Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-08-21

Protests against luxury aud extrayagabcs are
even older than civilization and have been q IA
vorite theme for popular defamation since the
days Of Tacitus aud ST. Chrysostom. But ridi-
cnle, enirealy aud commands have been ss vain
as sump,uary laws. royal edie,s, or the thunders
Of the Church Crar Peter had the boards Of
subjects shaved, and Queen Bess broke their
swords aud clipped their rufs The old Planta-
gene, and Tudor Parliamen;s enacted laws pre-.
seTibing hor a womans faIthipgals should be
trimmed, the fashion Of her hood. the color Of
her kirtle. and the height Of her heels. The
clergy OF the fifteenth century, though powerful
enough 10 overtarn thrones and 10 send above q
million Of men isto the deserts OF Asia. could
never prevail against the long pointed shoes OF
that period. ~ Dupin, whose speech against
luxury and corruption has lately created such
prodgious sensation in the French Senate, sp
pears, however, utterly undismayed BY these
failures 10 reform the World. According to him,
society is eniirelJ demoralzed by these vices,
aud the France Of TO day Is far more corrupt
than that Of any previous time.
Ii is lot for US 10 conuoyert the statements Of
a French Senator and Magistrate. who should
certainly know best the morals Of the people
among whom he lives But when NJ Dupin
seriously advocates the re enactment of the
ancient "ediets s0m2fuaires, We would ask him
what the result of these restrictions has been in
Regency and the reign Of Louis the XVI Has
not the inelicency OF all such legislation been sc-
knowledged by the fact that no Government has
attempted 10 revive them since the latter part OF
the last century, And are they not entirely in
consistent with the spirit OF the age, by infring-
ing upon one Of our most sacred rights-that OF
being allowed to do with our own what We
pleasel
But is the France OF N. Dupn's time really
1 l. H. -. L.. a.
the France OF any preceding epoch2 History
tells Us that these vices always 90 hand-in hand
with the development OF wealth and the advance
of the arts Of alton: hence it is qnte natu
raj that the former should have kept pace with
the progress and more general diffusion OF the
latter. Luxury aud extravaganza are therefore
Only relatively greater, because all classes are
more nearly on a level. and march in the same
line But between the society OF the nineteenth
century and that OF the eighteenth, is an enor-
nous gulf, entirely TO the advantage Of the pre-
sent day. Previous to the first Revolution, the
luxury and corruption we're all on the side of the
great and privileged. while on the other was
all extreme misery aud dependence
We have noticed this philippe Because the
same theme has been harped upon BY dema
gogues Of all times and countries, who use il to
array labor against capital, poverty against
riches But they forget that the very Injuries
| which they denounce wish so much virtuous and
sarcastic indignation are the greatest boon and
encouragement to industry. These stern censorc
would, therefore, do we'll to ponder over the fac
that the extravogances of the wealthy msintsiu
millions OF the working classes in comfort snC
plenty. Who conceive the fearful amount
Of pauperism, wretcheduess and crime that woulC
be the immediate and inevitable consequence o
any large and general curtailment OF the expen
diture of the sffiuentl Suppose, just for mo
ment, that the richer classes were 10 abstain TO
even year from anything beyond the mere ne
cessarIes OF life; buy no new furniture, dresses
ornaments. pictures. etc; would not the univer
sal ruin OF uadesmen. stoppsge OF manuf4ctur
ers, and starvation among operatives be the re
srlt.-- Detroit Free Press