Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-09-16
From the Maine Farmcr.l
Live Within Your Means.

tue hdlUt
Live Within Your Means.
We don't like stinginess. w,
don't like economy" when it come,
down to rags and starvation. W.
have no sympathy with the notion that
the poor man should hitch himself tc
post and stard still while the rest ot
the world moves forward. 1t is nc
mans duty to deny himself of every
amusement, every luxury, every com
fort, every recreation that he may be-
come rich. 1t is no mans duty to
make an iceberg of himsclf-to shut
his eyes and ears to the suiferings OF
his fellows--and to deny himself the
enjoyment that results from generous
actions-merely that he may hoard
wealth for his heirs to quarrel about.
But there is yet an economy which
severy mans duty, and which is spec
ially commendable in the man who
struggles with poverty-an economy
which is consistent with happiness
and which must be practicel if the
poor AN would secure independence
1t is every mans privilege. and it
/ becomes his duty to live within his
means; not UP to, but within them
Wealth does not make the man, we
admit, and should never be taken into
account in our judgement of them
But competence should be secured
when it can; and it almost always can
DC. 10y the practice of economy and
Seii-dcnlal to only tolerable extent.
1t should be secured, not so much for
others to look upon. or to raise us in
the estimation of others, as to secure
the consciousness of independence, and
the constant satisfaction that is derived
from Its requirement and possession.
We would like to impress this sim
gle fact upon the mind of every labor
ing man who may read this short arti-
cle-that it is possible for him to rise
above poverty, and that thes path TO
independence, though beset with tolls
and elf-sacriice. is much pleasanter
to the traveller than any one he can en-
ter upon.
The man that feels that he is earn
ing something more than he if
spending, will walk the streets with
a much lighter heart, and enter his
home with much more cheerful coun-
tenance, than he who spends as he goes,
or falls gradually behind his necessi-
ties in acquiring the means of meeting
them.
Next to the Slavery of Intemper-
ance, there is no Slavery on earth 'aore
Calling than that of Poverty and in
debtedness. The man who is every
body's debtor is every body's Slave,
and in worse condition than he who
serves single master.
For the sake of the present. then,
as we'll as for the sake of the future,
we would most earnestly urge upon
every working man to live within his
means. Let him lay by something
every day-if but a penny. be it a pen
ny--it Is better than nothing; inf
nitely better than running in debt, a
penny day. or a penny week. II
he can earn a dollar let him try, fairly
and faithfully. the experiment of liv-
ing on ninety cents. He will like il. |
People viii langh.'" Let them
laugh. They viii call me stingy."
Better be called stingy than say you
do not pay your debts. They will |
wonder why / do not have better fur
niture. live in finer house and attend |
concerts and the play house. Let them
wonder for a while, it won't hurt them,
and IT certainly wont you. By and by |
You can have fine house and fine fur
niture OF your own, and they will won
der again. and come billing and cooling
around you like SO many pleased fools. |
Try the experiment. Live within your
means.