The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-06-17
What Can a Man AGOrd9
BY HENRY WARD BEEcHER.

/
reading good books. We said thai
whenever we should be elected Pope
we should require every married
young man to set apart one-tenth Oi
his income for the purchase of books
etc. This remark-of which the form
was halfjesting, but the substance Oi
which was good earnost-has called
forth several epistles. That is a good
sign. When, as a boy, we went out q
nutting, we always listened, after
throwing a club, to hear if the Ghost
nuts ratified. An article on a praetie'
al subject, in the peoples paper, is
like a club thrown into a tree.
! We insert part of letter, pre-
missing that we do not Judge the case
presented therein. The man, for
aught we know, may be pursuing the
wisest course. But it may serve
as text for further remarks: -
s'I am myself in favor of all you say
in that article, if man can afford it;
Indeed, 1 have been after buying the
new American Encyclopedia for at
least three or four years, but have not
bought it up to the present time; had
the money several times, but always
needed it for something else. l have
some books now, which l find great
delight in reading, and should add to il
possible; but l always need the money
for something else, having family Of
four children. However, [ do not
want you to tell me to stay away from
lgrog-shops and avoid tobacco, and
Invest such money in books. 1 have
mot spent dollar in the bar-roOm this
Iyear. 1850 f a#
''In conclusion, I will say, I hope
you will be able to read and under
stand these few lines, and give an an
lswer through the Ledger" aE
In bringing up family, there are
thousands of persons who are so poor,
at least in the earlier part of their ca,
reer, that, with the utmost industry
and frugality, they can barely supply
1.-THE material wants of the household,
IClothes, food and fuel, without these
a man dies. They are the primary
wants. Sometimes, from peculiar and
local reasons, men do not get beyond
this conflict for mere existence. But
lin America, at least, with ordinary
Industry and frugality, accompanied
with the morals of temperance, this
fight for subsistence lasts but few
years, at most, and by perhaps The
majority of men is hardly entered
upon.
The mOment-a a man earns more
than enough to secure physical exis'
tence, new questions arise. How
much of earnings shall be saved fol-
capital? Upon what principle shall
that which is expended upon the fam
lily be distributed to various wants?
Shalfclothes grow finer, and shall
there be more of them? Shall Oul
children be brought up to the average
style of dress prevailing in the vii
lage? Shall our table be little more
generously supplied? Shall coarseI
food give way to more luxurious diet
Shall the linen tableeloth become fin
er2 the cutlery and dishes more ex'
J pensive? Shall the beds, and chairs
and bureaus improve? the carpets, the
mirrors, the chairs, curtains and the
whole wardrobe2 .ssa#,
All these may be steps of real pro,
gress. But, whether they are or not
depends upon other considerations
All this, so far, is onlya larger pro.
vision for physical wants. If social,
intellectual and moral needs have
been provided for with equal liberali,
ty, then the prgress is real, salutary
and sound. ---4
| But what if a man cannot afford, in
addition to these things, to take good
newspapers-ca cannot afford to buy
| books-cannot afford to put his chill
dren to thoroughly good schools, be-
cause the charges are too high? Can
not afford to have good seat in
chureh7-cann6t afford to go to con
certs, to lectures, and other means o.
Improvement?
All these interrogatories may be
summed upin one question: Can {
man afford to pamper his body anC
starve his mind?
Every man has four children in ev
cry cbild-a physical child, sociaI
child; an intellectual child and NOR
al child. These four natures unite il
forming each individual.
The education Of child is to be
carried up in these four lines. Now,
no man can afford to starve three
parts of his child, for the sake O
, Eoverfeeding one part.
| Here is the common mistake. Par
ents do well by their children's bodies
4 but their intellectual, social and NOR
al natures are subject to rigid econo
my. Is it not so? Let facts be look
ed at. ,r .-r.-aa-,-rs .H.
When men begin to prosper, de
) they spend in proportion half as muct
, for the inward manhood Of their fami
lies as for the outward2 Do they no
pay lavishly for better house, bet
t ter furnishing, better food and clothes
but stingily for books, school, news
, papers, church privileges, and for re
fning and humanizing amusements?
L 1u6 ObuSI 4elCJs W uGu LlulGb arr
! hard and men are embarrassed, anC
begin to curtail expenses, where does
, the knife fall first? Children are
withdrawn from school! The news
f papers are given up! No new books
: this year -4-,---,,---
But appearances must be kept up
: and SO a new coat Of paint on the
house, good clothes, hats, bonnets anC
boots, proclaim that the physical must
j be cared for, whatever becomes Of the
moral and intellectual elements o.
: manhood. -- -7 -,----.
Of course, every man must deter
mine for himself the manner and rela
, tive distribution ofhis income. But 8
few things may be set down for young
men to ponder.
There are q great many things
that a young man cannot afford.
He cannot afford TO be a good ami
mai and a moor. man: to have strOUo