The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-05-05

The greatest difficulty America has to
contend with is the extravaganza of the
people. Compared with the peoples OF
| other and older nations Americans as a
rule have no conception of economy, and
it has come to be a common saying that
an American wastes enough to keep
European in comfort This seeming
eXaggeration is too near the truth to be
| funny. A well-to-do American undoubt-
edly wastes enough to provide for. an
economical family in France or Ger
many. Each particular loss may be
small, but the prodigality is so general
and prevalent that the aggregate is
startling. Incomes that admit of COM
fort, with occasional indulgence in lux
uries, leave no margin for the tradi-
tional "rainy day. people live it all up,
and the years end finds them where
they started, except that age has little
firmer grip and they are not SO strong
as they were. Very few know where
to draw the line between comfort and
luxury. Too many are not content with
the former, but must indulge perverted
taste for the latter By false logic peo-
pie reason themselves into the belief
that they are as much entitled to enjoy
the needless dainties of life as their
neighbors. They do not stop to reason
that the neighbor may be better able to
buy and to use fine things, or, if they
do, are unjust enough to ignore this fact
and to use to-day that which should be
saved for tomorrow. In truth, people
are ashamed to acknowledge that their
means are limited, and in order to vim
dictate false pretensions often far exceed
them. Herein lies one of the secrets of
social weakness. Looking at the nou-
veau richie, it is forgotten that nine out
of ten of them started from the very
bottom and in the humblest way. The
great merchant prince of the world
Alexander L. Stewart-was little
better than peddler when he began
in his obscure room to sell merchan-
disc to the poorer classes of New York
City. People regard his marble mansion
and mammoth business houses and
forget whence they came. The Aston
of two generations ago could carry his
entire stock in trade in his arms. Com
modore Vanderbilt was ferryman in
the beginning, and made start out of
the shillings he earned at the oars. Jay
Gould was a peddler. d. G. Mills,
worth $50, 900, 900, had to borrow $500
to make his way to California. Commo-
dore Garrison, another millionaire, be-
gan life as common labOrer on sailing
vessels. Keene was a milk peddler in
California. A majority of these men
reached the fabulous wealth they now
possess more by shrewd investments
than by simple economy; but not one of
them in the working time of their life
wasted dollar needlessly, or i. he did,
he never forgot the incident.
But outside of these and few others,
whose accumulations are so vast as to
almost defy conception, the well-to-do
classes, almost to man, owe their
success to provident economy. 1t was
and is a rule with them to spend less
than they make. The result under ordin-
airy circumstances is inevitable; riches
will come. tits not what man receives,
but what he keeps, that makes him
rich, and it is a rule, with but very few
exceptions, that no man grows wealthy
without practicing prudent saving.
There are exceptions, but in nearly all
such cases the suddenly-acquired wealth
takes wings and flies away. The spirit
of extravaganza seems to ramify society
from center to circumference, and the
people, as people, despise the very
name and sound of economy. There
are countries and peoples where better
judgment prevails. Take Holland. The
Dutch practice economy in all things,
and to this, as much as to their COM
merce, they owe their great wealth;
they are the money-lenders of the world.
Fortunes are handed down, augmented
or unimpaired, from generation to gen
Grafton. When the United States threw
its bonds upon the markets of the
world, very large per cent. of them
went to Antwerp, Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, where they were bought by
Dutch shippers and shipping-masters,
and the Dutch were the last to give
them up when they were called home.
The same good management prevails in
Sweden, and in Germany and France,
but not to so great a degree, and the
last two named are greatly hampered
by expenses of war and of keeping up
enormous standing armies.
1t is needless to particularize in what
way Americans are extravaganza. If
the disposition to save is present, a
score of wasteful avenues will be closed.
A determination to save something out
of ones income is enough to discover
the leaks. 1t is not sufficient to econo-
mize in this or that direction, and let
what is saved thus get away in some
other. We may cut off one needless
expense only to take on another. What
is. needed is to kill false pride and give
common sense a chance. If our neigh
bors can afford better and costlier things
than we can, let them have them until
by judicious saving the breach between
us is not so wide. The Book says, 1.-THE
love of money is the root of all evil"
but the love of the comforts and con-
veniences of what money will buy is no
evil. A competency in old age brightens
the closing days of life, ameliorates the
pain and trouble, and smoothes the way
to the grave. The ambition to have
means in reserve is laudable one and
should be encouraged. Habits of thrift
and economy should be inculcated in
American youth, and the passing years
will find the nation happier, more pros
porous and stronger in every way. The
trite adage, where there's a will
| there's a way" is a true one. It is the