Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-05-18
Morai Courage.

asirous consequences IN those VINO nave
not tire moral co,irageto live according
TO the facts of their individual lives.
A man who has plenty of money can
afford to live on a large scale. to support
a retinue of servants. 10 buy costly
1 pictures and works of art. and in gen.
! eral to surround himself with whatever
money can buy. As has been said by
an eminent orator: civilization may
( extend virtically rs well as latterally.'
and il is good thing. in many ways, to
/ have the standard OF comfortable and
even luxurious living advanced. But
when man spends more in this way
than he can prudentlv afford to- then
the trouble begins. There is certainly
not a city, and scarcely village or
hamlet, where there is not more or less
trouble of this kind. and il comes about
in the most natural way. The
| children of the well-to-do beg
their mammas To let them dress as
nicely as their playfellows-the children
of the bctter-to-do; these desire TO wear
rs fine clothes as the children of the
richest man in the village. Mammas
have a pride in gratifying this natural
desire on the par. of their children, and
pressure is brought TO bear on the
father of the family to grant the desired
indulgence. If such natural desire ex-
tended only to dress. it might not work
so much mischief. but it grows till il in
cludes houses, furniture. equipage, the
table, travelling, and all the rest.
Now. it requires constant exercise
of moral courage on the part of both
parents and children in moderate cir
cumstances TO withstand influences so
potent, and TO live and dress and keep
within their means. But it can be done.
and il is done by those who will not
allow themselves to be swept away by
every breeze and carried away by every
social current. by those who insist on
doing a little thinking on their own ac-
count, not only withstanding the drift
of public sentiment, but, when duty
calls, moving directly in the face of it.
1t is good thing for children to learn
to live according to what is fitting their
station in life; il is good for them to be
compelled to the exercise of moral
courage in this regard. But there are
very few parents who are willing to ex-
pose their children. on account of inferi-
ority Of dress and surroundings, to the
snubs of their playfellows, even though
to prevent it they live beyond their
means.
The pressure brought to bear upon
poor young man who marries the
daughter OF wealthy family is fire.
quently ruinous To him. He has pride
in providing for her everything she has
been accustomed TO, and in keeping his
household in As stylish manner rs his
father-in-law does. In her ignorance of
how much things cost, in her fancy that
her husband is certainly her fathers
equal in financial ability and manage
ment. she is often unaware that her
exactions are forcing him in the ,hrec-
ton of failure. embeZzlenIent. forgery.
crime. And he, poor man. hasn't the
courage TO place before her the facts in
the ease. The records show that many
Il man whose only fault was undue in
diligence TO his family, has been brought
10 the penitentiary because he had not
the moral courage to bring his eNpendi-
lures within his means. and was forced
by pressures outside of himself and final
ly irresistible TO appropriate funds be-
longing not 10 him. Some most dis
tressing eases of this kind are within our
personal knowledge and suggest this
note of warning.
As a preparation for the financial re-
sponSibilities of adult life it is an excel
lent plan TO allow each child in n family
4 certain specified amount which shall
cover necessary expenditures. and re-
quire faithful account of the same.
This will teach children the value of
money as nothing else will; this VIII
form in them the habit of thoughtful
and wise expenditure, of choice as TO