Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-11-13
PLACE TO BEGIN.

We hear and read a great deal about
the foolishness of the panic and the
hard times that are upon us, and those
in prosperous circumstances have been
lead to doubt the general stringency OF
the money market and to disbelieve the |
existence of the crisis, because they can
not see any reason for it, and they cite
the evidences of prosperity in the coun-
try and the balance of trade, our full
granaries and our widespread civilization
and general wealth, as reasons why
there cannot be a season of suffering |
and stagnation for the people, that Will
bring distress and misery into the land
beyond the capacity of the ordinary
benevolent and charitable channels to
assuage. We have ourselves all along
held out the hope that this depression
and consequent suffering wonld be OF
short duration, and we now believe that
the financial and business horizon looks
brighter, and that the dawn of the day OF
returning prosperity will soon be visable
TO all; but while we cherish this hope
we must continue to sound the note OF
warning, that all may be prepared for
the worst that may come.
That the panic is causeless we confess,
and that the only stringency in the
money market is caused by the insane
and misery system of boarding curren-
cy, we believe to be true, and we fear
that people are too generally waiting for
the intervention of Congress for relief
by an increase of the volumn of the ir-
redeemable currency of the country.
What we want is the exercise of a little
more common sense and good. deal less
selfshness. 1t is certainly sensible to
reduce expenses so far as possible, but
the direction in which that reduction
takes place is of more consequence than
the fact of the reduction itself. We are
all creatures of spiritual as well as them
poral needs, and anything which makes
an unnecessary inroad upon the supplies
necessary to improve the mind, invigor-
ate the body, promote health and soften
the heart, is not proper retrenchment,
and is the poorest kind of economy. We
hear talk of reducing the expenses of our
schools on account or hard times. We
protest against this. If our school sys-
TEN can be made equally eficacious at
less expense, it is the duty of every citi-
zen to vote for reducing expenses to
what they ought to be, but it is disas-
trous to impair the efficiency of school
because of "hard times, and thereby
dwarf and retard the educational pro-
gress of the children of the land.
Neither is it true economy TO reduce
expenses of the preaching the gospel, or
suspendiDg religious meetings or So
cities, and meetings for moral or intel
lectual improvement. The instrument
alities of mental progress, such as good
and profitable books and periodicals,
should be kept up, to the full extent
that they whould be profitable at any
time. The loss of an opportunity to
gain knowledge and advancement in the
great moral and spiritual path of des-
tiny, is an irreparable loss. Life is short;
every opportunity lost is gone forever.
The cycles of time never roll backward,
and every stoppage of the wheels of
progress is hindrance in final results.
Let US have no parsimony in the furth-
erance of religious, moral and educa-
tional progress, but merely an earnest
effort to make our expenditures do the
most good possible. Then, again, as far
as possible, let us keep our, health, and
that of the public, by proper food, cloth
ing and homes for al dependent upor
US, Twenty dollars saved from clothing
which brings sickness, waste of time
pain and doctors bills, is very pool
economy. BY advising retrenchment
we do not mean a cutting off of the ne
cessities of life and its comfort, nor it
spiritual, physical, moral or intellectua
growth.
What we do mean, is that all ex
pressive and debasing habits shoult
be dropped. That senseless luxurie
ought to be dispensed with. That thu
man who pays his twenty-five or fit!
cents per day at the bar of the liquo
saloon should invest it in fuel, clothing
and books. We know hundreds of mel
whose forsaken wives and tende
children are to-day suffering from
cold and hunger, that could be mad
comfortable, respectable and happy, b,
what they daily spend for liquor an
tobacco. These are some of the direc
tions in which common sense cries GU
for retrenchment The business maj
who smokes cigars and drinks win
has no business to complain of har,
times. We do not object to temper
ate indulgence in stimulants or tn
fragrant comfort of a Havana cigar
when the partaker has provided TO
all the other demands upon him tina
are more necessary, but it is a crue
waste of mony to indulge in such IN
necessary luxurics when any physica
comfort, or any opportunity for IN
provement has to be neglected there
by. 1t is a sad sight to Sc
shivering, starving little children folloy
their mother TO a premature grave o.
account of the brutal neglect of ).
drunken father, 1t is not pleasing t
see young man deny himself an eve
ning's instruction at a lecture or an er
Pertaining book, on account of the e2
pense, while he sips his champagne q
his dinner table, and it is humiiating {
hear the business men complain o
dismal prospects between the whifs Q
fifteen cent cigar. We want econe
my and retrenchment, but we want
where it win not impair health, d.
grade the mind or warp the soul.