of stopping this pressing need with a few
fleeting shillings, will teach thee a little of
his wisdom, so that thou mayst in time reach
a position similar to that which he occupies ?
Far better will it be for thee to get a few
grains of that knowledge which is power,
rather than a few grains of that patronage,
assistance, or charity, which power is able to
give.

The moment that a man becomes largely
in debt, he blossoms out into a respectable
and responsible member of society. It is not,
as many suppose, that he has earned this
character before he became entrusted with
the property of others. A very little ability,
a certain degree of boldness and assurance,
a taking exterior, and a willingness to
contract to pay the market rate of interest and
a little more, will place him in possession of
capital beyond the dreams of avarice.  Once
master of the position, he is invested with all
the qualities and virtues that inspire admiration,
confidence, and respect. If he wants
raw produce, he has merely to hold up his
finger, and a dozen ships are loaded for him
in the ports of the world. If he wants the
fabricated article, he has merely to breathe a
wish, and mountainous waggons hasten to
unload their heavy treasures at his gate. If
he covets that precious metal (or its
representatives) which divines call filthy lucre, and
economists circulating medium, he has but to
send in his card to any banker, and have a
sack of it shovelled to him as if it was dirt.
These are the gross and material advantages
of being in debt—serving as the basis for a
superstructure of higher things.

First, there is the immense advance in
social position. What doors are closed to
the large and noble debtor ? What dinner
parties would be considered perfect without
him? How many needy men are anxious to
sit near him at the table, in the hope of learning
something useful to guide them in the
path which he has seemingly followed with
such distinguished success? Who would
think of a public meeting without the gigantic
debtor in the chair? If a trustee is wanted
for a charitable fund, who so fit and proper
to be appointed as the leviathan debtor?

If a public company or a joint-stock enterprise
is flagging for various reasons, what is
wanted to put it firmly and flourishingly
upon its legs?—The chairmanship of the
enterprising debtor! Did any wild scheme
ever commend itself to popular notice, or
endeavour to strike root, without sending one
of its earliest prospectuses to the energetic
and prosperous debtor?—Never!

Is a cellar of choice wine—a rare work of
art—a palatial mansion standing upon one of
the finest sites in the Metropolis—advertised
for sale without an eye to the daring debtor?
—I am afraid not. If a seat in Parliament
is vacant, who so fit a man to fill it as the
active, practical debtor ? As to minor offices
—common-councillorships, churchwardenships,
directorships, &c., &c., how many of
those are humbly and diffidently proffered to
the massive debtor? Would he like to enter
into a more tender and interesting engagement,
how many high and delicate ladies are
waiting the commands of their parents, to be
sold like cattle to the all-conquering debtor?

Then there is the almost affectionate interest
taken in nearly everything that happens
to the pampered debtor. If he falls ill, what
crowds of people—chiefly creditors—are day
after day anxiously consulting his physician,
and inquiring after his health. If he meets
with an accident, what a number of persons—
chiefly creditors—come hurriedly forward
with pressing kindness to know if it is likely
to be fatal. Many of these kind creatures—
chiefly creditors—even go the length of
insuring the life of the important debtor for a
considerable sum, so strongly does their interest
in him develop itself. If the mammoth
debtor goes upon a continental tour for a
lengthened period, how many persons—chiefly
creditors are waiting anxiously to give him
a joyous welcome back. If his house, or
warehouse, is accidentally burned down, what
a number of persons—chiefly creditors—are
at once upon the spot to render assistance,
and ascertain, if possible, what insurances
there are—what amounts, and in what offices.

If the bloated debtor by any chance
becomes a defendant in a lawsuit, what a
number of persons—chiefly creditors—wish
themselves on the jury to try the cause. If it
happens to be a Chancery suit, how they
watch for every manifestation and decision,
as if the spoiled debtor was their only child,
going up for some momentous examination.
If he ever gets in a position to require heavy
bail, the difficulty is not so much in procuring
one satisfactory surety, as in picking from
the number offering their services and their
bonds. If by any possible combination of
circumstances a Titanic debtor could be
accused of robbery, or even murder, what a
number of trusting individuals—chiefly
creditors—with a faith quite touching in its
constancy, would believe in his innocence to
the very last.  When the farce is over and
the curtain dropped; when the giant debtor
has ceased to borrow or to lend; when the
springs that moved him are found to be an
inextricable web of confusion, the guide to
which is lost; although the whole glittering
fabric of apparent prosperity melts like an
icicle in the sun, and many persons—chiefly
creditors—find that they have been gilding a
gingerbread king, still the semblance of
wealth, and the confidence that it excites,
will cling to him to the last, as he makes a
triumphal entry into the grave.

Seeing that no particular or extraordinary
talent is required for debt; seeing that one
man is as well adapted for it as another; I
am surprised more persons do not adopt this
very easy and agreeable mode of getting a
living. The ice once broken, every succeeding