To antagonize the man who owes us results in loss of
his friendship ; and it may do more — we will probably
get his ill-will besides. This does not help the collector
and will not be a good thing for the house. Civility is
always better than its antithesis; it will get more busi-
ness and more money. Underneath it, however, the
collector is supposed to keep in mind, first, last and all
the time, what he is after, and bend every effort in that
direction. Sympathy, too, for conditions must not be
lacking, for there are circumstances many times where
sympathy and leniency should not be withheld. The
bonds of sympathy beget confidence, and confidence
between men, whether in buying, selling or collecting,
is an important factor.
The collector should also be able to determine in
his own mind the debtor's capacity and general ability
as a business man and manager. He should have a
quick eye for taking in the surroundings and general
tone of the business.
Over and above all, the collector should be a good
judge of stocks of goods and of property generally as
to value and convertibility. He must always bear in
mind that at forced sale, or in the event of trouble,
property will not bring cost, and that accounts are not
worth their face value.
The good collector also knows something about
law. He knows what exemptions may be claimed by
the debtor, knows the rights and privileges granted by



14 CREDITS AND COLLECTIONS

the law to both plaintiff and defendant, and has a fair
idea of legal procedure in general.
