Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1857-10-21
The Monetary Crisis.

The public need not to be told that we are in
the midst of an extraordinary financial crisis
From day to day the aspect grows darker, and the
most clear sighted processes not to discern the end
thereof 1t is subject that interests ALTO know
the cause, and if possible, to findthe remedy.
THEopoRE PARKER, the great apostle Of the
humanitary movement of the nineteenth century,
in some recent remarks on the producing cause of
the present crisis, says that it may be stated in
the simple words, the American people do not
love money" This is an astounding assertion
Not loue Money! Why, the opinion of nine tenths
of readers, on first reading it, will be the same
as was ours-that the statement is false We have
thought, as have Others, that the American people
loved money.
! But men ore often unwittingly in error And
able source, it is well for every one to study it.
Perhaps, reflection, the public will become
convinced, as we have, that it is TRUE. ~
Americans love not money, neither do they
worship at its shrine. They love dress, display,
show, pomp, parade. They bow down and do,
IL
lavish immense sums of money for costly apparel
and useless ornaments They lead the men. And
to keep up appearances in the midst of so much
display, the sterner sex initiate therextravagance
In their haste and rivalry, both go beyond their
means, without considering the fatal results that
must be experienced by themselves and those who
may pattern from them. And while both sexes
lavish money on display in their social relations,
the business men of the land fall into still more
grevous error in their commercial transactions
They love not money. They issue bills, drafts and
checks Their gold they send off to England for
finery with which to deck themselves their families
and their houses so that while our countryis rent
in twain, all for the want of gold England and the
Canadas have plenty, and to spare.
| The American people love not money. The
ladies, and too, throw it away on finery as il
the tabled wealth of the Indies was poured out at
their feet; or the dark science of alchemy had
yielded up its secret, and the philosophers stone
had at last been discovered. Then with these
raiments of costly apparel, they traverse the
streets, and stand in the public places if there
was merit in making such display.
The Americans love not money. The wiser
Englishman boards his wealth lives and is con-
tent to pass his life in small house that many
of our countrymen would call q howell" situated
in an obscure and perhaps questionable street.
The American can live nowhere but in the most
fashionable street, and splendid house, fitted out
as paace-like as possible. The Engshman lives
on plain fare; the American gives feasts and ban
quets. The Englishman fills his Golfers with gold ;
the American if asked to change tcn-dollar bill,
has not specie enough about him. Sober sense
rules the Englishman; Young America" or the
devil flies away with the American.
But too late to prevent many a disastrous fail
urc, comes the knowledge that we have exchanged
our gold for things of far less value. A part we
have sent to England and France for silks, broad
cloths, and other comparatively useless articles of
great cost, and part we have converted into Jew.
elry of more show than use. SO that while the
old world is rejoicing in plenty of bullion, we have
only the fine dresses and ornaments, which arc
greatly deprecated in valuc and q miserable
Shado0, pape-money, instead of the substance
GOLD.
A plain lesson is taught. Although we have
previously thought that Americans were guilty of
worshipping gold to far too great an extent. we
are now ready to say, with Mr. PARKER-"lo love
gold more;" with only this one qualification
LOVE DISPLAY LESS.
----------