Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-02-25
THE FRUGAL MIND.
Home Rendered unsttractiye by the Love
of Erugslity for Its own sake.

Home Rendered unsttractl,e by the Love
of Erugsiity for Its own sake.
II is undcniablc that one may have n
frugal mind, may consider the candle
ends, have IN oversight Of yesterdays
remnants. be careful tn take the stitch
in time. look after the pennies which
~ Unexpectedly run away with the
pounds. and in almost every little de-
tail Of housekeeping regard the Signiii-
cancr Of small OUTLAWS or waste, and
vet be- neither mean nor mgcncrouS.
One may. indeed, be- frugal almost 10
excess in respect To ones persona!
affairs and vet lavish for the sake of
others. and in most ease, it is only the
frugal who. can afford TO give with
prodigali,y.
There arr thousands, no doubt. who
fancy that it is only adverse circum-
stances which prevent them from full
filling their generous designs, but after
they have satisfied every wish Of their
own hearts that money can satisfy,
there is usually little or nothing left in
the purse for the good Of Others. They
have the generous impulse. perhaps.
but the habit of frugality is lacking;
and it may he that their hearts arr
often wrung by the need which their
own ,houghtle,s extravaganza has put
IL beyond their power to alleviate.
There is a luxury of giving and lux
ury Of keeping or of possession, and
although some Of Us would like to COM
bine the two, il is only the happy few
who can have this privilege. and the
majority OF Us have only To choose
which OF the two is most congcnial To
Us; it is true, many Of us require very
little time for decision, and there arr
some of us who compromise, and are
selfish and liberal 10y turns; or we try
to believe that ii is generosity which Is
most native AMI congcnial TO our feel
ings, but our position inIhe world. our
surroundings or some plausible protcxt
obligc us To cNpcnd upon ourselves
what we would fain bcStow elsewhere.
In the meantime there are those who
deem frugality not only bugbcar bu:
II humbug. who always confound 1t
with parsimony, and speak Ci il rs IL
il were mcanness masquerading in the
garments Of virtue. .'lIow can one"
they will ask, "who has all creation Ia
interest her. all the systems Of the uni
verse to employ her thoughts, all phil
osophics, religions, antiquities and
what not to hold her attention--how
can she frittcr herself away on yestcr-
DAYS beef bone or last weeks stale
loaf? IL costs more time Ia be frugal
than TO be lavish. and time is money;
if frugality is ones only stock in trade.
perhaps it is well enough, but why
abandon ones whole mind TO the par.
Ing of a potato or the cheapest way to
cook an egg?" 1t is tr,ic that unless
the heart is warm and unsclish frugal
ity is in danger Of dcSenerating into n
mania; gets to boarding old clothes till
they drop into pieces from the attacks
OF moths; to boarding the preserves
till they ferment; keeps the silk UNI
brella in reserve till il cracks in all its
folds; economies in gas and increases
the oculist's income; economies in
Goals and spends on cough balsamsi
economies on the table and Is reward
ed with indigestion and Iuininc; ON
clothes and acquires reputation for
slovcnliness and bad taste; economies
not only on luxurics but on necessities,
and finally renders home unaitractivc
to its inmates if the frugal mind has no
better motive than the love of frugali,y
for its own sake. --Hdrper's BdSr.