Meanness

Economy is an excellent tbing. That is, ït is very coinfortable to be able to say to oue's self, " I will do without this, that or the oth r luxury. rather than run th nsk of being a beggar in niy oíd age," or even fincl it possible to live without what is usually deemed a necessity, rather than run into debt. But exaggerated econoniy, or rather meamiess, is something which must render its possessor wretched, and something too which ia often found in people who are too selflsh to forbid themselves anything they desire. They covet rich lood and line dress, ease and idleness, aut they begrudge to those who minister to their wants their well-earned price, and always forget "the laboreris worthy lis hire." From the lips of such people you hear nothing but complalnts. Êvery one is overreaching them. The dress-maker has sent in a frightful bilí; the cook has no right to 8uoh wages; the abominable laudord thinks no rent is too niuch tor his louse ; it is impossible to have anything done without being cheated. In fine, they want all that people have to sell, and have within their souls a miserly desire to get it for nothiug. Always accusïng other people of their own vice, they salve their conscience, and when they do jet something for nothing, fancy theniselves happy. But it is only fancy. They can never know the pleasant warrnth ;hat filis the heart when a generous action las been done at its prompting. Never can they feel the pleasant independence thatfollows liberal and ungrudging payment of those to whose toil or troubleoue is indebted Life is a constant battle to them, and many a spendthrif t is happier than those who forget that they have no right to economize at the expense of other people, and whatever wittingly takes the uiouuy of another to add to his own purse is at east at heart a thief.