Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-10-16
HARD TIMES.

From Maine to San Diego, and from
Florida to Puget Sound, there is one uni
versal cry of hard times. For this state
of things many men blame the Govern
ment, and anxious statesman are daily,
by thousands, advancing schemes to rem
edy the increasing pressure. individuals
in their private capacities imagine they
in no way are responsible for the present
state of things, and fancy ii more care
ful, conscientious and enlightened set Of
men had charge of the Government,
things would speedily change. We fear
they are mistaken. The hard times are
due to the extravaganza of the people
more than to frauds or weaknesses of
Government officers. As rule, the av-
erage man and woman OF this generation
in the United States, expend more money
annually, to crafty unnecessary personal
appetites, or to satisfy n false pride, than
to minister to necessary wants. The
rage is to have fine houses, furniture,
apparel, servants, horses and equipages.
When men and women visit city, if
two hotels offer the same accommodation,
and one is two dollars per day, and the
other four, the high priced house is al
ways taken, "because it is the more ele-
CANT and respectable" For the silks,
carpets, gloves and gew-gaws of Europe,
our people pay joyfully, annually, more
than they grudgngly give up to pay the
interest on the debt which was made to
preserve us nation. Men who pay one
hundred dollars in taxes for protection
and to keep schools gong, are ready to
say the country is lost. But without II
murmur they expend thousand dollars
for II picture to adorn a drawing room
wall, and think it is fine because it came
from Europe. Men will get out of Il stage
coach and take passage i'll Il rail car, and
are sure to growl il tho palace cars are
full, 50 that they cannot pay an additional
dollar and a half to ride for few hours
a few seats nearer the engine. The same
y
Gus denominations swamp themsclve.
yearly all over the country to build n lit
tie grander church than their neighbor!
of another denomination on tho next cor.
ner possess. This false pride outasts life
itself Men and women buy coilins and
monuments for their dead, which they
I nn' Il ; In, ,rl. T., ,ulr
the shallowest Of ostentatious display t
catch the world 5 eye. One set Of moth
ers dislike to send their children to schoo
because there are shabbily- dressed chill
drcn of the poor in the same school
while another set keep their childrel
away because more lucky neighbor cal
afford to dress his children finer than car
poorer people. Thus early in the breast
OF the rich child, the germ Of IL false pride
is planted, and thus early begin the heart.
aches Of the poor. We are growing sell
fish, too, in this generation. We think
here in Virginia that ours is u generous
race. 1t is only partly true. We hold
that ten dollars could be obtained in this
place to crafty mems views or passions
easier than one could be gathered up in
charity. A hundred dollars could be
collected here for tickets in a Havana
lottery quicker than fifty could be col
lectcd for the stricken and homeless
Americans on the Texan coast. Is itany
wonder we have hard times Is 1t any
; wonder that thoughtful men begin tc
shrink from the contemplation of what
the near future must bring us unless re-
forms commence at once? Not reforms
Of the Government, but reforms in almost
every home in the land until men grow
brave enough to be prudent, and women
learn to hold duty as something higher
than the mandates of fashion. - VlgtAio
Enterprise.