The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-04-06
Luxury the Cause of National
Decay.

Frugality of n anners is the nourish-
ment and strength of bodies polite. 1t
is that by which they grow and subsist,
until they are corrupted by luxury
the natural cause of their decay and
ruin. OF this we have examples il. the
Persians, Laced amonians and Romans; t;
not to mention any later governments
which have sprung mp, continued n
while, and then perished by the same
natural cause. But these are, it seems,
of no use to us and, in spite of them,
we are in fair way to become our
selves, another useless example to flu
ture ages.
Simplicity of manners may be more
easily preserved in republic than in a
mcnacrhy; but if once lost, may be soon
er recovered in a monarchy, the exam
Pile Of court being OF great efficacy,
either of reform or to corrupt a people; !;
that alone were sufficient to discount
enance the wearing of gold or silver,
either in cloths or equipagc, and if the
same were prohibited by law, the saving
so much bullion would be the smallest
benefit of an institution, there being
nothing more apt to debase the virtue
aud good sense of our gentry of both
sexes than the trihing vanity ofapparei
which we have learned from France,
and which has had such visible i'll con-
sequences on the genius Of that people.
w User nations have made it their csre
to shut out this folly by severe laws
and penalties, and its spreading among
us eau forebode no good, if there be any
truth in the observation of one of the
ancients, that the direct way to ruin a
man is to dress him up in fine cloths.
But we are doomed to be undone.
Neither the plain reason of the thing,
nor the experience of past ages, nor the
examples we have before our eyes can
restrain us from initiating, not TO say
surprising the most corrupt and ruined
people in those very points OF luxury
that ruined them. Our gaming, our
operas, our masquerades, are, in spite
of our debts and our poverty, become
tie wonder of our neighbors. If there
be any man So void of all thought and
common sense, as not to see where this
must end, let him but compare what
Venice was at the league OF Cambray,
with what ii is at present, and he will
be convinced how truly those fashiona-
ble pastimcs are calculated to Gepress
and and ruin nation.
1t is MOTTO be believed, what influence
public diversions have on the spirit and
manners of people. The Greeks
wisely saw this, and made very seri-
Gus affair of their public sports. For
the same reason, it will, perhaps, seem
worthy the care of our Legislature to
regulate the public diversion, by an alb
solute prohibition of those who have a
direct tendency to corrupt our morals,
as well as reformation of the drama; /;
which, when rightly managed, is such
noble entertainment, and gave those
fine lessons of morality and good sense to
the Athenians of old, and to our British
gentry above u century ago; but for
this last ninety years, hath entertained
u, for the most part, with such wretch
ed things as spoil, instead of improving,
the taste and manners of the audience.
Those who are attentive to such propo-
sit'ons only as may fill their pockets,
will probably slight these things below
the action OF the legislature. But am
sure all honest, thinking men must la
ment to see their country run headlong
into all those luxurious follies, which
it is evident, have been fatal to other
nations, and will undoubtedly prove fatal
us also, it timely stop be not put to
them Berkeiey's Essays.