The Labor enquirer., 1884-06-07
CORRESPONDENCE.
Extravaganza.
Itor LABOR ENQUIRER:

| lower classes Is their extravaganza. VIII
full waste makes woful want" This is
the cry of upper-tendom, when the pri-
vations of the poor are brought more
forcibly than usual to the notice of our
/ masters. "If they would not drink so
much, if they would only leave off their
| vile tobacco, if they did not spend so
much money in sightseeing, and give
their young ones so much money to buy
candy and other vile trash, they would
soon be able to save enough to-! place
themselves above want and to build for
themselves comfortable homes" These
charges haye been made and reiterated
so often, and with such a total lack of
fairness and truth that the theme has
grown tiresome, and we propose to look
into the matter, and see what grounds
there are for these complaints.
By extravaganza is meant wastefulness
in expenditure, excessive living, prodi-
gality profusion, etc. 1t is supposed then
that the man receiving, say $150 per
day with which to support wife and
four children could soon-or at any rate,
in time save sufficient to make himself
comparatively independent, to buy and
pay for nice home, and to place him
self above the fear of want. This is
surely what it means if it mean$ any
thing, though the average yearly earn
ings of most artisans and laborers will
not exceed S400, and $3.50 day is there
fore considerably above the average.
The mechanic then, or day laborer, could
in time become quite wealthy If he
were not so terribly "wasteful in his ex-
penditures." If for instance he would
cease living so high" and would con-
tent himself on the famous Beecher diet
if he would consent to herd ,-comfort-
I ably enough our bourgeoisie friends
would say-in still more crowded tere-
ments, or live in a kennel. If he could
give up his only solace, his beloved pipe ;
or his glass of beer; if he would not in
sist in the extravagant practiceof giving
penny or five cents week each to the
children, to be spent likely in such trash
as candy or marbles, or dolls, or some
thing equally as extravagant. If he
would only reason with his wife upon
her prodigality, and not allow her to
waste money on such paltry gegaws as
ribbons, flowers, and other inery. If he
would forever eschew circuses, theaters
and other amusements; il, in short, he
would only study and practice "econ-
omy," how different would be his posi-
ton in life.
Imagine the excessive living" of a
family of six persons who have to make
SO a week supply them with food, shelter,
clothing and fuel, to say nothing of
medicine and other necessaries. Think
of the ''profusion" displayed on their
grand fete days. Picture the "prodi-
gality" of the dollar day laborer who
should spend half his wages for liquor.
Fifty cents day for the poor privilege
of allowing man to forget his misery,
in the vile whisky at 10 cents a drink.
Look further. Look at the 'extrava-
gance" of the poor Irish cotter, who is
compelled often to eat the swill that
should 90 to his landlords hogs-nay, is
even denied that, and is turned out on
the wayside to die. 1t has been the cry
of the English aristocrat and the Irish
landlord, and too often echoed by the
wageworkers of this country, that it is
whisky, principally, that is at the bot
tom of the distress in Ireland. Can a
people buy whisky when they cannot
even get bread; when they cannot buy
matches to start a fire, but must resort
to the primitive flint and steel? But
our inquiries have gone far enough on
this side of the question, look we now
on the other
Is it not little curious that nothing
is ever said about the extravaganza of
the rich? Well, perhaps not! They
have the right you know. They can
afford excessive living, and profusion,
and prodigality. They have the money
it is theirs and therefore it is nobody s
business how they spend it so long as
they do not whine, and threaten to be-
come burdensome upon society after it
is spent. Their extravaganza does not
involve them in such difficulties as going
hungry to bed, and going as hungry to
work the next day; therefore let us re-
peat, they have the right to be extravd-
CANT, for might makes right you know,
and they are decidedly masters of the
situation. Their rent-roll will not di-
minish, their shares of stock will con-
tinue to pay good dividends; their down
town business is established on solid
basis and their income from this source
is constantly increasing.
But are the rich extravagant? Many
of our pulpit chandeliers would answer
with an indignant NO! Well, perhaps
not. But let us see. Let us look into
one of our private fashionable houses in
the evening. Mark the scene There
is nothing unusual going on; no party,
no soiree, or anything of that kind. The
younger children have been tucked into
| their satin-quilted beds; those of larger
growth are in the parlor with papa and
mamma, sucking their fine bon bons, and
/ looking over the pages of a. handsome