LXXXIII.WASTE NOT—WANT NOT.
MANY, particularly among the young, associate economy and frugality with meanness, ungenerousness, and a churlish, disobliging disposition.
“There would be no pleasure or comfort in living,” said a young lady, when a friend was endeavoring to show her the desirableness of “counting cost,” before entering upon any extravagant expenditures,—“there would be no comfort in living, if I must stop and consider the price,—adding up at every step, and deliberating upon the sum total before I dared to make a purchase; to say every minute, ‘Can I affordthis?’ or, ‘Can I manage to do without that?’ To compel myself to study how I could alter over an old garment, how to change the trimmings so as to hide such piecing as must be done, before I could bring the article into usable shape, and at the same time preserve a genteel appearance; to pick up pins and needles, buttons and strings, keeping before my mind all the time the idea of economy and saving, in everything, small as well as great! Pshaw! I should feel so mean. I should despise myself, and think all my acquaintances would despise me also. I’d sooner spend what I have in a free-and-easy manner, taking what pleasure I could in it, as long as it lasted, and, when all was gone, go to the poorhouse or die! I do really think so.”
A change of cars took them away, and we do not know what reply was made to this speech; but from it we thought one could, without uncharitableness, form a pretty correct estimate of the speaker’s character and probable future. She may not end in the poorhouse, though that would not be the most unlikely thing that could happen; but if she marries, the heart of her husband cannot safely trust in her, and her children will not rise up and call her blessed. Waste and extravagance go hand in hand, and happiness and comfort do not walk with them. Those whom they beguile become selfish, seeking their own gratification, regardless of the interests of others.
It is possible that parents often err in their mode of inculcating economy, and, while striving to enforce its practice, render the whole subject, and every idea connected with it, distasteful by overmuch teaching. However that may be, for some reason the young appear to look upon it as something to be shunned, feeling that they would “lose caste,” if they even spoke of it, and to attempt to practice it would shut them out from certain acquaintances as something quite inferior. So, if compelled to economize, they do it secretly,while they think of it as an evil to be deplored. All their little devices to “keep up appearances,” and bring their surroundings into harmony with their more wealthy neighbors, they shrink from having known, as from real disgrace or guilt; whereas the ingenuity displayed is something often worthy of much praise, if used openly, without regard to foolish criticisms. Those who have thegiftto practice a judicious economy, to save carefully, because it isright, and not from a niggardly, miserly desire to hoard,—in household affairs, in dress, or in anything that comes under their care,—are endowed with a talent for which they may well be proud, and which is recognized by all sensible people as most desirable, even by those who are placed in circumstances where the closest watchfulness and care may not be a necessity.
But it is not merely as matter of necessity that we wish to direct the attention of all good housekeepers to the duty of thrift and carefulness in the management of their affairs. We do not think the poor, or those merely in moderate circumstances, should be allowed to monopolize all the pleasure which, if rightly viewed, can be secured by a frugal use and proper economy of the good things of this world that may be placed at our disposal. The rich have an equal right with the poor to share in this pleasure. A proper education, presenting this subject in the true light, will show conclusively that the more abundant the riches, the greater will be the satisfaction derived from proper discretion and judgment in the use and distribution of them. The good one can do, the large amount of personal happiness to be secured by the good done, would be sufficient motives, even if there were no higher, for strict watchfulness against waste, even in the smallest item. If one has the means, and recognizes the greater convenience of making purchases in large quantities, there is no degradation in doing itbecauseit isalso the better economy. But because they have bought by the wholesale, and filled their store-rooms with large and generous supplies, they must not feel that they have nothing to do but fold their hands and allow others to scatter their stores recklessly and without judgment. Making the purchases and seeing them carefully put in place is by no means the end of their duty. They are but stewards of God’s bounties, and a steward may not relax his care. If a lady can afford to keep a housekeeper, and is willing to submit to the rule and tyranny of one, rather than burden herself with the entire charge of a house, we can only say, “There is no accounting for tastes,” and will not presume to doubt her right to do so; but even then, after having thrown off the supervision of the household, and all the details connected with its care, we believe every one should still retain sufficient responsibility to be sure that the housekeeper is faithful, capable, and willing at all times to render a satisfactory account of her stewardship; and the mistress should be able to know, also, by these accounts, if she is true to her trust. If this was generally understood to be the rule with all, there would be less unfaithful stewardship, less defalcation in the household certainly, if not everywhere else.
But the injury done to subordinates by extravagance is one of the worst features of this evil. Our servants are quick imitators, and if the mistress is easy and careless in her expenditures, the maid soon learns to follow her example, and so will waste the material put into her hands. It does not take long to teach one of the improvident class, from which our servants usually come, a lesson which not only leads her to be careless of the property of others, even when she has no thought or intention of being dishonest, but wholly unfits her for saving her own earnings or managing a home of her own. Hence we see all around us those who have lived inwealthy families marrying, with no knowledge of providing for a family, or of using the little they have with economy. So they sink down, year after year, into deeper poverty and wretchedness; ending, perhaps, in the poorhouse; when if the lessons learned in their employer’s house had been those of true economy, they might now be living in neat and comfortable homes.