The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-03-22
A False Excuse for Extravagance.


A False Excuse for I~xtravagance.
-
Ii is frequently urged, in excuse for extrsv.
sgant living, that The moneyspent in This way
stimulates business If Mrs. Poiiphar gives
a thousand dollar party we aretold that cum
is not wasted, but affords employnenlto con.
feciioners, florliculturisls, wine merchants
and cabmen. If she buys a hundred dollar
silk, the justification is that il is good for trade.
II she spends fifty dollars for a new spring
bonnet, the defencs is that it helps the poor
| millines.
But it is unfortunate for these apologists Of
extravaganza, that a large portion Of what
are called he '~uxures of lie arc OF iorsign
production, SO that the money spen, on them
does not benefit American workmen al all,
but goes abroad, after paying a slight prof.
ii TO the importer. The laces, silks and 9TH
er finer fabrics, which have been INDUCED
in 10 such q frightiul extent Of late sears,
come from across the Atlantic; and SO do The
wines, and many other of the unnecessary
things purchased by men. If The millions
Of dollars annually s~quanderej on these foiiies
We're retained 10 America, in order 10 be
spent on similar articles manufactured here,
there might be moro force in the apology
that ex,ravagance hurts nobody, unless ii is
the spsndthfifi himself.
But The whole excuse is based on a soph.
istry. Between Dives, who d~issipales his in-
come in riotous living, and MIR. Poiiphar,
who spends ii in display and luxury, there
is really no difference, IN the estimation Of
the political economist, whatever there may
be in The BYE of the moralisl. Neither Of
these persons benefit society by their expen-
dilure, beyond the mere sums lavishe on
their qualification. But the man who lives
within his income, and who employs the bal
ance in the shape OF capital, seisgoing a con.
tinual spring OF encouragement to industry.
The stock builds a railroad, or starts a facto-
~; the railroad OF factory gives emplopmen,
10 w0rkmen the work men, with their wages
buy clothes and provisions, aud linus every
department OF business and trade is assisted
in turn, Money, when jndiciously invested,
is productive; it makes other money; ii cir
~culates, like the blood, actively through the
great body OF society. But money, squan-
dered on mere articles of luxury, brings back
nc increases. The economiser by becom.
ing a capilalia, is able TO employ labor con-
i%inually; but The spendthrifl can only employ
labor to the extent of his income.
We eau illustrate this by a reference TO the
presen, condition OF the United States. Rail.
roads, ii il acknowledged, do wonders ia
developing the resources of a'people, We
Americans have spent six hundred million 6
in building railroads already, and have not
yet constructed more than half the number
that the wants Of the country require. Even
10 set q going what we have, we have been
compelled to borrow in Europe. Suppose
our people. instead of living SO extravaganza
ly, had saved fifty millions, annually, for The
last Eve years: and they could have easily
saved this amount by cuiiing off some of
their foreign Injuries, without even touching
those of home manufacture. This would
have given us, as a community, two hun
dred and fifty millions more 10 build railroads
with, or TO e~xiiosuish the foreign debt to
that amount, if we preferred thai course
But this large sum is lost 10 us forever, gone
abroad neverM return. A hundred millions
more, spent on Americana made luxu.ics, are
vanished as hopelessly, having done little
good excepting to stimulate high prices, and
infect all classes with the extravaganza of
n - 10 p. AH I'll 2ZEH -L" EI
The rich.
AS a people, or as individuals. there is but
one wise course for us, and that is economy.
Thers is little danger that Americans genef-
ally will ever be misers tho national course
is ex,ravasance; and, therefore, We say
"savs, save, SAVE "--Leder.