The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-02-07

A great deal of nonsense has been
written of late ON the "sin Of luxury Do
The moralists and the economists and
other theorists of that school have seen
I'm our Luxurious age' the "signs of de-
cav" and tine fan of the Roman Empire
is cited as a warning TO the American
people. who have come to regard as nee
cessaries what their fathers regarded as
comforts and even fine Injuries. quite
So. These are AN relative terms. We
are more fastidious than our forefathers
but that IS not a sign Of decay. it is
the sign rather of higher civilization.
Indeed. luxury is not only a mark Of civil
lazation. hut an important factor I'm the
development of civilization. Character
is greatly influenced by environment The
man who lives i'm o. comfortable home,
amid books and flowers and Ornamental
ton. who eats o. dainty meal, served ON
% white linen cloth from china and silver
viii be more refined. more civilized than
he who lives i'm q hut with dirt floor.
The native Cuban builds his house
of rough boards rived from the palm
tree and makes roof of palm tree bark.
There are mo- glass windows and the only
furniture consists of hammocks in which
to sleep. a table. a few homemade
benches and blocks of hard wood hollow
ed into a mortar at the top m which TO
GRIND the Yucca root His fare consists
Of this same Yucca root, made into a
paste and dried i'm the sun together with
sncb game and wild fruits as he may
rather from the forests Clothing he
does not need and it is regarded as a
luxury rather than q necessity.
Here are the economists ideal home
and ideal family. Nothing is wasted.
Father and mother and children live
close TO nature and eschew luXuries as
tbev eschew evil But are these lazy
semi-barbarians 10 be mentioned in the
same breath with our American working
men who live I'm homes that would be
luxurious palaces TO these priitive Gu
bans? We say that the Americans lux
urv is not only the mark of a higher type
but that it is q constant stimulus to
higher civilization Put the American
in the Cuban hut deprive him Of his
luxuries take away the goad 20 ambition
and ne too viii relapse into condition
Of semi-barbarism.
But some will say eve are not talking
about the so-called luXuries of the work
ingman. We are talking about the sure
enough luxuries Of the rich man. the man
who lives in a palace. travels in a private
car. or a private yacht and INDUCES him
self i'm all that money can buy. There
is where you find dangerous luxuries.
there is where you find the sign Of de-
cay"
We arc quite ready 20 admit that lux
ury and idleness are a dangerous COM
binauon The man who spends his life
hunting luxurious pleasures is sure 20
make a Door citizen and will cultivate
his appetites al the expense Of his mind
and his morals But there is no distinc-
lively idle class in this country. Most
OF our rich men are our busiest men and
use their money IN great enterprises that
give employment 20 labor and promote
the interests OF society. Mr. John y.
Rockefeller IS reputed 20 he worth $3.50
100000. but he IS always al work and It is
said of him that while he would gladly
take a rest from his labors. ne has so
many interests dependent upon him that
he is unable 20 DO so. The Vanderbilts.
the Goulds. Russell Sage. Z. ID. Armour.
Henry NJ. Fiagler, Il. b. Plant. o. IL.
PAYNE an these mlllionaries are at their
offices every day and are head and front
in the activities of life. and the luxuries
which they enjoy are mere incidents in
their life. such triies as TO claim little
Of their attention.
The American people are greater than
their luxurics. greater than their riches
and there Is no parallel between such a
nooplc and the cffcie nations OF oldcn
times who gave up their lives 20 luxury
and idleness aud debaucR. Me aga a