Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1850-01-17
Living and Means.

/
is that which charac,erizes certain individuals
as destitute Of financial capacity A "kind
amlabie, generous, good sort of man." $50 runs
me varnish,) blu, utterly unqualified for the
management of his own fnances"-"a mere
child In everything relating to money" &C. &c
- meaning that with an income of $500 a year
he persisted in spending 900; or with an
income Of $4,000. he has regularly spent five
10 eigh, thousand, according to his ability TO
run In deb, or the creduiiy Of others in trusting
him.
The victims of This immorality-deb,or as
we'll as crediior-are entitled to more faithful
dealing at the hands of those not directly affect
ed by the msdemeanors of The former 1t is
The duty OF The community to rebuke and re-
dress these pernicious CLOSES, making the
truth heard and fell that inordlnate expenditure
ls knavery and crime. No man has moral
right thus TO lavish on his own appeu,es money
which he has not earned and does no, really
need. If Public Opinion were sound on this
subJect--li man living beyond his means when
his means were commensurate with his real
needs, were subjected 10 The apprehension he
deserres-the evil would be Instantly checked
and ultimately eradica,ed
The world is full of people who can't imag-
inc why they dont prosper like their nerghbors.
when the real obstacle is moi in banks or tariffs,
in bad public policy nor hard times, bu, in their
own extravaganza and needless oslenta,ion -
The young mechanic or clerk marres and takes
house, which he proceeds 10 furnish twice as
expensively as he can afford, and then his wife
instead OF aking hold 10 help him earn a live
iihood by doing her own work, mus, have
hired servant TO help her spend his limited
earnings. Ten years af,erward you will find
him struggling on under double load Of debts
and children, wondering Why The luck was al
ways against him, while his friends regre, his
unhappy destilu,ion of financial ability Had
they from The first been frank and honest, he
need not have been so unlucky.
Through every grade of society this vice of
nordinate expenditure insinuates itself. The
single man hired oui" in The country a, len
to fifteen dollars per month, who con,rives TO
dissolve his years earnings in frocs and fine
clothes; The clerk who has three to FIVE hun
dred dollars year and melIs down twenty TO
fifty OF il into liquor and cigars, are paraeed by
The young merchant who fills spaciou. house
with costly furniture, gives dinners and drives
fast horse on The strength of the proits he ex-
pecls TO realize when his goods are all sold
and his noles all paid. Lei a man have a ge-
MUS for spending, and whether his income is a
dollar day or dollar minute it is equally
certain 10 prove inadequate. If dining, wining
and parry giving won't help him through with
il, building, gaming and Specializing will be
sure 10. The bollomless pocket will never
fill, no mailer how bounieous the stream pouring
into H. The man who (being single) does no u
save money on six dollars per week will not be
apl 10 on sixty; and he who does not lay up
something in his first year of independent exer-
riop will be pretty likely 10 wear poor mans
HAIR into his grave.
No man who has The natural use of his fac.
uliies and his muscles has any right 10 TAX
others with The COST Of his support as This
class of non financial gentlemen habilually do.
il is their common mistake 10 fancy that if a
deb, is only paid al last, the obligation Of the
debtor is fulfilled, but the fact is not so. A
man who sells his property for anolher's prom
ise 10 pay next week or next month"; and is
compelled 10 wear out pair OF boots in running
after his due, which he finally gets after year
or two, is never really paid. Very often, he
has lost half The face Of his demand by not hav-
ing the money when he needed il, beside The
cost and yexaIion Of running after it. There is
just one way 10 pay an obligaiiun in full, and
I iha, is 10 pay it when dee. He who keeps up
a running fight with bills and loans through
! life is continually living on other mems means,
! is serious burden and detriment TO those
who deal with him. although his estate should
/ finally pay every dollar Of his legal obligations
! lnordinate expenditure is the cause of a
grea, share Of The crime and consequent misery
which devas,ate the world. The clerk who
spends more than he earns is fast qualifying
himself for a gambler and thief; The trader or
mechanic who overruns his income is very
certain 10 become in time trckster aud q
cheat. Wherever you see man spending
faster than he earns, there look out for villains
| TO be developed. though il be the far,hest thing
possible from his present thought.
When The world shall have become wiser
and its standard of morality more lofty, IL will
perceive and affirm tina, profuse expenditures,
even by one who can pecunarily afford II. is
pernicous and snjusiifable-s that man, how
ever wealthy. has no right TO lavish on his
own appetlles, his tastes or his os'eniaIion 'hai
which might have raised hundreds from des'l-
tuition and despair TO comfort and usefulness
But that is an improvement in public sentiment
which must be waited for while the other Is
more ready and obvious.
The mesnness, the dishonesty, The iniqui'y
of squandering thousands unearned, and keep
ing Others out of money that is justly theirs.