The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-04-06

of several radical officials, among them
x-Commissioner Smith, of the Indian
Bureau, and possibly Delano himself.
Extravaganza Of Modern Society.
REV. T. DEWITT TALMAGE, D. D.
It is absolutely necessary that we draw
line between that which is the lawful
use of beautiful adornment and that e1-
travagance which is the source of 30 much
crime, wretchedness, and abomination in
our day. That is sinful extravagance
when you 20 into anything beyond your
means. That which is right for one may
be wrong for another. That which is
lawful expense for queen may be sinful
outlay for duchess. That which may
be economy for you with larger income
may be squaudering for me with smaller
income. But when men and women
cross over the line which separates be-
tween what they can pay for, and still
keep suficiency to meet moral obllga-
tion on the one hand, and, on the other
hand, that extravaganza which ones
means cannot compass, they have passed
from The innocent into the culpable.-
Across that line have gone "a multitude
that no man can number"
We Judge of what we ought to have by
what other people have. fthey have
sumptuous table, and 6ue residence, and
gay turnout, an exquisite apparel, and
brilliant surroundings, we must have
them, irrespective ofour capacity to stand
the expense. We throw ourselves down
in despair because other people have
seal skin coat, and we have an ordinary
one; because Others have diamonds, and
we have garnets; because Others have
Administer, and we have Brussels; be-
cause others have lambrequins, and We
have curtains. What others have we
mean to have anyhow. So there are fam
lilies hardly able to pay their rent, and in
debt to every merchant in the neighbor-
hood, who sport apparel inapt for their
circumstances, and run 80 near the shore
that the first misfortune in business or
the first besiegement of sickness tosses
them into pauperism. There are thou
sands of families moving from neighbor-
hood to neighborhood, staying long
enough in each one to exhaust all their
capacity to get trusted. They move
away because the druggist will give no
medicine, and the butcher afford them
no meat, aud the bakers will give them
no more bread, and the grocers will fur
nish them with no more sugar until they
pay up.
cannot meet their obligations. 1t is as
honest for some men to fail as it is for
other men to succeed. They do their
best, and through the misfortunes of life
they are thrown, and they cannot pay
their debts. That is one thing; but
when you 20 and purchase an article for
which you know there is no probability
of your ever making recompense, you are
villain Why don't you save the time
of the merchant and the expense of an
accountant for him? Why don't you 60
down some day to his store, and when no
one is looking, shoulder the ham and
spare-rib, and in modest silence take
them along with you? That would be a
lesser crime; for now you get not only
the merchants goods, but you get his
time, and you rouse up his expectations.
IF YOU must steal, steal so it will be the
least possible damage to the trader.
My friends, society has to be recon-
structed on this subject; you have no
right to ride in carriage when you owe
the wheelright who furnished the landau,
and the householder who provided the
blooded span, and the harness7maker
who caparisoned the gay steeds, and the
livery-man who furnished the stabliDg;
and the driver who sits with rosetted hat
on your coach-box. I am glad to see you
ride. The finer your horses and the bet
ter your carriage the better it pleases me.
But if you are in debt for the equipage,
and hopelessly in debt, get down and
walk like the rest of us ! 1t is well TO
understand that it is not the absolute ne
cessities that we find it so hard to meet,
but the fictitious wants. God promises
US shelter, but not palace and raiment,
but no chinchella; and food, but no can
vas-back duck. As long as we have
enough to meet the positive necessities
of life, we ought to be content until we
can afford the superhuities. AS soon as
YOU see a man deliberately content that
his outgo shall exceed his income, you
may know he has started on the broad
road to bankruptcy and moral ruin.
This wholesale extravaganza accounts
for great deal of depression in nation.
al finances. Aggregates are made up of
units, and so long as one-half OF the peo-
ple of this country are in debt to the
other half, you cannot have healthy
financial condition. The national re-
sources are drawn of, not only for useless
extravaganza, but for those thatare posi-
lively pernicious. The theatres of New
York cost that city every year two mil
lions of dollars. We spend in this coun-
try ninety-fve millions Of dollars every
year for cigars and tobacco. In the
United States we expend annually one
thousand four hundred and eighty-three
millions of dollars for rum. Now, take
these facts, and is it strange that our ma
tional finances are crazled7 If you have
an expectation of breadstufs four times
what you have now, there would be no
permanent prosperity in this country un-
til people quit their sinful lavishment,
and learn honest economy.
This widespread extravagance also
accounts for much of the crime. 1t is
the source of many abscondings, bank
ruptcies, defalcaticns, and knaveries.
The store on Broadway and the office on
Wall street are swamped by the resi-
dence on Madison square. The husband
and father has his craft capsized because
he carries too much sail of point.lace and
Antille guipure. That is what destroyed
Ketchum, and Swartwout, and ten thou
sand men not 80 famous. That is what
springs the leak in the merchants money
Fl