The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-10-28

sots, and cowa1ds." So it is the only
object of American desire. OF course,
all men are eager to get it, and so rush
into trade, the favorite business ot
America. Business here is ntirely free
from old restraints, political, ccclesias-
tical, or social, and so there is wide
field for new commercial experiment.
On the whole, our American experiment
of industrial democracy succeeds very
well. The increase of property and Of
population is enormous. In / 500 years
France only doubled her population
twice What was five millions in the
year $50, under Antonirus Pi s, was
only twenty millions in 1850 under
Louis XIV, while in GO years America
has doubled her population four times,
and what was three millions in 1870,
was more than twenty-four millions in
1850 In some States the growth seems
fabulous. Ia 1880, .Algiers became a
French province, and the government
sought to stimulate emigration thithcr :
but in 1887 there we're not l25, 900 Eu
ropeans in Algicrs, while in ten years
the State of Wisconsin has gone up from
nothing to 100000 men. The increase
of taxable property is quite as remarka-
bic. Fifty-sevcn years ago Massachu-
setts was only worth ninety-seven mil
lions of taxable property; to-day she is
worth more than ten times that apaoat,t,
her annual earnings being three hundred
millions. Our experiment, then, has
been pretty successful.
Thoughtful men, eager TO be rich, and
leave distinction to their children. buy
up lands in adEanee of population, build
railroads, and in the old States, they
seize the great rivers and develope man
ufacturcs, perhaps little faster than
the state of the uation, in its present pc
cuniary embarrassment, would justify.
Still more, within few years. mines oil
gold have been discovered in California
and Australia, which have produced re-
suits not yet compreherded. It has
affected the price of all things, and as no
one knows what quantity Of gold is to be
obtained, nobody knows how high the
prices will go, bGt very sanguine men
suppose they will rise a great ways
above their present value, and SO many
buy for future market. Hence comes
that textravagance of speculation in grain,
sugar, coal, and especially in land
This, the preacher said, he supposed was
unavoidablc-ore Of the incidents of our
success.
All this was very cncouFaging-it was
a step forward aud upward; but it was
attended with certain great evils, which,
collectively, are the causes Of the pres
cut distress. There is a great eztraEa-
gence of expenditure. Perhaps no min
lister was less severe OF the indulgence
in luxuries than he was, because he saw
the functions Inexperienced and, be-
sides, he never saw house too comfort
able for men and women, or dresses too
elegant, though he had seen a great ma
ny houses and dresses too costly for the
wearer's means. Look at the general
style of dress among women--ils exceed
ing costliness: not only among our rich,
but everywhere, except among the very
poor, who would, but cannot. The fault
is not with the women, who bear all the
blame, and are the butts alike for the
satirist's wit and the minister's dullness.
If men wished women to be clad in sack
cloth, it would be done before to, morrow
night: for though woman has greater
love of decoration than man, it is far less
than her desire to please him. And,
indeed, the very love of dress is with
her more loyc of pleasing others than
a feeling of self satisfaction. Then comes
the increased cost of ships, houses, shoIs,
banks, offices and the like, which rem
ders the transaction of business more
costly. Then taere is the increased ex-
pense of city, town and State govern
mcnts, and the foolish and wicked waste
of municipal money. Though the prop
erty of Massachusetts has increased ten
fold within few years, the ratio of tax
alton has doubled, and in some cases
trebled. Then there are the idlers.--
In the town of Somewhere lives Mr..
Manygirls. He is toiling merchant,
his wife hatd- working housekeeper.-
Once they were poor: now they are ru-
inously rich. They have seven daughters,
whom they train up in utter idleness,-i
They are all donothiDgs. They spend
much money, but not in works of hu-
nanity: not even in elegant accomplish
nents, in painting, daucing, music, ana
he like. so paying in spiritual beauty
what they take in material means. They
never read nor sing; they are know no.
hings, and only walk in vain show, as
lscless as ghost, and as ignorant as
he block on which their bonnets were /
made. Now, these seven ladies" las |
he newspapers call the poor things, so
and helplcss), are not only
die, and earn nothing, but they consume
much. What load of fnery is on their
houlders, and heads, and nccks MIR.
lanygirls hires many men and women