The Winchester home journal. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-11-21
NUMBER As.
The Panic

Ay.feomoH' IL contains moro truth IMAM
poetry. The articlcsays:
Times continue tight, Notwithstanding
daily dispatches that prospects are
bTightenins. Banks continue to fail.
and as usual, have ample assets to meet
all their liabilities
Tho plain Truth is, as people. 80 ato
dead broke We have been living too
fast. Young America has proved him.
self to be coxcomb, spendthrilt, a
conceited Top, and, Ito use favori,e
expression Of polished old friend Of
ours from Bald Knob, "a prasma,icsl
fool
Will the American people nsyet give
over the exporimen, OF living beyond
their income and getting rich at the same
time? Until they do, these panics will
occur periodically. We are extravagan,
in living, in dress. and in ideas. We
profess 10 be an independent and intelli.
gent people, but in the most trivial mat
tors we are the veriest slaves alive
We are, in TACT nation OF snols, and
the sooner We understand this fact this
sooner we shall sci, about its reform and
cease TO become laughing stock 10 all
Europe.
For instance, just look at our fashions,
We have not. in this vas, Republic,
taste enough to devise, nor independence
enough to follow our own fashions. We
depend on Paris for the cut OF our gar.
ments; ysr We do not follow the Paris
fashions. We lead them; we tu lcsquc
them. And herein we show on. snobsm.
One would think ths, il wo depend on
the taste Of others, we should pattern
strictly after Others. But no, We must
so liulo beyond. If Princess Eugenia
has hoopod pe,ticoat as big as bar.
rel, Eugenia Victoria SHOCKS, Of New
York, must have hoped petticoat ss
big as a hogshead. And if Eugenja
Victoria Shocks, Of New York, has q
poticoat as big as hogshold Mary Anr.
who navisates among the goods boxes
and mackerel barrels Of Frankfort, mus,
have a hoped peticoat as big as two
hog'hoaas, Princess Eugsnia is fashion.
able; Eugenia Victoria is fashionablet
and Mary Ann is fashonablest. And 50
We all Try to excel our neighbor. We
lress for other peoples eyes, and live 70,
other peoples envy. .tg
And the extravaganza in price keeps
pace with the extravaganza Of quantity
and quality ofour wearing apparel. For
tho making Of a coat we have TO pay as
much as the entire coat cost onr fathers.
When the governor was Of our age, six
or eight dollars would get him an elegan.
vest. The same article now cost his
hopeful son from thirteen TO eighteen
dollars. The silk required 10 make one
lress for our sister, would havo clothed
the entire female department Of our grand
fathers family.
Since the first Of January We have i'm
poItel silks, satins and other gimcracks
to tue value Of serenity foe millions Of
d,llarS. This blessed momcn. these
aumma dIddles are being packed about
the streets upon the backs Of the wives
and daughters OF men who are paying
three per cent. a month for money 10
enable them to weather the crisis And
yet men will gravely wonder at the ex.
traorlinsry tightness Of the money mar
ket. Editors will daily indict stupid
money articles, and talk ineifablo non.
sense about the tone Of bank converse.
tons and the depression Of financial
exhubercnce.' Nobody seems to know
anything abou, ii. People will talk,
surmise and prophecy until it gets to DO
an old story, and some poor devil sue.
ceeds in buying piano with Eolian at
,achmcnt, on a credit--thsn We shall DO
informed tina, confidence is restored, and
that money is plenty; ..,.....
The only permanent remedy Of these
money panics is retrcnchment. But will
the people retrench7 No, until rc,rench.
men, becomes fashionable. If the EN-.
press Of France should happen TO step
GU, soma morning in wrapper, there
would be spesiy collapse of potticoats
on this side Of the water. Our dear be.
ings,' who now resemble the pyramid Of
mys who sleep in lis base. Let US pray