Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-12-22

There is not much dispute that these are
hard times To meet them, If income can
not be increased or kept up, expenses
must be cut down.
Morali,ts, Of course. can point US TO
means of retrenchment, whereby not only
the pockets but health, moral and Physl-
cal. of the community can be improved in
condition. And about as good guide TO
follow in this direction it to look over the
government receipts for revenue.
The things that bring the most revenue
to TIE national treasury, are the things that
people can best DO without
But outside and away from these luXu-
ri.. there is a kind Of trade that while not
directly harmful, i, taken as u whole, as
inter a waste Of money as anything OF no
Greater magnitude can be. And this trade
is of far greater magnitude than most
ueopIc are aware Of.
1t is the vending Of books by itinerants
that we mean. Not that the goods so
sold are of any less value than the patent
lump chlmneys, and the f:tncltul machines
thai purport to do excellence -well those
thing, that nobody would ever want TO do
if the machine didn't suggest them; but
that the purchases are i'll nineteen cases
out oftwentv ause of money that could be
much better invested in the same line.
The oranges have done 900 thing III
steppinp heavily on the agency business III
many Of it, branches They ought /" eA-
tend that line Of operations and get our
farming population to think over their tx
periencc in buying of initerants articles
for household use, and especially that sort
of food for the mind" which is sold by
suly>rriution AMI " ctnno. be obtained IN
any other way
We Ito not pretend to deny that now and
then 4 valuable work is sold by subscrlp-
ton. When it is, it is because the pub
fishers want and can make Il much larger
profit in that way. But even when the
book is really valuable in its place, 1t Is
bought bv many who have no earthly Use
for it, and who after one OF two fights
with it. give up the hope of getting their
moneys worth and wish they hadn't
bought il.
There is not one family in twenty that
has within ten wears bought Il subscription
book where the money could not have been
laid out to better advantage in newspapers
or in anv of the leading magazines OF the
day than where it was Il would be bet
fer for the children AMI better for the
grown folks.
There is one book we have in mind,
that is better than the average of its kind,
for which we have no doubt ut least forty
thousand dollars were taken from Vermont,
that now les cold on the parlor center ia
bic, or has found its way to Some book
store to be sold for what it will bring, in 4,
great majority of cases where bought.
Reading matter should he had in every
family that is not to be a nursery for block
heads, but those who buy should take heed
what they buy; examine into whether a
book or a magazine is what is most need
ed. and send for the best. Sec that some
live newspaper comes every week; take
some Of the better monthlcs If they can
be afforded; and above all don't be tal>e d
by glib tongued agent into buying what
Won never before thought You wanted and
never will think you want after the agent
is gone.
In many a town the money that has been
paid for theAnalysiS ofthi> and the History
of that-books that it would take 4 cast
iron man to reld-would have started 4
decent circulatin. library tina. would from
wear to wear grow more and more an edu-
Gator of old and young.
Subscription books and patent gates are
very much alike, and a very safe rule is to
let them both alone.