Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-04-15
The Cost Of Living.
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Ssv yAt ysssssas.
One Of the troubles of our time il
the cost Of living. The laborer
strikes because his earnings fail to
meet the wants Of his family. The
hands do not sstisfy the hunger.
The salaried clerk Is discontinued,
and tempted to abuse bis trust, be.
cause Of the discrepancy between
his pay and his desires. The busl.
ness man is overworked and fretted
. and tcrmented because the demands
on his purse increase faster than his
. income. and he is called ineessantly
TO face deficits for which be has no
resources, or make painful sacrifice
OF pride. Back of all the dishon.
esty, the frauds, and tho numerous
detalcations, are the gnawing teeth
of an appetite which has nothing to
feed upon, an Unsuitable desire for
things which cannot be honestly
earned. Indeed the economic prob.
lem of the day il how to reduce the
cost of prodroeion to a minimum,
which involves the depression of
wages to point at which the Amer.
lean laborer rebels. His wants and
those of growing family exceed
what business can safely pay and
yield return to the capital risked
in it. The modern mouth is larger
than the hand. Machinery has pro.
duced more wants than it has sup.
piled, and the most civilized people
pine and are miserable in the midst
of their abundance.
1t is interesting 10 recall the sim
pie ways and the inexpensive fash.
ions of our people fifty years ago,
and remember what the retiring
generation said OF the luxuries Of
those days in comparison with the
yet simpler habits and harder fare
of oldsn times. There are people
still living, whs remember when q
mans wedding coat lasted his life
time, and silk dress was regarded
as an heirloom; when most of the
clothes worn by family were WOW.
en- and made up in the house; whom
but one room was heated through
the winter, and the inmates of a
house slept 10 apartments colder
than modern barn; and when. if
the fire on the open hearth went
out. and the tilder happened TO be
damp, brand had to be brought
from neighbours, perhaps q mile
away. Most of the provisions of
every family in the country were
produced on the farm, and the best
of everything was culled out for
market. How little sufficed in those
dsysl Yet there was comfort, con-
tent, and abiding JOY in conditions
which would drive our poorest peo-
pie almost to distraction, and with
a fare that would hardly satisfy O
modern tramp. Steadily the cost of
living has risen everywhere. 1t is
interesting to look over the figures
f old account-books and SEQ how
families of six persons, in good so.
cial standing, lived we'll on sums
ranging from three to five hundred
dollars, fly years ago; and how
from 1850 the costs of living have
gone steadily up, till an income of
fifteen hundred dollars hardly suffic.
es where thirty years ago six bund.
red was ample. The war, with the
imitation of the currency which il
led to, had an immediate effect on
prices of all kinds, but i. also melted
a spirit of speculation and exirava>
gance which has been ruinous. The
passion for display has been kiudled
to consuming flame. rhe cool,
thrifty sanity OF our people hss
yielded to an almost fatal crsze for
show. A style of living far beyond
the means of most people has been
set, and in trying to support it
thousands fail and tens of thousands
are made wretched. Perhaps IN no
country in the world are so many
people living up to their means, and
even going beyond their earnings,
as in the United States. The lux.
uries of twenty. five years ago have
become the commoDest necessities,
and thrift has given way TO reck-
lessness.
Many of the things which go to
swell the cost of living in our days
are superfuities, which could well
Most of the wants which
harry our people and drive mecban-
les and business men ID the grave
are purely artificial The swiftly
changing fashions, which grow more
and more expensive every year, of
toner ehock than crafty fine add
taste; they crafty eYos
infamed by love Of display. Sub
stance of comfort aud content Is sac.
rifieed for show which is neither
beautiful nor good. People are
working themselves 10 death to or
tain shoddy masquerade. Young
men cannot afford to marry; and
vices are eating out the vitality of
cities. The old American family
had six children; now IL averages
less than three. Children are lug
urles which the modern American,
with his cigar and champagne and
clubs, cannot afford; and the poor
mechanic counts the mouths he has
to feed with eli the luxuries of the
season 1t would be worse than
folly to rail at the growing taste and
refinement of our people, aud at the
methods of living which
education and art and mechanical
have introduced. But it
is not comfort, nor beauty, nor even
elegance which makes the trouble.
Most of the things which our people
work 80 hard and sacrifice so much
to get, are neither elegant nor beau
tiful, and add little. if anything, TO
their comfort. They add to the
cost of living without contributing
to health, or culture, or joy. There
ia vast deal of wisdom in the rule
Mr.. Micawber laid down to David
Copper6sld 10 his memorable state
ment: "Annual income EGO; annual
expenditure, f19 19s. Cd; result
Annual income, 920
expenditure, 60 and sir.
pence; result-nisory!"
To reduce tho cost of living, in
-