The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-22

4 bly, comfortable and genteel way, on six hun.
dted year. and think | have proved bv actual
\ figures that it was done. Prices OF everything
then were high-very high--but now, in this
wear OF 1866, they are still higher, and where
they arc 10 stop no one appears able or willing
TO tell. II we had not received that acceptable
and most timely increase of our income. we
must nave made up our minds TO one OF two
| tnlngs-elther to cut down our expenses by
dong without many of the articles named on
my llst as among the most ordinary comforts of
llie, or we should be compelled to 90 i'm debt.
VI we TWO evils we should certainly choose the
lesser, and SO preferred to live on mush or
potatoes raher than 20 beyond our means
Whh our present thirteen hundred dollars
cIear OF mouse rent, we were, indeed, very COM
loL'apiei 0ut even this sum in paper money is
boI very d1erent from SIX hundred in gold
rev years AGO. When we bought sugar at nine
cents the pound insre nd of tlCent2L and coffee
lor S|feen instead OF Hty-when the servants
wages were a dollar and Quarter instead of
Two dollars and upwards, and good butter could
DC mao all the year at an average of thirty in
stead OF sixty cents, surely need not argue the
question.
Two or three chapters treat of cookery,
making preserves, etc, and will be of special
interest to the ladies. The recipes are tooth
some, and show that "six hundred year" IS
not without its luxuries. Another chapter
treats OF the education of children; and the
last chapter discourses OF the laying up
OF money, the tax on incomes, etc. We
quote -
1t is singular how easy the business of accu-
mulatipg money becomes, when one has ac.
tually begun to save. A very rich man declared
that his greatest difficulty had been to get pos-
session OF the first Thousand dollars; bat after
that, 1t was the easiest thing to acquire a for
tune. DO not know how this may be- never
having been the seli-complacent possessor of
the preliminary sum referred to; but do know
Jbat when we discovered that there was a email
surplus over our wants, 1t was remarkable how
WI yvpT tp
lowest condition, we never despaiIed of seeing
better times. If sailor were to turn back
whenever head wind came on, he would never
selves to be bafled by adverse circumstances:
otherwise, like the sailor, we should have made
no headway in the voyage of life. As to wealth.
the prevailing idea is that IT'S chief 20 Wer Is to
supply wants In our case it was really so. But
from the course pursued by some of our ac.
quaintanCes it appeared to have no other no wer
than that OF creating them.
new and rough assessor was appointed
to inquire into the incomes. The writer
says:-
This new appontee was exactly calculated TO
render the collection of a disagreeable imDOst
even more unpleasant. Under any eircum-
stances, we all dislike to make revelation of our
pecuniary condltion-of how much we are
worth, what Is our income, how we made our
money, etc People speak freely of other do.
nestle Incidents but thus of income is a sort OF
forbidden topic. 1t was the invasion OF this
SGneTdl lalnlly silence MADE by Government,
when it levied the income tax that rendered il
so unpopular. 1t cOmpels us to lift the veil from
family secrets that we are all unwilling to have
exposed. The satisfaction OF knowing how much
oUl neighOor was worth was no compens atIon
for the exposure OF our own affairs. In to this
time we had been in the habit of having no re-
serve among our friends, as to how we rot along
III the world. They all knew what salary
Arthur had received, and what rent we paid and
that six hundred year allowed no surplus But
no sooner was our income increased, and we had
begun TO save little, than we became reserved,
never afterwards gong into particulars as we
had done when we we're saving nothing. Hence
the rude inroad of the wly-appointed assessor
was peculiarly unpleasant.
Well, Arthur filled up the schedule AMI sent
1t to the assessor. OF course we were no longer
exempt from taxation; for the difference be-
tween the six hundred dollars of former neCes-
sltous years and our present more adequate
fifteen hundred, must now be reported for taxa
ton. Our tax was now fortyseven dollars, in
stead of two, as in previous years, yet we were
abundantly better able to pay it. Though thus
obliged to tell exactly what we were WORTH
still we congratulated ourselves that no one
knew anything of the matter but the assessor.
judge, then, of our veXatlOn, when, few
weeks afterwards, we saw the list of ofinCOmes of
the whole town published in the newspaper
We had seen similar lists in the great city
papers, but our publishers at home had not had
sufficient enterprise to serve up the same kind
OF local information until now. 1t seemed that
Just as we we're getting a trihe to report we
we're to be exposed in this public manner. No
doubt every other person so reported ielt ex-
actly as we did. Indeed, there was general
denunciation Of the editor for committing so
great an outrage. Every one OF us thought
that everybo " else was scrutiniziug his indi.
vidual condition; for we are all apt to think
ourselves of much more Importance than we
really are.
The lady philosophcally comforts herself
by saying that so long as we report q single
dollar, there is a guarantee that behind it will
be found the really all-suficient sir hundred
a gear"
This little volume is very interesting, and
will meet the case OF large class of readers.
1t is pleasantly written, and neatly printed
and bound.
Ira Van Verburgh,a a Pennsylvania, recently
deceased, has left his property, valued at S45 O00
70 his hetrothed, who is to take possession when
she rs twenty-one years OF age.
COVEPNNGENT C0JEC