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.
It is the duty of all persons to economize their means,--of the young as
well as of the old. The Duke of Sully mentions, in his Memoirs, that
nothing contributed more to his fortune than the prudent economy which
he practised, even in his youth, of always preserving some ready money
in hand for the purpose of meeting circumstances of emergency. Is a man
married? Then the duty of economy is still more binding. His wife and
children plead to him most eloquently. Are they, in the event of his
early death, to be left to buffet with the world unaided? The hand of
charity is cold, the gifts of charity are valueless, compared with the
gains of industry, and the honest savings of frugal labour, which carry
with them blessings and comforts, without inflicting any wound upon the
feelings of the helpless and bereaved.
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