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CHAPTER VII.

EXPENDITURES.

"Now basket up the family of plagues,
That wastes our vitals; peculation, sale
Of honor, perjury, corruption, frauds
By forgery, by subterfuge of law,

By tricks and lies as numerous and as keen
As the necessities their authors feel;
Then cast them closely bundled, every brat

At the right door, Profusion is the sire."

Ir can hardly be said that in the above lines, Cowper has described the effects of profusion in language too strong or significant.

A profuse

squandering of money, is undoubtedly the parent of an immense majority of the crimes which fill our prisons with tenants. When money is lavishly spent in every foolish extravagance, the demand is very likely soon to become greater than the supply; and hence, to obtain that supply, there is danger of adopting fraudulent and dishonest measures which may lead to degradation and ruin. This has been the career of tens of thousands. guard against such a course, is but the dictate of wisdom and plain common sense; and there is no precaution more effectual than economy and pru

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dence in all expenditures. When these principles are observed, there is no profusion, no extravagance, no squandering.

There can be no doubt that the pecuniary prosperity of every family depends very much upon the course pursued by the wife. By her wastefulness and extravagance, she may bring her husband to poverty and keep him there—or by her prudence and economy, she can greatly aid him in acquiring competency and wealth. In no transactions can economy be more profitably exercised than in the expenditures of a family, and in nothing is it more necessary. There are numberless little expenses requisite in every family; and if proper precaution is not exercised, many trifling outgoes will be constantly recurring, which are not necessary. These small items, when taken in the aggregate, form an important portion of the expenses of the household. They amount to a sum in many families, which, could it be fully ascertained, would surprise husbands and wives who flatter themselves they are quite economical.

Dr. Franklin's favorite maxim was, "Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves." This care is peculiarly necessary in a family. Take care of the small expenses as well as the great. When an outlay of any magnitude is made, some attention is usually paid to prudence and economy in regard to the necessity which calls for it, and the disposition which is made of it. But in spending trifling sums, these

considerations are often overlooked; because, as the amount is small, it is deemed of very little moment whether it is necessary or not. But although each separate trifle is of small consequence, when viewed alone, yet, as already remarked, the sum total of constantly occurring trifles will amount, in the course of the year, to no inconsiderable item in family expenditures.

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It is peculiarly the province of the wife to attend to these things-to regulate the expenses of the household, and see that nothing is squandered or wasted. This she can do much better than the husband, because she is, or should be, much better qualified for it. From her location as head of the household—from her knowledge of domestic affairs -she is more capable of judging whether expenses are necessary or unnecessary, than any other perHence she should not fail to put this knowledge into practice, and to be extremely cautious to conduct her household arrangements in a manner that shall prevent all prodigality, all wastefulness, all squandering. It is immaterial what the circumstances of the family are, in this respect.— Wealth furnishes no apology for wastefulness. Whatever is wasted, is lost, and no housewife can be held guiltless who so profusely squanders the gifts of Providence, that they fail to impart all their benefits.

The endeavor to be economical and prudent, should extend to all expenses of every description. A very striking inconsistency in this respect, is

sometimes exhibited. Dr. Johnson speaks of a lady who, while squandering her husband's fortune by the excessive splendor in which she would indulge, refused to have a two shilling mango cut at her table, because it was not economical! And this is the manner in which many people proceed. In regard to houses, furniture, dress, and all that pertains to outward appearance, they will squander their means in the most wasteful profusion. But to atone for this prodigality, and to satisfy any qualms of conscience which may arise, they will descend to miserly penuriousness and absolute meanness, in regard to small and trifling expenses. And such people will flatter themselves that they are all the time exceedingly economical-mistaking meanness and parsimony for prudence and economy. I have seen some people of this description. They will beat down the wages of servants and poor laboring persons to the lowest possible degree, even to the splitting of cents and farthingsexerting all their ingenuity and cunning to obtain the greatest amount of labor for the smallest remuneration that poverty can induce its victims t accept of! And this they call economy! While, at the same time, they would squander more in one day for a needless dress, or a useless article of furniture, than they would save in months by their miserable parsimony. Such a course as this cannot be called economical-it imbodies the very spirit of littleness. True economy is not opposed to liberality, or generosity, or charity. Whoever

close their ears to the calls of benevolence, under the plea of economy, dishonor that word, and convert it to the base purpose of concealing a selfish heart and a miserly spirit.

I pray all young wives to avoid the mistaken notions of economy to which I have adverted—I pray them not to believe that in pinching with one hand, and squandering with the other, they are prudent and economical. They should look upon this practice in its true light, as uniting in one person two extremes-parsimony and prodigality -either of them dishonorable when existing separately-but when united in the same person, presenting a monstrous compound of dishonor, utterly disgraceful to human naturé! Economy should extend to all things-not only to small expenses, but large ones not only to the comforts of life, but more especially and directly to the superfluities. In regard to personal, bodily wants, whatever is not necessary for a comfortable subsistence, and for decency in appearance, is superfluous, and should not be indulged in. And those who avoid those superfluities, have all the more means to answer the calls of charity, and to cultivate and beautify the mind, that inward person, whose adorning is of much more consequence than that of the outward.

The disposition in regard to economy should not ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean-prudent and saving to-day, and profuse and wasteful tomorrow. Instead of this, economy should be es

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