Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-03-12
LUXURY THE CAUSE OF Ma
TIONAL DECAY.

TIONAL DECAY.
Frugality of manners 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 in the Persians,
Laced@monians and Romans: not to
mention many later governments which
have sprung up, continued while, and
then perished by the same natural causes.
But these are, it seems, of no use to US
and, in spite of them, we are in fair
way of becoming ourselves another use
less example to future ages.
Simplicity of manners may be more
easily preserved in republic than a
monarchy; but if once lost, may be
sooner recovered in monarchy, the ex-
ample of court being of great efficacy,
either to reform or to corrupt a people;
that alone were sufficient to discounte-
nance the wearing of gold or silver, either
in clothes or equipage, and if the same
were prohibited by law, the saving SO
much bullion would be the smallest ben
eft of such an institution; there being
nothing more apt to debase the virtue
and good sense of our gentry of both
sexes than the trifing vanity of apparel,
which we have learned from France, and
which has had such visible i'll conse-
quences on the genius of that people.
wiser natlShSs Chfs hfSlf1 ff6l1y BY severe laws and
penalties, and its spreading among us
can 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 clothes.
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
ri" in those very points of luxury
that ruined them. Our gaming, our
operas, our masquerades, are, in spite of
our debts and povety, become the won
der 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 it is
at present, and he will be convinced how
truly those fashionable pastimes are cal
culated to depress and ruin nation.
1t is not to be believed, what influence
public diversions have on the spirit and
manners of people. The Greeks wisely
saw this, and made very serious affair
of their public sports. For the same
reason, it will, perhaps, seem worthy the
care of our legislature to regulate the
public diversions, by an absolute prohi-
bition of those who have direct tenden-
cy to corrupt our morals, as-well as by
a reformation of the drama; which,
when rightly managed, is such noble
entertainment, and gave those fine les,
sons of morality and good sense to the
Athenians of old, and to our British
gentry century ago; but for these
last ninety years, hath entertained US,
for the most part, with such wretched
things as spvii, in~taod-- of improving,
the taste and manners of the audience
Those who are attentive to such propo.
sitions only as may fill their pockets
will probably slight the things as trlfe:
below the care of the legislature. Blu
1 am sure all honest, thinking men mus
lament to see their country run headlong
into all those luxurious follies, which
it is evident, have been fatal to other ma
tions, and will undoubtedly prove fata
to us also, if a timely stop be not put t.
them.-BerkeLey'S Essays.