his bills. But, oh! Later he gets a
letter from the bank with the check
returned marked no good, no funds.
Do you know how that poor merchant
felt? Well, he consoled himself by
thinking his Sunday school friend
might come in to report the good time
he had had at the convention but ne
didn't report About ten days after
the convention was over. the ner-
chant ran across the deceiver and
asked him about the check; he made
several excuses, and said "just hold
the check, I'll fix it in few days.
But maybe the merchant misunder-
stood him. A few months he meant,
for it was about five months before
the merchant got the last on the
check "a few eggs, .25c, soc and SO
on, till the old check was about worn
out writing credits on it.