The Southern herald., 1886-03-13
the FRUGAL MIND.


Home Rendered Unattractive by the Love
Of FFugality for Its Own Sake.
1t is undeniable that one may have
frugal mind, may consider the candle
ends, have an oversight Of yesterday $
remnants, be careful to take the stitch
in time, look after the pennies which
SO Unexpectedly run away with the
pounds, and in almost every little de-
tail of housekeeping regard the signifi-
canoe of small outlays or waste, and
yet be neither mean nor ungenerous.
One may, indeed, be frugal almost to
excess in respect to ones personal
affairs and yet lavish for the sake of
Others, and in most cases it is only the
frugal who can afford to give with
prodigality.
There are thous ands, 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 be that their hearts are
often wrung by the need which their
own thoughtless extravaganza has put
it beyond their power to alleviate.
There is luxury of giving and lux
ury of keeping or of possession, and
although some of us would like to COM
bine the two, it 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 congenial to
us; it is true, many of us require very
little time for a decision, and there are
some of us who compromise, and are
selfish and liberal by turns; or we try
to believe that it is generosity which is
most native and congenial to our feel
ings, but our position in the world, our
surroundings or some plausible pretext
oblige us to expend upon ourselves
what we would fain bestow elsewhere.
In the meantime there are those who
deem frugality not only bugbear but
humbug, who always confound it
with parsimony, and speak Of it as if
it were meanness masquerading in the
garments of virtue. "How can one, "
they will ask, "who has all creation to
interest her, all the systems of the uni
verse to employ her thoughts, all phil
osophies, religions, antiquities and
what not to hold her attention how
can she fritter herself away on yester-
days beef bone or last weeks stale
loafP 1t costs more time to 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 potato or the cheapest way to
cook an egg?" 1t is true that unless
the heart is warm and unselfish frugal
ity is in danger of degenerating into a
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 um.
brella in reserve till it cracks in all its
folds; economies in gas and increases
the oculist's income; economies in
Goals and spends on cough balsams
economies on the table and is reward.
ed with indigestion and quinine; on
clothes and acquires a reputation fol
slovenliness and bad taste; economies
not only on luxuries but on necessities,
and finally renders home unattractive
to its inmates if the frugal mind has nc
better motive than the love of frugality
for its own sake. -Hdrper'S Bagdr.