Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-12-31

their masters. How many men and
women have gone on and on, even to
dishonesty. for the sole reason that
they had too many needs and could not
resign themselves to simple living!
There are many guests in the cham
bers of Mazas who could give us much
light on the subject of too exigent
needs.
Let me tell you the story of an ex-
cellent man whom l knew He ten
DERBY loved his wife and children and
they all lived together, in France. In
comfort and plenty, but with little Of
the luxury the wife coveted. Always
short of money, though with n little
management he might have been at
ease, he ended by cxiiing himself to a
distant colony. leaving his wife and
children in the mother country. /
don't know how the poor maH can feel
Off there. but his family has a finer
apartment. more beautiful toilets and
what passes for an cquipaGe. At pres
ent they are perfectly contented, but
soon they will be used To this luxury
rudimentary after all. Then madam
will find her furniture common and her
etlufDuSc IL tiiiS HILL iONcS LIB
wife, and that cannot he doubted. he
will migrate TO the moon II there Is
hope OF larger stipend. In other
cases the roles are reversed and the
wife and children are sacrificed to the
ravenous needs OF the head of the
family. whom an irregular life. play
and countless other costly follies have
robbed of all dignity. Between his ap-
pctites and his role of father. he has
decided for the former. and he slowly
drifts toward the most abject egoism.
This forgetfulness OF all responsible
ity. this gradual bcnumbing of noble
feeling, is not alone to be found among
pleasure seekers of the upper classes
the people also are infected. I know
more than one little household which
ought to be happy, where the mother
has only pain and heartache day and
night, the children are barefoot, and
there is great ado for bread. Why?
Because too much money is needed by
the father To speak only of the ex-
pcnditure for alcohol. everybody knows
the proportions that has reached in the
last twenty years The sums swallow
ed mp in this gulf are fabulous
the indemnity Of the war of 1910. How
many legitimate needs could have been
satisfied with that which has been
thrown away on these artificial ones!
The reign of wants is by NO means
the reign OF brotherhood. The more
things n man desires for himself, the
less he can do for his neighbor, and
even for those attached to him by ties
of blood.
The destruction of happiness, indie
pendence. moral fineness, even Of the
sentiment OF common interests-such Is
the result Of the reign Of needs. A
multitude Of other unfortunate things
might be added. of which not the least
is the disturbance Of the public wei
fare. When society has too great
needs Ii is absorbed with the present,
sacrifices to it the conQuests Of the
past, imroolates to it tie future. After
US the deluge. To raze the forests In
order to get gold; to squander your pat
rimony in youth. destroying In a day
the fruit of long years: to warm your
house by burning your furniture; to
burden the future with debts for the
sake of present pleasure; to live by ex-
pedients and sow for the morrow trou-
bic. sickness. ruin. envy and hate-the
enumeration of all the misdeeds OF this
fatal regime has no end
On the other hand, il we hold to sim
ple needs we avoid all these evils and
replace them by measureless good
That temperance and sobriety are the
best guardians of health is an old sto-
~. They spare him who observes them
many misery that asddens existence.