o not come to the vicious and idle and
worthless, but to the most worthy, industrious, talented, reliable and
enterprising, those who will be the most productive in their fields of
effort. Its very approach is flattering and therefore so hard to
resist.

A bright, intelligent, noble young man with high aims and worthy
purposes yearns for an education, but the opportunities seem to be
denied him; but there is a fund at low interest at his service.

A lively, energetic young man, with industrious and economical habits,
is anxious to engage in business; his youth, character and energy
bring the loan to his feet.

The young man with pure yearning for domestic life and a home, with a
reputation that is above reproach and of commendable energy and
thrift, has a home pressed upon him, to be paid for in long-time
payments. He can fill it with furniture "on the installment plan."
With intellectual taste, he can fill his library with just the books
he desires "on the installment plan." Is he musical in his taste, he
can fill his parlor with musical instruments "on the installment
plan." His needs and tastes can all be gratified at once by incurring
debt. To avoid debt there must be a determined and unremitted effort
to resist. Few have been able to escape. The aggregate of private
indebtedness can not be told.

Few manufacturing plants are free from debt. They are usually carrying
all the load their credit enables them to secure. Railroads and other
corporations are under bonded debts that tax their trade to the utmost
to sustain.

Counties and municipalities have caught the contagious habit. Bonds
are issued to build school houses, town halls, viaducts, water-works,
and pave streets.

There lies on this table a list of all the cities in this great land,
the United States, with their number of inhabitants and their bonded
debts. There are but six small cities in the long list without debt.
In some the amount is enormous, the city debt in cases running up to
one hundred and one hundred and fifty, and two hundred dollars per
inhabitant. That is, there is a city debt on each man, woman and child
of two hundred dollars. On this amount interest must be paid, twelve
dollars per year, one dollar per month for every man, woman and
child.

There lies also on the table a report of the financial condition of
the nearest great city. It is rendered in a cheerful mood and declares
the city's credit "tip top." The indebtedness is eigh