Litchfield enquirer., 1855-06-07
A Short Letter Oh Extravaganza.
"a little house well filed"


New England people pride themselves on
their sober good sense, especially as applied
to the ar, of living. They fatter themselves
that they know how TO make the most and
the best of their conditions and MEANS
And the southern or western man sometimes
snee.s at our cute calculations for saving our
money. Yet we are bold enough to say,
that in many particulars, New England
men, aye, New England farmers, are the
most extravaganza people in the world. We
intend to speak to that class of our farmers
who are owners of the farms they till, and
who are ambitious to live in as good style
as other people; not to the poor and desti-
tute, but to the substantial citizen farmer.
"The farmer extravagant!' We seem to
hear echoed and re-echoed, on every side.
Do We not work early and latei DO not
our wives give their whole time to labor
do We not constantly study economy, and
talk economy and save everv cent that can
possibly be saved I" Perhaps you do all
this, our friend and brother. Almost every
man works too hard in New England, and
has too little leisure, and great many men
are continually preaching economy, and
thus making families uncomfortable, by
complaining that their expenses are too
great, and that they cannot afford to eat, and
drink, and wear, what is proper and decent,
when the fault is entirely their own. Let
us name some of the particulars in which
not only farmers, butmost others, who have
homes of their own, five extravagan,ly !;
that is to say live beyond their means-live
in a style that rather detracts from, than
promotes the comfort of the family.
Our houses are too large, and too costly.
We have, usually, one or two rooms that
are mere y for show; aparlor, perhaps two,
with folding doors between, that are only
open for company, that are toe nice for
children to play in, too large to be warmed
readily in winter, in short like a dandy, too
nice for anything useful. And then, often
there is part Of the house unfinished. d
large attic which might accommodate small
family, occupied by few old boxes Of
white beans. and few punches of catnip
and penny-royai,a land some broken chairs and
a cradle. This upper story was probably
put on because you wanted house as large
as your neighbours. Now house should in
some measure. fit family, as suit of
clothes should fit an individual. Although
il Is not, perhaps, always safe to count your
children before they are born, and therefore
the capacity of your house must often be by
estimation, yet every where are houses going
up, with the perfect understanding that
considerable part of tine room is to be use
less, either kept for an annual party, or to
remain unfinished. If we who plan and
build such houses, would reflect upon it
fairly, we should see that no rational man
would entertain for Us any more respect, for
living in house which we do not fill, than
for wearing suit Of clothes made for an in
dividual Of twice our size. 49,.
Let Us have "a little house well filled. :
with no spare room except chamber, for
our friends. and no lumber room Of garret
for ghosts, and rats. and mice to inhabit---
The thousand dollars which even careful
men generally expend, in building :" house
to liseain," merely TO conform 70 fashion, or
an architectural within, costs the poor wife
and children many lecture upon penny
economy which might otherwise have been
spared. And when you have bnilt or pur-
chased house too large fak your wants, the