they must keep up their "position in society;" they must have fine
houses, horses, and carriages; give good dinners, and drink rich wines,
their ladies must wear costly and gay dresses. Thus the march of
improvidence goes on over broken hearts, ruined hopes, and wasted
ambitions.

The vice descends in society,--the middle classes strive to ape the
patrician orders; they flourish crests, liveries, and hammercloths;
their daughters must learn "accomplishments"--see "society"--ride and
drive--frequent operas and theatres. Display is the rage, ambition
rivalling ambition; and thus the vicious folly rolls on like a tide. The
vice again descends. The working classes, too, live up to their
means--much smaller means, it is true; but even when they are able, they
are not sufficiently careful to provide against the evil day; and then
only the poorhouse offers its scanty aid to protect them against want.

To save money for avaricious purposes is altogether different from
saving it for economical purposes. The saving may be accomplished in the
same manner--by wasting nothing, and saving everything. But here the
comparison ends. The miser's only pleasure is in saving. The prudent
economist spends what he can afford for comfort and enjoyment, and saves
a surplus for some future time. The avaricious person makes gold his
idol: it is his molten calf, before which he constantly bows down;
whereas the thrifty person regards it as a useful instrument, and as a
means of promoting his own happiness and the happiness of those who are
dependent upon him. The miser is never satisfied. He amasses wealth that
he can never consume, but leaves it to be squandered by others, probably
by spendthrifts; whereas the economist aims at securing a fair share of
the world's wealth and comfort, without any thought of amassing a
fortune.