Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-15
Alarming Extravagance.
CHICAGO fnter-O Ocean.

Chlcd9o lHtef-Cco0Hs
A writer ON social topics in New York,
who has seen the world and knows what
he is talking about. says the rich men OF
Europe do not spend anywhere near the
amount of money that is considered neces-
sary for excepting up appearances
among the capitalists of New York, and
declares that within the last two or three
years the extravaganza in the latter city
has become simply appalling. There are
thousand men there who annually
spend an income of 100000, most of
which is wasted; and as many more
who manage to get away with from
$4,000 to $4,000 annually when
they could get just as much comfort and
enjoyment out of 0ne-quarter OF that
amount. The ladies of the wealthy fami-
lies encourage and share the eXtraYa-
gance, INDUCING in expensive whlms and
fancies which few years ago would
have been considered not only wickedly
wasteful, but Indicative of lunacy. 1t
is not an uncommon thing for $500 and
$500 to be expended for flowers at recep-
ton, and dinner parties costing as many
thousands are gwen every week. A
recent ball given by one Of the lead
ing society ladies is known to have
cost $4,000, and when the lights were
turned out there was nothing in the hands
Of the hostess OF the guests of permanent
and wine and food and clap-trap. Del
monico is said to do an annual business
reaching over a million dollars, with an
enormous percentage of profit, and Pinard,
the Brunswick, and other fashionable
caterers do proportionate amount of en-
| tertaining.
There are two sides from which to APP
/ proach this condition of society. 1t is no
doubt benefit to the public to have Cree
sus spend his income and keep the money
in circulation, so that those who are not
| as rich as he may catch the scatterlngs OF
his extravaganza; and if it were expended
/ in manner and with results of some per-
manent good, it would be a bountiful
| blessing. But the coming generation is
being educated in habits of extravaganza
| and WastefulnesS that cannot but result
in incalculable evil. 1t is not to be sup
posed that the sons and daughters of the
/ men who have been coming money and
accommodating millions for the last
/ few years can continue as their
| fathers have done, nor will
| it be easy for them to drop from luxurious
! conditions into habits of economy and
! cautious expenditure. A time of financial
depression will cut off these muniticent
incomes and compel retrenchment, and
pennies will be as large then as dollars
/ are now, but will the sons and daughters
! of Cresus be able and willing to come
| down to the level Of necessity The his
tory of society since the time of Solomon,
| is a warning against extravaganza, and
while there is no remedy that can be APP
| piled, while there is no power to prevent
man from wasting his means, there
| ought to be a movement on the part of
| thinking people to discourage and dis
| cOuntenance wicked Wastefulness.
The same extravaganza that prevails in
New York does not exist in Chicago, be-
| cause people of means are not so numer-
Gus here, and what are known as ''the
wealthy classes" are so busy in the accu-
mutation of more that they have neither
time nor disposition to indulge in excuses.
But the plague is growing, and the mil
lions that have been acquired since the
fire will soon be temptation to their pos
SCISSORS to launch out into display. There
are signs of it now more than were
ever apparent before, and the con-
slant association of our rich
people with those of New York
will expose them to the contagious epi-
demic. AS rule, and we hope it may
always be so, the spirit of industry and
enterprise prevails here among the young
men more than in the Eastern cities, and
the prOverbial energy of our citizens will
not be exhausted for several generations
yet. That the money of our milliOnaires
may be used in improving the city and
developing its b0undless resources, in
stead of being wasted in useless luXuries,
will probably be the case for years yet,
and it is a matter for congatulation.