474 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



all anxiety about repaying it seems to be at an 

 end. Perhaps there are not many who are so 

 bad as this. But we all know them. Now, to 

 let such people have money is a damage on both 

 sides. You do them harm while they do you 

 harm. To prevent tl)is state of affairs, people 

 who wish to borrow are asked to give reference, 

 security, or mortgage. And this thing of giv- 

 ing security is helpful to both parties. If a 

 man buys a piece of ground, and gives a mort- 

 gage as security, it acts as a safegard to prevent 

 him from buying foolishly. 



Years ago, in our community there was a 

 man who loaned money, and there was so much 

 complaint and hard talk anout this man that I 

 felt a good deal suspicious when I first became 

 acquainted with him. I happened to be in his 

 office one day when a laboring man wanted a 

 loan, and proposed to give a mortgage on his 

 house and lot. The money-lender spoke some- 

 thing like this: 



'' My friend. I make my living, as you know, 

 by loaning people money; and I like to let them 

 have money when it will be a help to them. 

 Now. if I should refuse to accommodate you, 

 and even refuse to take a mortgage on your 

 home, you would be very much put out. But 

 from what I know of you and of your prospects. 

 I feel sure it will get you into trouble. If you 

 will take my advice, and go home and keep on 

 at work, saving up money by strict economy 

 until you get what you want, it will be very 

 much better for yon." 



The man demurred, and the money-lender 

 went on: 



"Well, now, suppose I let you have the mon- 

 ey and take the mortgage you wish to give me. 

 If you fail in meeting your payments, which I 

 feel sure you will do. you and the public at 

 large will censure me severely for taking your 

 land: and yet I shall liave to do it. I do not 

 deal in laud, and I do not want your place. It 

 will be a hindrance to me if it comes into my 

 hands: but there is no other way to do. I could 

 not do business, and accommodate people by 

 loaning them money, unless I used them all 

 alike, and took their property when they failed 

 to pay their money. And yet. whenever I do 

 this, people call me hard and unfeeling. With 

 this explanation, if you still insiston having the 

 money, I will let yon have it; but remember, 

 you have had fair warning." 



This money-lender. I believe, was very care- 

 ful through all his life to do all he<ujreed to do; 

 and 1 confess that, wlicn I came to know him 

 better. 1 could not help having more respect for 

 him than for some p<>ople who do not by any 

 means do all they agree to do. I suppose this 

 matter of mortgages — mortgages on farms and 

 homes — has started this whole trouble. Our 

 property is mortgaged — at least a part of it — a 

 great part of the tim»\ I very much prefer to 

 give a mortgage rather than ask a neighbor to 

 sign with me. In the one case, if misfortune 

 overtakes me I shall wrong my neighbor: on 

 the other hand. I should simply lose that which 

 is my own: and nobody but myself, or, possibly, 

 my wife and children, are harmed. 



Let us now go back to that first thought. "I 

 am not going to work myself to death, even if I 

 never do pay my debts."' Is there any reader of 

 Gleanings who feels like saying this? If there 

 is, I wish to say to such that he is on dangerous 

 ground. It will spoil his peace of mind, and 

 spoil his peace wi h (iod. just as soon as he be- 

 gins to let Satan put such ideas into his head. 

 This morning I got up at half-past five, and as- 

 sisted in getting the wagon ready for market; 

 and by six o'clock it was all complete, across 

 the railroad track, out of the way of the train. 

 When the six-o'clock train drew up, a small 

 boy stood near me with a light wheelbarrow. 



By the time the train had fairly stopped, two 

 bushel crates of strawberries were lifted from 

 the car right on to the light wheelbarrow. This 

 was run up by the side of the market-wagon, 

 and the fresh berries were around to the people's 

 houses between six and seven. These berries 

 came from our good friend R. Stehle. of Mariet- 

 ta. O. We help him by getting up in the morn- 

 ing and starting things promptly, and he helps 

 us. To make things go oft' smoothly, and con- 

 nect all around, it seems necessary for me to get 

 up between five and six. Now, some people 

 who see me looking after and directing things 

 at this early hour of the day will, perhaps, say, 

 "Well, if A. I. Root wants to wear himself out 

 in that way he can do it. I am not going to do 

 it for anybody." And very likely they have 

 their breakfast at seven, or half-past, and get 

 around to work between eight and nine o'clock. 

 If this sort of man has a mortgage on his house 

 and lot he will probably lose it. and then capi- 

 talists will be blamed, the laws of our country 

 will be censured, and, in a little while after, the 

 great God himself will be criticised and possi- 

 bly defied. Once more: When you borrow of 

 somebody you almost always go to him. asking 

 him to do you a favor. When you ask a man to 

 sUjii with you. you certainly beg of him to do 

 you a favor and a kindness. You go to a neigh- 

 bor, very likely, and take with you some one 

 with whom you are on intimate terms. For 

 friendship's -ake, and because your neighbor 

 dislikes to refuse, he signs with you; or. per- 

 haps, he lends you the money himself — the cir- 

 cum-tances are not very much different. Now, 

 after he has, out of the kindness of his heart, 

 helped you by giving you a portion of his earn- 

 ings, or. if you choose, given you a portion of 

 his good name (which cost him as much hard 

 work as his money), can you. with any sense of 

 right or justice in your heart, consider for a 

 moment the repudiatwn of this honest debt'? 

 One poor fellow, who had gotten considerably 

 into farm politics, said something like this: 



"Mr. Root, we are all going down together, 

 sooner or later; and I do not know that it will 

 be any worse for me to repudiate my honest 

 debts than for other people." 



Now, while he was in this attitude of heart he 

 was going around with good clothes on, when 

 other farmers were hard at work, and perhaps 

 were covered with dirt ano perspiration. I do 

 not believe, however, that he enjoyed "taking 

 things easy" very much, after all, for of late he 

 has been hard at work. and. if I am correct, is 

 doing well, and bids fair to pay all he owes. In 

 the first place, dear friends, do be careful about 

 giving anybody a mortgage on your property. 

 If you really believe that money-lenders are 

 rascals, keep away from them and " starve 'em 

 out." If circumstances are so that there may 

 be doubt about your being able to pay it, I 

 would exhort you to wear old clothes, and even 

 go hungry; but I do not believe that anyt)ody, 

 or, at least, not many people, have come to that 

 last alternative. Somebody has said, "The 

 way things are nowadays, the poor man can 

 never get ahead." Why, bless your heart, my 

 good friend, the greater part of all the people 

 who do get ahead started poor. Think of the 

 men who are well to do right around you. and 

 see if this is not true. There never was a bet- 

 ter place nor a better time for a poor man to get 

 ahead, in my opinion, than right in this land, 

 and in this our nineteenth century. Of course, - 

 there is much competition, and we must get up 

 early, fly around, and use our brains. Getting 

 right down to work in real earnest does not oft- 

 en hurt people. Sometimes it is quite the con- 

 trary. See what I have said in another place 

 about cultivating during a hot summer after- 

 noon. The great adversary has not yet given 



