Misers and Miserly Habits.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 94, 22 April 1893, Page 11

Misers and Miserly Habits.

Perhaps it is because they are surrounded by a certain amount of mystery that misers are invariably objects of interesb and curiosity to their neighbours. The nature of the spendthrift is easily understood ; the miser, on the other hand, is an enigma. He is one of the anomalies and absurdities of nature. The accumulation of money is hia sole aim. But we must nob despise the miser indiscriminately. The desire to bo philanthropic has induced Home men to deny themselves every comfort that others may be benefited. Take the case of an American clergyman, for instance, who, with a salary of eight hundred dollars a year, managed to leave for the.benefit of a worthy charity tbo sum of fifty thousand dollars. For forty years only one person was known to have sat at his festal board. He never had a tire in his house, and no servants. During winter nights he used to go to the houses of his parishioners, in order to keep himself from suffering with cold rather than light a fire at the rectory. This man was a martyr rather than a miser, but nob until death revealed his real character was justice done him. The genuine miser is so hardened to his meanness that he rather rejoices when he sees any other man display the same quality. The biography of DiebiEus Dichamus shows this conclusively. This person was a descendant of the Byzantine monarchs ; but their spirit of lavishne3s was in no way inherited by him, for during his lifetime he managed by niggardliness to raise the value of his possessions to many thousand pounds. The great question of his life was, to whom should he leave his money ? The problem was solved for him by means of a rather curious incident. A distant relative of his sent him a letter written on an inch of paper. This was enough : the miser seemed to see in his absent friends a fitness which fully warranted him in making this apparently thrifty person his heir. There seems to be a certain irony of fate in tho miser's pains to collect money, for generally the produce of his mean and sparing living falls into the hands either of thriftless eons or bitter foes. The life of Vandille illustrates this. His daily food consisted of bread and milk, with the addition of a glass of sour wine on a Saturday ; his religious mite was one farthing per week, and at his death he left four million dollars to the kings of Prance. Sir Harvey Elwes was more fortunate ; hia hoarded wealth was inherited by a nephew who appreciated it so highly that lie was afterwards known as John Elwes the miser. On one occasion this peculiar person was entertaining a guest. The latter, after retiring to rest, found himself wet through. Finding that the rain was dripping through the ceiling, he moved the bed. He had not lain long before the same inconvenience again occurred. Again he rose and again the rain came down. After pushing the bed quite around the room ho found a corner where the ceiling was bettor secured and slept until morning. When he met his host at breakfast he told him what had happened. ' Ay, ay,' said Mr Elwes, ' I don't mind it myself, but to those who do, that's a nice corner in the rain.' The genuine miser is not often genuinely honest, and will resort to any subterfuge to avoid spending money. One of these gentry, who resided in a little town in Normandy, could nob bring himself to return the civilities of his friends ; consequently his name was dropped from the list of invitations. To recover tho loss of so many sumptuous repasts, he would have to entertain his hosts in his turn, and the very thought of it completely staggered him. At last he was struck by a brilliant idea, and he sent out his cards of invitation. In the middle of the banqueb, which was on a magnificent scale, horrible cries were heard, and our miser ran out to ascertain the cause. He returned pale and excited. ' An unfortunate workman, the poor father of a family, has been run over just opposite my door!' And obeying a generous impulse, he snatched up a plate, in which he placed a few louis and, handing ib round, collected about six huudred francs, which ho hastened to deliver to the interesting suil'eror. Next day, on making inquiries, the guests found that the accident was a mybh, invented by tho miser to recoup himself for the cost of his dinner.