Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-11-04
Live WITHIN your Mems.

We don't like stinginess. We don't
like ECONOMY" when it comes down to
starvation. We have n o~sympathy with
the notion that,,a poor mau should hitch
himself TO q post and stand still while the
rest of the world moves forward. 1t is
no mans duty to deny himself of every
amusement, every luxury, every rccrea-
tion every comfort, that he may become
rich. 1t is no mans duty to make an
iceberg OF himself-to shut his eyes and
ears to the sufferiugs 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.
BIT there is yet an economy which is
every mans duty, and which is common
dable in the man who0 strugglcs with
poverty-an economy which is consis-
ten with happiness, and which must be
practiced, if the poor would secure in
dependence.
It is every mans privilege, and it be-
comes his duty to live within his means
not up to put within them. Wealth
does not make the man, we admit, and
should never be taken into the account
in our judgement of men. But compe-
tence should be secured when it can be.
and it almost always can be, by the prac,
tice of economy and self-denial to only
a tolerable extent. It should be secu-
rcd, not so much for others to look up
on, or to raise US in the estimation of
Others, as to secure the consciousness of
independence, and the constant ~atisfac-
ton that is derived from its requirement
and possession.
We would like to impress this single
fact upon the mindiof every laboring man
who may peruse this short article-that
it is possible for him to rise above pow
erty, and that the path to independence,
though beset with tolls and selfsacriices,
is much p~leasanter to the traveller than
any one he enter upon.
The man who feels that he is ear ming
something more than he is spending,
will walk the streets with a much light
err heart, and enter his home with a much
more cheerful c~ountenance than he who
spends as he goes, or falls gradually be-
hind his necessities in acquiring the
of meeting them.
Next to the slavery of inte importance
there is no slavery on earth more CALLING
than that of poverty and indebtedness.
The man who is everybody's debtor is
everbody's slave and in a much worse
condition than he who serves a single
mister.
For the sake Of the present, then, as
we'll as for the sake of the future, we
would most earnestly urge upon every
workingman to live within his means.
Let him lay by something everday-if
but a penny, be it a pcnny-it is better
than nothing: infinitely better han
running in debt, apenny a day or a pen
ny a week. If he can earn a dollar let
him try, fairly and faithful, the expert
ment OF living on ninety cents. He will
like it.
"People will laugh" Let them laugh.
'''Thoy will call me stingy." Better be
called stingy than say you do not pay
your debts. "They will wonder why
/ do not have better furniture, live in a
finer house, and attend concerts and play
houses" Let them wonder for q while
it won't hurt you. By and by you can
have a fine house and fine furniture of
your own, and they will wonder again
and come billing aud cooling around you
like so many pleased fools. Try the x
pertinent. Live within your means.