The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-04-09
Saving and Spending.

The accumulated wealth of nation is
the sum of its savings. This may % IN
the shape of money, lands, cattle or any
property which costs money or LABOR or
which is the direct increase OF such prop
erty. If person saves out of his income
a hundred dollars and keeps it in any
form of permanent property, 1t remains
as wealth, and may be used to increase
itself. But the moment the hundred
dollars is expended in destructible prop
erty. that is, such as may wear out or
does not reproduce itself, it begins to
vanish and finally disappears. For in
stance, if the hundred dollars be spent
for costly clothes, carriage or driv:
ing horse, q hunting dog or cask OF
wine, it is evident that it Immediately
begins to wear away, to dcpreclate IN
value, or to be used up; and it is only a
question of time how long, or soon, be-
fore it will come to an end. But If a
cow, workhorse, or a piece of land is
purchased, or the money or its repre-
sentative is spent to reclaim marsh
to drain useless Land, or to erect a build
ing, it at once becomes reproductive,
remains intact, and earns interest for its
use, or it wastes but slowly, and, in the
wasting or wearing of it, it not only re.
place itself, perhaps many times, but
gives continual profit for its use. Solar
Us money or labor is used for the latter
class of purposes, it is not spent, but IS
saved. ;, It is also saved and remains or
reappears as wealth, when it is used tor
any necessary purpose, as the produce
ton or purchase Of food ans, clothing,
suitable for its owners business: or for
tools, or anything which will enable him
to work to replace it. 1t is spent and
disappears as property or wealth, when
it is used for purposes OF luxury or waste
of any kind, giving no valuable return
for its use, Notwithstanding it may have
been paid out as wages for laborers OF
artisans.
A million dollars have been squan.
dered and disappeared in yillainous
smoke and deafening noise in celebra'
ton of the Fourth of July. That money,
so far az it represents labor, has gone
out of existence, and is totally
wasted. The money itself remains,
it has gone to China, perhaps, tc
pay for years labor of the many mer
who have been making fireworks, and
these have spent it for food and clothes
while they have.been at work; but they
have nothing to show for their labor
what has come in has gone out; an(
u so with those who earned the none!
y with which the fireworks were pur
chased, and every person engaged il
the business of making and procurin!
| them. This is typical case, and Their
are many Others Of which this is type
>, A person, family, or nation is wealth,
or poor as it saves or spends; and if W
will only look into the secret causes Q
many cases of poverty which are jus
now causes OF complaint, we shall nm
'. there has been too much spending; an
on the contrary, those cases in which
, person or family stands in better Gil
cumstances than before win be found t
have resulted from habit OF saving
), Extravaganza is without excuse. Their
l is no true enjoyment in wasting any
, thing, nor in squandering the proceed
+. Of former work in idleness; nor workln
! hard for a time, that an opportunity ma
be secured of going on q debauch. Th:
'. is a cynical and a vicious, although ole
. adage, :" LetuS eat and drink, for tt
; morrow we de- it is repeated in fewt
words in the modern, "a merry life an
short one. 'j@'T The true philosophy
to use our time and our opportunitie
, ! that we may increase the true happine
OF not only ourselves, but of those abo'
us, and that We may leave the worl<
= when we have done with it, better O
= than it was when we entered it and ii
= herited the fruits of the labor Of othe
who had preceded US in the same Writ
Gus efforts: And this can only
:. effected BY industry and a we'll regulate
" economy which is neither niggardline
Z. nor wastefuluess.-RWuI NeW Yorke