Year: 1865

| pucuulJTy SITUATION, Win 4 View TO returning q


tho business OF civil life Without some con


sideration they would perhaps be disposed to


imagine that they now TO takeup the thread


of lie somewhat il the same sort as when bro


ken by the storm of civil war: delusion which


could only vanish in disappointment, vexation


and ruin. 1t is not a pleasant thing for one to


east up his accounts when he knows that they


must reveal the fact that since the last reckon


ing he has been growing poor at a rapid rate
The broken merchant and the impoverished adj


v-n;urer avoid doing SO, aud prefer to wait un-


ill another turn in the wheel of Fortune will


enable them to st about the work with pros
nrci ol more agreeable result. There is moth


.ng, howevcr, to b. gained by self-decep;ion.-
/ The bubble must burst sooner or later, and a


bitter repentance must svertake the man who
acts on false premises IN regard to his pecuniary
! resources; and the wounds which we are unwil-
ing to have examined are those which are most
| likely TO prove fatal.


We may survey the conditiuu in which we
are placed without bitterness and without re-
| proaca 1t imports NOT now whether our trou-
| h!rs have been brought about by the madness
Of the time, whether their seeds were sown
broadcast long ago, and have only lately borne
their disastrous fruits, or whether they have
been accomplished b. that all-prevailing, all
eXacting destiny which seems in some mystcri
Gus way to preside in all the affairs of men,
These are questions which belong to history
and philosophy, about which every man will
have his own opinion according TO his educa-
ton, association or The natural bent of his own
mind; and it is not to be supposed that these
conflicting notions will be reccnciled either
now or hereafter


But may al perhaps agree to the fact that
the war found US rich AID has left us poor. A
great part OF our wealth consis ted in slaves up.
ON which all ouF great commercial prosperity
was based This part of our resources is gone.
total loss. Almost all parts of cur country
have suffered more or less from the movements
or occupation ofhostils armies Men have been
| driven from, or abandoned their estates and
their homes 10 the devouring element Imm ense
heaps of blaekened ruins display the work of
confagratlon in our cities. The implements of
husbandry and trade are worn ont or DESTROYED
All these attest the fact that "war is an expen-
sive indulgence, though 10 luxury" The
amount OF material wealth thus DESTROYED il
would be hard to compute Besides. we have
lost on the field Of battle, or in the hospital.
! many thousands of active and energetic Young
men, the flower and the tru, wealth Of the
country. Pericles, standing in Athens at the
close Of victorious but fatal day. when the
slaughtered heroes Of Greece lsy before him.
exclaimed that when the youth perish it IS to
the country as ii the year had died in its spring
The death of such Is GO less loss in peace than
in We shall need them TO renew the face
Of the land hardly less than to ill u2 the vacant
places around the heartLs


These immense loss,s have been attended
with no corresponding gains In the flames of
civil war We have consumed that wealth which
it took years o. patient toll to acquire. Many
persons among Us owe heavy debts v hich must
De paid Formerly they would have been easi-
y discharged but now they form excessive bur
dens On diminished estates Many ef these
debts have been paid once to the Confederate
States under the sequestra;ion laws, and at
time when Confederate money was not far from
par, and now perhaps must be paid again


How are we to meet the processing exigen-
eies which must soon arise The answer is old
Perhaps not so easy 10 follow the advice which
it includes


First, then, by industry. Let every man 60
to work and work as if the very bread of to-day
depended his exertions. That OF tomorrow
does depend on them. You have your farms TO
put in order, your families TO feed and co.he,
your children to educate and your debts to pay.
Be active, before all these demands come upon
you and find you helpless. 1t you cannot do
what you would, do what you can. Let no man
be ashamed to acknowledge presen; necessity
to labor. lie that does the uI>st work is not far
from being the bes: citizen.


Secondly, we must practice strict economy.
Let Us be in no haste to return to fine equip
pages and our former luxurious enjoyments
which we can no longer afford. Let US con-
tiEue from choice to practice some of that fru-
gality which for four years we praeticed from
| necessity. During those years we lived plain
ly, but most Of our people had the necessaries
and the most essential comforts of life. There
was little show of fnery, it IS true. Many of
our ladies' wore the honest homespun which
their own hands had made 1t was perhaps less
attractive than silk; but still they never lacked
admirers. A genius has said, Sorrow, thy
name is cotton-and brown striped cotton at
.hat!' But tha; was the least of all oar sorrows
The ladies may afford to dress plainly. Doubt
less they will always occupy the first place in
our affections, no matter how they dress We
do not say that i: is the duty Of the people to
continue TO wear coarse or common apparel; out
it is their duty to do so if they cannot Justly
and honestly afford any better and to make ex-
travagant purchases for mere ornament and dis,
play, we think, in the present state of affairs is
bad policy, and-what many will esteem worse
| bad taste. After get our estates clear of
| all burdens. and when profits shall be more
than sufficient for our actual needs, we can af-
ford ourselves more latitude.


The peace which we have now consists main
ly in the mere cessation of hostilities Even
that were much-tO be no more disturbed bv
the sounds Of war, to hear no more of such
sanguinary battles have had, to have no
more hospitals for our wounded countrymen
But we hope for Elore perfect peace, which
shall overspread the land like light, when the
angry passions which have dippad our land in