Arizona silver belt., 1895-02-23

ln asses tnilh. mOuefu young isuies
 have had to be satisfied with tkst of
 COWS. But whom the wrinkles begin to
 appear they have bsthed in wine, white
 wine by preference, because its sstrin-
 gency reduces these tell-talss. Lord
 Shrewsbury demanded an increased
 allowance from the Government when
 he guarded Mary Queen of Scots, be-
 cause of the great expense to which
 that royal lsdy's wine baths csns.
 In vain, from age to age, have sump-
 tuary laws been levsled against osten-
 tatioH and luxury in food and clothing.
 The love of liberty has proved stronger
 thsa the love of monopoly. "It is no
 ones business how Ispsnd my money"
 say the persons who own it. This is
 quite true if we make one exception.
 The moralist has the right to criticise
 their method if it should appear to be
 against good taste and public morality.
 Liberty allows us to dc many things that are not for the common good.
 And it Is from the lash of the satirist
 and the increasing good sense of the
 community, and not from Legislation, that moral improvements are brought about. Vices are killed by scorn and ridioule and public disspprobAtion, and not by act of parliament.
 It is competent, therefore, for any one who can afford it to spend thous- and guineas on orchids to sdorn A sin gle banquet, but it is also within the right of the moralist or political eoono-
 mist to enquire if eItrAyagance such as
 this is for the public good or svil.
 One of the many proolsmations of Queen Elizabeth against "ths excsss of apparel" mentioned "the wasting and undoipg of great number of young gentlemen, otherwise servicesbls and that others, seeking by show of apparel to be esteemed as gentlemen, and al-
 lured by the vain show of these things,
 not only consume their goods and 3 lands, but also run into such debts and
 shifts, as they cannot live out of dan ger of laws without attempting unlaw- ful acts" And 80 she threatened to have them rated in the subsidy books | according to the costhness of their , dress. Yet while Elizabeth bsde every one else to set good example, she l had in her wardrobe three thousand } dresses that had only been worn once. We read in Stuart times of hvs hun.
 dred pounds for knights cloak oi , embroidery for lady's gown a$ fifty
 pounds yard of one lady wearing . over 8 hundred thousand pounds Q worth of jewels at a time of gentle, g men in "crimson velvet and bestsr g gold ]" of duke one blaze of diamonds - from head to foot, and those he often f shock from him to see the maids o r honor scramble for them and of the T great and wise Sir Walter Raleigh wsar. T ing on court days seven thousanc , pounds worth of precious stones on e his shoes, having his armour of soho 6 silver, and his SBord and belt shAme t with diamonds, rubies and pearls.
 2 Thus the ostentation of former timel i WAS far in excess of ours. Neverthe i less, there is still vast room for i'm s proyement. From the highest to th'
 lowest the practice is much too preTa
 lent of living beyond one's means O
 making c grander show than one's posi- tion warrants !; of dwelling in house. out of proportion to income and, gen
 orally, of aping those who are superioi
 in wealth and rank. It is not the ricl
 alone who are thus guilty. The mid de classes and the poor are equally
 and often much more, ostentatious II
 their way. We are told that coster 70 mongers wear the most gorgeous an, 7, most expensive silk handkerchiefs tha u can be obtained to adorn their manlI U necks. He Wiio has the costliest is th " most killing" in the eyes of his fai u ones. The poor prefer showy furni 's ture, cheap and fragile, to the humble o but more substantial articles. The, had rather & sham veneer than soli u reality. It is the same in dress. Goo '' woolen material is the cheapest, mos Ie comfortable, and most healthy in sum r mer and winter Yet showy, himsy h unhealthy fabrics take its place, Tn IT stomach is often starved that the bac T. may bear finery. Education and par IT ental training are made subsidiary |
 appearances. The young are earl "a taught the important lesson that "t y seem" is of more value than ''to be. u This serdid and paltry hypocrisy psl l. mestes society from end to end, and K the source of much ignorance an ie crime. foliyJ End all sorts of prostitr "a tion. People are afraid to acknowledg 'd their true position, and ashamed to b K thought poor in these days when an IS clever rogue may become rich. Is
 sny wonder that peculation of all kind g. is 50 common as it is that anon