Mr. Beecher Advised Young Men To Get In Debt If They Could To A Small

amount in the purchase of land, in the country districts. "If a young

man," he says, "will only get in debt for some land and then get

married, these two things will keep him straight, or nothing will."



This may be safe to a limited extent, but getting in debt for what you eat

and drink and wear is to be avoided. Some families have a foolish habit

of getting credit at "the stores," and thus frequently purchase many

things which might have been dispensed with.



It is all very well to say; "I have got trusted for sixty days, and if I

don't have the money the creditor will think nothing about it." There is

no class of people in the world, who have such good memories as creditors.



When the sixty days run out, you will have to pay. If you do

not pay, you will break your promise, and probably resort to a

falsehood. You may make some excuse or get in debt elsewhere to pay it,

but that only involves you the deeper.



A good-looking, lazy young fellow, was the apprentice boy, Horatio. His

employer said, "Horatio, did you ever see a snail?" "I - think - I -

have," he drawled out. "You must have met him then, for I am sure you

never overtook one," said the "boss."



Your creditor will meet you or overtake you and say, "Now, my young friend,

you agreed to pay me; you have not done it, you must give me your note."

You give the note on interest and it commences working against you; "it is a

dead horse."



The creditor goes to bed at night and wakes up in the morning better off

than when he retired to bed, because his interest has increased during

the night, but you grow poorer while you are sleeping, for the interest

is accumulating against you.



Money is in some respects like fire; it is a very excellent servant but

a terrible master. When you have it mastering you; when interest is

constantly piling up against you, it will keep you down in the worst

kind of slavery.



But let money work for you, and you have the most devoted servant in

the world. It is no "eye-servant." There is nothing animate or inanimate

that will work so faithfully as money when placed at interest, well secured.



It works night and day, and in wet or dry weather.



I was born in the blue-law State of Connecticut, where the old Puritans

had laws so rigid that it was said, "they fined a man for kissing his

wife on Sunday." Yet these rich old Puritans would have thousands of

dollars at interest, and on Saturday night would be worth a certain

amount; on Sunday they would go to church and perform all the duties of

a Christian.



On waking up on Monday morning, they would find themselves

considerably richer than the Saturday night previous, simply because

their money placed at interest had worked faithfully for them all day

Sunday, according to law!





Do not let it work against you; if you do there is no chance for success

in life so far as money is concerned. John Randolph, the eccentric

Virginian, once exclaimed in Congress, "Mr. Speaker, I have discovered

the philosopher's stone: pay as you go."



This is, indeed, nearer to the philosopher's stone than any alchemist has ever yet arrived.