Weekly Trinity journal., 1857-08-01
Habits Of Economy.

How many dollars. or how many bits have
YOU spent reader, during the past week for pur-
poses entirely useless how much money have
You expended in drinks and cigars, and other
articles which have done you no good, aud the
cost of which you mi ght just as well have saved
There are few, we believe. who read this, who
can answer the above questions by saying none,
few, we believe, who have not expended, during
the past week, greater or less sum, which they
had much better have kept.
For those who can afford it-for those whose
fortunes are already made. or whose business is
of n character which will warrant it, il is very
we'll and very proper to indulge moderately
in the luyures OF life but until such point
is reached and with view to r. aching it, habits
of economy should be cultivated, aud nowhere is
there so much necessity for their cultivation as
there is here in California, and nowhere will their
results be so beneficial Formerly in the flush
times when money was plenty, and nobody
thought of such a thing MS being poor, when there
seemed to be no necessity for the practice OF the
virtue OF economy. ii was not practlsed, and II
forgrtfulncss of its necessity, and disregard of
its importance, has been engrated upon the resi-
dents of California, at the present day, in very
different kind Of times from those which existed
a few years ago.
That, collectively, We are very eXtravagant it
requires only glance at the mimOnthly list of
treasure exported from the state OF California to
provc A large portion Of the four or five mill
ions of dollars which leave san Francisco every
month, goes out to pay for foreign adultcrated
liquors. cigars silk dresses, and other articles,
which we could Just as we'll do without. lndi-
vidually, too. we are lacking sadly in economical
habits. We smoke more cigars, and drink more
liquor in San Francisco, than do the people OF
any other city of our size ia the United States.
We will here treat this matter only III a pecuni-
ary light and now let us see how much, in the
course of year, a man who Is in the daily habit
of indu ging in these luXurics, eNpends for them
Few who are in the habit of smoking, for instance,
smoke less than three cigars day these cost
thrty-seven and a half cents and thirty seven
/ and half cents a day, amounts in year to
nearly one hundred and thirty yseven dollars
And then man who is in the habit of drinking,
cannot well get through the day, without eXpend-
ing half dollar day, amounts to one hundred
and eighty two dollars year. 80 that, at very
moderate estimate, q mun who drinks and smokes
here spends about three hundred and twenty dol
lars n wear for these uXuries. We have particu-
larized these articles because they are prominent
ones of consumption here and the cost OF them
will serve as examples Of the cost of great mum
bers Of other things in which we eXpend our
money, and which really are of no use or service
! to rs.
With the practice Of economy, there is no rea-
son why any Young man. in good health, and
with ordinary abilities, should not, in very few
years residence in California, make himself in
dependent of the world in peCuniary sense and
there is no country where, by improvdence and
rccklessness n man can easily keep himself
poor as he can here 1t is a saying as true as il
| is old that if you take care Of the pennies the
dollars will take care Of themselves and it Is
equally true, that thoughtess. careless eXpen-
diture of the pennies will result in continued
poverty. 1t is not what thee makes but what
thee saves that will make thee rich, said an old
Quaker to his son, when he started him out into
the world to fight the battle of life and there is
a world Of truth in the remark.
There are great inducements offered Tor the
cultivation of economical habits. If you save
your money, you will, ere long, be possessed OF
a competency There is before you home Of
your own, located upon some pretty, grassy bill
side. OF the future, where all you love live IN
happiness There is the respect Of all who know
YOU there is calm and happy condition o
mind which is produced by freedom from the
harassing cares aud annoyances Of poverty, and
a consciousness which will make you feel proud
and manly, that to your own eXertions, TO the
practice of self denial, to determination to sue
ceed, yon owe your position. All these, Will la
b0r and economy bring to you, and all these are
desirable things in lfe.-.dha, 25h uk