The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-08-08

arc lashed from January to December
in the attempt Our politicians may
theorize until the expiration OF their
terms of office as to the best way OF
improving our monetary condition IN
this country; it will be o. no use, ana
things will be no better until we learn
to put on our heads, and back, ana
feet, and hands no more than we can
pay for.
There are clerks in stores and banks
on limited salaries who, in the vain az
tempt to keep the wardrobe OF their
family as snowy as other folks ward-
robes, are dying of muffs, and dia-
monds, and shawls, and high hats, ana
they have nothing left except what
they give to cigars and wine suppers' I
and they die before their time and theT
will expect us ministers to preach about
them as though they were the victims
of early piety, and after high-class
funeral, with silver handles at the
side of the coffin, of extraordl-
nary brightness, it will be found out
that the undertaken is cheated OUT
of his legitimate expenses! DO
not send me to preach the tuneral
sermon of man who dies llKe
that. will blurt out the whole truth
and tell that he was strangled to death
by his wife's ribbons! Our countries
are dressed to death. You are not sur
prised to fud that the putting up OF
one public building in New York cost
millions Of dollars more than it ought
to have cost, when you find that the
man who gave ont the contract PAID
more than five thousand dollars for his
daughters wedding dress. Cashmeres
of thousand dollars each are not rare
on Broadway 1t is estimated that
there are ten thousand women in these
two cities who have expended on their
personal array four thousand dollars
year.
What are men to do in order to keep
up such home wardrobes? Steal-that
is the only respectable thing they can
do! During the last fifteen years there
have been innumerable fine businesses
shipwreclled on the wardrobe. The
temptation comes in this way: A man
thinks more of his family than all the
world outside, and if they spend the
evening in describing to him the SUI
perior wardrobe of the family across
the street, that they cannot bear the
sight of, the man is thrown on his
gallantry and on his pride of family
and, without translating his feelings
into plain language, he goes into extor
, ton, and issuing of false stock, ant
, skillful penmanship in writing some
l body else's name at the foot of promis
t sorry note; and they all go down to
r gether-the husband to the prison, tn
e wife to the sewing machine, the chill
d dren to be taken care of by those VIII
e were called poor relations. Oh! TO
n some new Shakespeare to arise an
# write the tragedy of human clothes.
r Act the first of the tragedy-A plai
Is but beautiful home. Enter, the newly
n married pair. Enter, simplicity c
re manner and behavior. Enter, as muc
is happiness as is ever found in one home
lie Act the second-DisDntent with tn
s. humble home. Enter, envy Entel
" jealousy. Enter, desire of display.
lie Act the Acknowledgements Of e.
a. penses. Enter all the queenly dres
in makers. Enter, the French milliner
w Act the fourth-The tip-top of 81
re ciety. Enter, princes and princesses
a high life. Enter, magnificent plat
n. and equipage. Enter everything splel
)r did.
Act the fifth, and last-Winding u
Of of the scene. Enter, the assigne,
IN Enter, the sheriff Enter, the creditor
III Enter, humiliation. Enter, the wrat
ID of God. Enter, the contempt of societ!
lie Enter, death. Now let the silk curtai
n drop on the stage. The farce is ende
l. and the lights are out
y Win you forgive me if | say in terse'
n shape possible that some of the me
10 have to forge and to perjure and
I'd swindle topay for their wives dresses
IL Twill say it, whether you forgive II
10 or not!
re Again, inordinate fashion is the fC
le of all Christian alms-giving. Men an
If women put so much in personal displa
lie that they often have nothing for &c
It; and the cause of suffering humanit
Id A Christian man cracking his Pala
e, royal glove across the back by shuttir
n, up his hand to hide the one cent
&c puts into the poor-box! A Christie
's woman, at the story OF the Hottentot
at crying copious tears into twenty-f'
a dollar handkerchief, and then giving
b two-cent piece to the collection, thrus
"a ing it down under the bills SO peop
ty win not know but it was a ten-doll
CHI gold piece! One hundred dollars for i
to cense to fashion; two cents for Go
nd God gives us ninety cents out of eve
do dollar. The other ten cents by eol
re mand of His Bible belong to Him.
as not God liberal according to this tit
so ing system laid down in the Old Test
he ment-is not God liberal IN giving
re ninety cents out of dollar, when ]
les takes but ten? We do not like ths
go We want to have ninety nine cents
of ourselves and one for God.
Now, would a great deal rath
1w steal ten cents from you than fro
is God. / think one reason why gre
IN many people do not get along in worl
all ly accumulation faster is because tn
ay do not observe this divine rule. G
he saws: HWell, if that man is not sat
of fed with ninety cents of dollar, th
/ will take the whole dollar, and W
is give it to the man or woman who
Do honest with Me-" The greatest obs
lu- Gle to charity in the Christian chur
or to-day is the fact that men expend