THE CALL OF THE LAND 



filling their wholesome and advantageous 

 office, is there any hope that promoting of 

 the vicious and criminal sort will in the 

 course of time diminish? 



Approaching a reply to this question, I 

 remark that no time is, at present, in sight 

 when it will do to be off our guard. We, 

 the dear people, must reform our liking to 

 be humbugged. So long as the world is full 

 of fools, cheating of all sorts will abound 

 and the conscienceless promoter will have 

 his loot. 



While we cannot too vehemently repre- 

 hend all dishonest promoting and under- 

 writing, and while laws and public opinion 

 should be used to the utmost toward sup- 

 pressing those dark practices, people must, 

 after all, in the last analysis depend on 

 themselves, their own insight, common 

 sense and sagacity to prevent being plucked 

 by cormorants of these classes. After the 

 lessons of past years, adults who lose by 

 being drawn into unseaworthy schemes 

 should be ashamed to plead the baby act. 



Besides judicious legislation, besides the 



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