II 



OUK HOMES. 



Jan 



bad one. Bat after the spoons arc pnrclKised, 

 what thcnV AVliy, the pennies are now to 1)C 

 aUowed to rnn to waste as formerly, and it is 

 not unusual to find tliis tlic case, wlien the 

 parties are in pressini? need of money to pay 

 debts, rent, etc. Are we not allowing our- 

 selves to fall into an unhealthy state, in- 

 fo one that debars mental ijrowth, when we 

 admit ourselves incapable — or rather that past 

 experience has shown tiuit a ten dollar bill is 

 safer in our pocket than the same amount in 

 small change "r* That we may purchase a thing 

 by saving the coppers, when wc should have 

 no right to take the same amount from our 

 purses '! that we can pay 25 cents per week 

 without feeling it, when wc could not think 

 of paying !?13.00 all at once at the end of the 

 year, etc., etc? 



Have you not all, in your separate neighbor- 

 hoods, ])oth men and women who never break 

 :i promise, who are never disappointed in mon- 

 (■y matters, and go through all tlie business 

 .'iftairs of life, wliether times arc dull, banks 

 are breaking, or whatever else may turn up, 

 always as cheerful, prompt and ready, as a 

 [)upil who comes before his teacher with his 

 lesson all at his tongue's end V Are not such 

 people the ]iai>py onesV Is it Ijccause they 

 have rich friends that they are thus fortunate? 



On the contrary, wc think yon will find 

 they have been through life unusually inde- 

 pendent, that they have made their way solely 

 thi'ough their own exertions, that they have 

 learned the lesson, perhaps thro' dire necessity, 

 and have passed through struggles that the 

 world would never suspect, in trying to make 

 exuenses come inside of scanty incomes. 



It is quite common for young men to com- 

 mence life by getting into debt, but it seems 

 to me, they would be better off with a crip- 

 pled hand or foot, and an independent, free, 

 whole name. Did you ever have some one 

 ask you for money due them that you could 

 nor j)ay, and experience the feeling of being 

 obliged to liang your heatl, or look up street 

 ordovv^nV Do you know how unmanly such 

 a f'-eling is, how it takes away all one's indc- 

 pen.deuce, and makes him feel like an abject 

 slave, which he really is'? llow is it boys'? 

 Are we, in this land of freedom, goinir to put 

 up with any such humiliations'? Would'nt 

 we i-ather raise potatoes at 25 cents per bush- 

 el, and dress and live accordingly, tlian wear 

 fine clothes. and have the tailor dunning us"? 



"When I was 18, I was in debt for the cfothes 

 I wore, and they were nearly worn out, and 

 the worst of it was, I had no occupation in 

 particular, and was just then doing nothing. 

 Under the influence of a sudden resolution 

 1 paid \v■^ all I owed before sundown ; but to 

 do it, was obliged to scra])e up all my little 

 effects, and sell them at somewhat of a sacri- 

 fice. A short time after, in consequence of the 

 failure of a neighbor I was obliged to try to 

 borrow money, and the feeling I then "^ had 

 when told, by one after another, that they luu! 

 no money to spare, was such that I made great 

 resolves that never again would I ask ;i siinihir 

 favor of friend or foe ; and when in my own 

 linmble little place of business again, tiie cop- 

 ]xrs were hoarded up as fast as honestly earn- 

 ed, with a Achcmence that soon ])laced me 

 f-quarc!y on my feet; and from that dav to 



this, the fear of having a i)ill i)resented for 

 payment without the means at hand of liiiui- 

 dacing it has never lost its terrors. 



CHAPTER VII. 



It has been suggested that I should use for a 

 heading to this chapter, the word tim TiiKuii- 

 XESS ; but the word does not convey just tlie 

 ideal wish, nor does any word that occur.-? to 

 me just at present; perhaps I had better re- 

 mark as did the stump speaker, that the sub- 

 ject of his discourse would become apparent 

 as he proceeded- If it were my class of little 

 boys in tlie Sabbath school, I should know just 

 where and how to commence, for they \\A\i\ 

 voluntarily chosen me as th.eir teacher, and 

 therefore never think of (juestioiiing my right 

 to dictate, reprove, or whatever else I may 

 think proper. On tlie whole I think I will 

 start out w'itli the follQwing proposition : 



IF ALL WEKE TIIUTJIFUL, NONE WOrLD BE 

 DISArrOlNTED. 



It may be urged that there is a class of peo- 

 ple who are never satisfied with anything, wlio 

 would grumble were even truth itself present- 

 ed them, but I am inclined to think such per- 

 sons are of themselves untruthful and to urg:' 

 that, as a reason why they have so little confi- 

 dence in others. One that is remarkably truth- 

 ful, is usually remarkably humble, and inclined 

 to be satislied with the world as he finds it; 

 to take a cheerful pleasant view of things as 

 they turn up, and to be pleased with the weath- 

 er, with Ills friends, with his wife and children, 

 with his schoolteacher, minister, grocer, all 

 those for whom he works, or who work for 

 him, and even with the editors of liis papers, 

 Bee Journals and all — I really dare not carry 

 it any farthei*. Well, you all agree I am sure, 

 that the disposition to always take a happy 

 and cheerful view of things is a most excellent 

 one, especiallii if they at the same time are faith- 

 ful earnest workers, always striving to make 

 the world a little pleasanter and to remedy the 

 evils that are always to be found all about us. 

 Chceruilness of the jiroper kind, never prevents 

 one from doing good in this world but on the 

 contrary, gives him a far greater pou'er. He 

 who can reprove and do it in a kind and pleas- 

 ant way, an 1 yet be lirm and decided, has a 

 tenfold greater ]iower over humanity than one 

 who gets cross and abuses iieople. 



If we were all perfectly truthful, we would 

 be content that the world should know us 

 just as we are ; and if we were content to lie 

 known just as we are, we would be relieved 

 of a world of care and trouble in trying con- 

 stantly to keep the "best side out." When we 

 had visitors, there would be no disposition to 

 makc_theni think our houses were c(^(rrt?/s neat 

 and tidy, our children always well behaved, 

 that they always had their hair neatly comb- 

 ed, tliat we always used proper language and 

 courtesy, and that we were always a pleasant 

 and happy family, etc., etc. It is not in our 

 homes alone, b^- any means, that we t ry to make 

 the world think we are more intelligent, more 

 wealthy, ]iav(! more intluence, a larger circle 

 of customers, that we are keener in buying 

 and selling, have brighter talents, better ed- 

 ucation, are more liberal, liave more subscrib- 

 ers — this last point hits so near liome that I 

 shall have to digress a little. 



