The Labor enquirer., 1884-06-07
book with brilliantly colored plates.

old port, at from s. to IS bottle. In
another part of the house the young
.hopefulsn are having little time"
with few friends. On the costly side
board stands decanters and glasses and.
boxes of choice cigars ard rare fruit and
confectionery; for papa" you know is
| liberal, and mamma" like a dutiful wife.
bows submissiyely to the "goyernor's9
will. Besides. Harry" is nearly of age
and will soon be partner in his fathers
business. The boys are fine fellows.
They crack huge jokes at one another's
expense -or at the expense Of their
absent friends in a good-natured way
that is delightful to hear. They light
their cigars and fill up all around again
and again. The champagne is the best,
the aroma of the fine tobacco fills the
room songs are sung, toasts proposed
and drank, and finally, under the cheer
ing influence of the wine, the converse
ton drifts into confidential channels,
and the fair sex become the targets of
their witticisms. Eugene sounds the
praises of Miss Dashington; then Clar-
ence tells of his llttle scrape with the
young and pretty girl who was lately in
his fathers employ, and is now-well, no
matter wheref she is wand the
otherstell Of. their adventures and love-
intrigues, and more wine is drank, and
Harry, after looking out to see if the old
man or the servants are within hearing,
proposes comic song, which is of course
sung, and which is very comic indeed,
and very nasty; and other ribald songs
are sung and indecent stories told, and
more wine is drank, until finally they all
get drunk and roll under the table, and
the servants carry them bodily to bed.
And this is an every night occurrence
among the fashionables of every large
city, and there is not one particle of ex-
trayagance in this picture.
Is.it necessary to describe one of their
public dinners, costing from S25 to $500
cover, or to 60 into the details of
private party in high life, where the
flowers and decorations cost hundreds
and sometimes thousands of dollars
Shall we give;a description of society
wedding, and picture the dresses, the
costly presents, the rare wines and the
brilliant assemblage? No, it is not neces,
sary, for the public prints give full de-
scriptions of all these things; and the
average workingman reads them, some
times with Indifference, sometimes with
a sense Of envy, often with a feeling of
downright admiration and thankfulness.
But let us look little farther into the
private lives of those who preach econ
omy and abstinence to the working peo-
pie. Mr.. Shoddy, of the firm of "Pomp
& Shoddy," lives at the Club. His fast
horses are kept in royal style at the best
livery in town. He is something of
sport" and therefore of course has his
"woman"-perhaps more than one
whom he keeps in rented parlors or
private boarding houses, at a cost of 500
per week "and no questions asked" He
allows himself for private expenses, say
$50 per week-not an extravagant
amount by any means-$20 of which
goes to the club for board, lodging and
dues, 500 to the woman aforesaid, and $40
| for incidentals. He will not touch a
cigar costing less than 500 box, and
never takes any of your cheap drinks.
He hires his tailor by the year, and puts
on new suit every three months. Of
course he wears jewelry and no gentle
man will wear anything common or
cheap. So he goes, and when business
gets little tight he makes it up, not by
diminishing his own expenses, oh no,
but by cutting down the expenses of the
firm; a performance the meaning of
which every wage worker knows to his
cost Now it never occurs to any of the
reverend hypocrites who preach for these
fine gentry that this is extravaganza, or
wasteful expenditure or if it does ever
occur to them they know better than to
voice their thoughts on the subject. 1t
is perfectly natural, they say, that
gentleman should live well, and we must
not be severe on the little foibles of our
betters you know.
Then there are the darling women"
the wives and daughters of our "best"
citizens. Of course they have their little
weaknesses, and time often does hang
heavy on their hands no doubt. But
they are not extravagant, or wasteful, or
prodigal! To be sure not! A little
shopping must be done now and then,
and we could not expect them to buy
any but the best goods-or at least what
is about the same thing to them ITO pay
any but the highest prices for their pur-
chases. And then, whose business is it
if madam, weary of sights, and balls, and
shopping, and gambling,-for many of
them speculate largely on the board of
trade-and almost in despair for some
thing to do, should invite a few of her
most intimate friends, and in laudable
imitation of her lord and master, act
quite naughtily. and get real tlpsy, and
say great many foolish things; and
then bribe her maid handsomely to keep
quiet tongue.
Am drawing an extravagant picture