Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-01-12
BUY ONLY WHAT YOU WANT.

To buy nothing you do no: want is 6
maxim as old almns. a society itself. Bn
il is also one that is continually slipping ouI
of mind, and which cannot, therefore, be
brought forward again too frequently
Spending money, in fact, is vice comm ION
to human nature. Where one man degrades
himself by being miser, len run constan,
peril of running themselves by extravaganza
II is so fine 10 TO have elegant furniture, ia
live in a handsome house, or to dress ones
wife and children in rich apparel, tha. it re-
quires an unusual degree of irmress, espe-
cially in This prosperous age. to resist the
temptation. If everybody was compelled
to pay cash for such qualifications there
would be some slight check on this tenden-
CIV TO useless expenditure. But credit is so
ca silly obtained in this country, and buyers
day comes, that thousands cf families are in
are sangune of being ready when settling
duced annually to chippe their future com
forts, by indulglng in present follies. Hall
the meH ho reach old aye impoverished ;
and perhaps even a greater number, owe
their dependent condition, al The saddles, Of
all times to be beggared, to early eXlrava-
gence.
If we were all to buy only what we want
ed, this would not be. We were far from
recommending nigardIv parsimony; for one
Of The purposes of wealth Is that il sh ould
be distributed in encouraging trade and the
arts. But sill even the wealthiesl, with
few exceptions frequently buv what they
do not want; while those less favored inces-
sanly violate this golden rule. The preacher,
lawyer or physician, attracted by some new
and costly book. persuades himself that bis
profession requires he should have it, and
spends on II sum that he often needs for
m"Ie necessary purposes before the year is
over. The wife. charmed by new style Of
d ess lsvishes away her money, is delighted
for a while, but lives to repent it, if she is a
" oman of sense. The father, proud of his
daug ughter.thInks no expense too great TO graf
ify her whims. The young man, fond OF
horses, does not stop to coun, the cash when
covellng famous lroller. The fashona-
ole couple, who like TO be surrounded
with mirrors, pictures and fine furniture
generally .squander money disproportionaie-
ly on such costly gewgaws. Yet all learn
sooner or laier, Ia rprret VIA, rhev h4re
Zone, since they find they have added no.
thing to their happiness, as tens of thou.
sands have discovered before; after buying
what i!,ey did no! really want.
Ffanklin's homely story about the whistle,
would be we'll 10 be remembered by Us alI
II is not enough that purchase stalifes US
at The time. To be judcious expendi-
,ure, il should be such one as We can re-
Gu; 10 afterwards with satisfaction. If Mrs
A., when she moves into her new house,
spends much money en- furniture that
her husbands dinners suffered by ii, is
he moi paying too. dear for his whistle !?
II Mrs. 3. gives SO elegant party 20 her
friends ,ha. the housekeeper is slinted ali
the res! Of tie winter; j! b.rs. c., by going
10 Cape May with her daughters, makes
such an inroad on her husbands salary, lha,
his old Goa. has to las. anolhe. winter;
i! Mrs. D's. piano for that prodigy, "OuI
Nsrlanne," takes the eatnings Of whole
We ks-wha! is ail this but paying two
dear for the whistle? Whenever we buy
wins! we don't want, we deprive ourselves
Of things we really require. To be wise is
To err, il any Thing, on The other side. II we
deny ourselves illIe, if we learn to buy
nothing until we are sure we wan, ii, we
shall both avoid its perls and extavsgsnce
and discipline our characters, snid The hur-
ry and lemp'arions of this world.