BENEFICIAL BROTHERHOOD.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1141, 13 January 1874, Page 4

BENEFICIAL BROTHERHOOD.

The funny 1113.11 of the Canterbury Press thus writes; in a recent issue : There is a bosom friend of mine here. I have only known him a week, but he has money, and you would be surprised what rapid friendships I can strike up with men of precuniary qualities. Let us call him Shabblebaggs. He don't appear to do anything to earn a living, he always wears average coats and things, he asks you to drink and pays for it, and I wanted to know how this was done. " Explain to me, Shabblebaggs, of my soul,,' I said " how you exist thusly without remittances from loving parents in England, without working at all, without even an office. Explain to me this deep mystery." The gay S., however, only imparted to me one of his means of honest livelihood. He informed me that he was a member of nearly every benefit society going. He was a Mason, an Oddfellow, a Forester, a Druid, a Bleating Buffalo, and lots more besides. " But how did you raise the money to pay your entrance fee, my .Shabblebaggs," I asked. " Why," sa ys Shab, " I gave my lOTJ to the first society I joined, and then borrowed enough money from a brother to pay for my entrance into the second. I then borrowed enough from another brother in the second society to pay my JOTJ to the first, and then borrowed from two brothers in thejirst, and so on. So loi.g as you pick your men properly you can do well, only it does not do to stay too long in one place:" This is quite an old game in commercial matters I know, but I never knew it practised in benefit society business before. I thought of trying it myself,' but I'm' not smart, enough. Having come to this 'conclusion I now think Shabblebaggs a loathsome object. We often think thusly of smarter men than ourselves. Its quiteaprevalenthabit even here.