Extra Occasions
The hostess, seeing his dilemma, would say: "It is rather difficult to read here evenings; the proverb says 'you must have a ship at sea in order to be able to burn two candles at once; we never have an extra candle except on extra occasions."
These extra occasions occur, perhaps, twice a year. In this way the good woman saves five, six, or ten dollars in that time: but the information which might be derived from having the extra light would, of course, far outweigh a ton of candles.
But the trouble does not end here. Feeling that she is so economical in tallow candies, she thinks she can afford to go frequently to the village and spend twenty or thirty dollars for ribbons and furbelows, many of which are not necessary.
This false connote may frequently be seen in men of business, and in those instances it often runs to writing-paper.You find good businessmen who save all the old envelopes and scraps, and would not tear a new sheet of paper, if they could avoid it, for the world. This is all very well; they may in this way save fiveor ten dollars a year, but being so economical (only in note paper),they think they can afford to waste time; to have expensive parties, and to drive their carriages.
A penny here, and a dollar there, placed at interest, goes on accumulating,and in this way the desired result is attained.It requires some training, perhaps, to accomplish this economy, but when once used to it, you will find there is more satisfaction in rational saving than in irrational spending.
Here is a recipe which I recommend: I have found it to work an excellent cure for extravagance, and especially for mistaken economy: When you find that you have no surplus at the end of the year, and yet have a good income, I advise you to take a few sheets of paper and form them into a book and mark down every item of expenditure.
Post it every day or week in two columns, one headed "necessaries"or even "comforts", and the other headed "luxuries," and you will find that the latter column will be double, treble, and frequently ten times greater than theformer.
The real comforts of life cost but a small portion of what most of us can earn. Dr. Franklin says "it is the eyes of others and not our own eyes which ruin us.If all the world were blind except myself l should not care for fine clothes or furniture." It is the fear of what Mrs. Grundy may say that keeps the noses of many worthy families to the grindstone.
In America many persons like to repeat "we are all free and equal," but it is a great mistake in more senses than one.
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