The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-14
THE .REAL ADVANCE AGENT,


Adversely is a hard master and it
takes the philosophic to look upon his
lessons with equanimity or regard his
uses as sweet. He comes into our lives
and ruffies their placid waters with
rough hands. He empties the oil cups
and the journals generate friction and
heat. He treads with unfeelfng foot
upon our little foibles. He prizes into
our expense bills and marks this and
that item for excelsior. He tells Mon
sieur that if tobacco is a necessity. CT
gars are luxuries; and reconciles him to
beer as being. on the whole, more con-
ducive to health than wine. He as
sures him that last winters overcoat
needs only little brushing and re-
pairing to make a new one needless,
and brings him around to a belief that
a new suit of clothes is not indispens-
ible. He suavely, but firmly asks
madam to consider whether the box at
the opera is really essential to her life
and whether she would not find her
health in better condition if the horses
and carriages and livered drivers were
struck off the household list. If
madam demurs, the sharp claw comes
from beneath the velvet to convey its
admonitions.
Thus the matter teaches US to revise
cur notions. Except with the very few
tive to accumulation, we all let desire
strain the leash that holds spending to
income, We care for the latter only as
it enables us to crafty the former. Il
we strive to increase it it is not for
love of it, but only for what it will
bring. With increase comes indulgence
of some taste that makes life more
comfortable; better furniture. clothes
more books better housing. better food,
a painting. lamps for candles and gas
for lamps and electricity for gas. A
sealskin becomes essential for madam.
who once found a Paisley shawl ample,
and the street car altogether too pie
bian for herself and the girls. When
income swells desire springs with elias
tic step to gather in the slack and
keep the line taut Gradually habit
transforms luxuries into necessities.
What was easily done without yester-
daybecomes indispensable today. We
wonder how we ever got on without.
things, and we regard with plying eye
those uneducated or unfortunate per-
sons who still find them unattainabIe
luxuries.
Then adversely rings the door bell
and walks in unlimited and sits down
at our f1reside and hills the warm air.
1t never occurs to us that we have been
urging him to come all these years OF
desire growing on its qualifications.
We would be shocked if some candid
person were to tell US that we were to
blame for the visit Of cur unwelcoma
guest. We go far away in our search
for the causes of our trouble. We look
for mysterious forces that have
wrought the havoc. We lend willing
ear to the quidnunc who hints at the
Vaccinations of the great money mag
mates of the world. We listen with
credulity to the statesman who tells
us it was caused by the expulsion
of his party from power We begin to
believe in some occult power of gov
ernments to create Or destroy. We
need money most of all and are readi-
ly convinced that the real need is in
crease Of the circulating medium. We
take an interest in statistics and study
the per capita solution of financial
problems. And we vote the party out
whose misfortune it was to come into