Hard Times

If "bad times" aro at Lafid, as tnany believe, it must be remombercd that we Lavo had very littlo of tbem for inany years. To our own surprise and that of the world, wo finished a tremendoui civil war without any severe fiuancial disasters. The salariad clasaes, it is truo suffered much from tho depreciation of the currency, and the ordinary wage class for a short period ; but tho latter soon rccoived tneh coormous subsidies in bounties and so much addi'ional ewp'.oyinent in vaiious directions fruiu Government, that they at leogth reached a more prosperous condition than before the war. Immense branches of production and industry were profitably employed during the strurg!o by the public authoritics, so that the war closcd loaving tho raüroads, for instance, the farmers and a portion of tho manufacturera in such prosperity as they had cot geen for a generation. 15ut it is impossiblfi for a Dation to eat its cake and still have it. We oannot expend our hundreds of miiliong, nnd still be as well off as wo wero before. - We havo, indeed, traosforrcd somo of our burdens to anotlier generation, but we elill must have many to bear. The apparent gains to certain chssos duriog tho war led them into llie wildest extravagance, and ihere has been an unbounded spirit of epeoulation, owing iu part to the iufiuence of a redundant currenoy. Productivo emjilcyment8 have been too much abnndoaed, aud young men lüive hurried to llie eities to make sudden fjrtunes by quiek turns in the gold or stock markets. The gcucral style of living lirt.s Lecomo more expensivo, aud the middle classes imítate the wdalthy, and keep up a mode of life entirely out of proportion to their means.