878 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The successful banker is he who keeps an eye single to (he interest 

 of his bank and guards constantly the trust reposed in him by his 

 patrons, and see to it that every loan he makes is as good, if not n-uer 

 than the money with which he parted. The banker, like other men, is 

 human with human sympathies, and it is often his undoing if he lets 

 them get away with him. When a poor man in distress applies at the 

 counter for a loan, making an appeal that would melt a marble heart, 

 but knowing full well that he can not repay the amount, it is hard and 

 seems heartless to refuse, but to do so would be the same as losing it. 

 It is for this reason that it is almost an impossibility for a banker to be 

 what is called a popular man. If the bankers are not, above all, safe, 

 honest men, capable of loaning their depositors' money without loss, the 

 country is in danger. The almighty dollar is sought after like no other 

 one thing in this world, and the banker is constantly made a mark by 

 burglars, confidence men, promoters of all kinds of schemes with smooth, 

 oily tongues and a beguiling smile, condescending to take him in on the 

 ground floor and make him rich in a day. They are always trying to 

 persuade him that they have something better to invest in than a good 

 farmer's note. 



Such men always remind me of a concern in Chicago which made arti- 

 ficial limbs and it seems that some one had toli them that a young man 

 at Forest City was in need of an artificial leg. They wrote him regarding 

 the matter, giving him glowing promises and description of their artifi- 

 cial limbs, and solicited his order on trial. The young man, being a born 

 humorist, replied, stating that it was true he was in need of a <50od leg, 

 hut so long as nature had provided him with a pair, he hesitated in try- 

 ing their product, even though one of them was somewhat unreliable, 

 especially in the neighborhood of a saloon. The Chicago firm replied, 

 however, that in spite of the fact that he already had two legs, and in 

 view of the fact that one of them was at fault, they suggested that he 

 dispense with the use of faulty member and try one of their limbs, which 

 they would guarantee to give the best of satisfaction, and that the cost 

 of removing the faulty member would be nothing in comparison to the 

 great satisfaction that he would derive from one of their artificial limbs. 

 The young man, however, could not see his way clear to amputate his 

 faulty limb, but promised to speak a good word for them whenever he 

 could. Many of the schemes presented to bankers are about as reason- 

 able as that, And then there is the man selling a gold brick, and the fel- 

 low who can not make an honest living, so he resorts to some deeply laid 

 plot to extort money from the banker. Some hold-up man demands that 

 a certain amount of money be paid or, upon failure to do so, his life is 

 threatened and made miserable. Against such men the banker of to-day 

 must be ever on the alert, for to be deceived by them would mean certain 

 financial and moral ruin. 



Farmers are had working men, and the better they are acquainted with 

 the banker the better it is for both. In nine towns out of ten, the farmer 

 is a stockholder in the bank, and this is as it should be. It shows how 

 high a regard the banker has for the farmer, for if he were not a desir- 

 able stock-holder and a help to the bank, he would not be invited to buy 



