TEACHING FRUGALIFY.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 103, 30 June 1876, Page 2

TEACHING FRUGALIFY.

It is one of themostjiplesllint duties of a journalist (sayl^ifie »* -^mterbuty Tihies^) tb *ecordjjai|g§aVan|K seltsacrifice: and devjotijpf jto tttStterests of i mankind.^. Self -s^^ce'^^ie last and highest %>int{ of m^^Pcivilißation cifthe iiiodernrwbrl^fana so rare as the point that 'lt^ifif^afmbst confined to moral forcing- houses. Our present - Colonial Government, it is well known, takes elaborate pains to develop such a moral atmosphere in New Zealand, and we quote in our columns a rumour about ontrtrf-thirlamT^^ for this purpose. . It' is said that the Premier, when in England, ordered two steamers to be^bmlt'^or't-wTTOvern^ ment, one at least of them to beasgbr-l geously fitted up as the royal steam yacht. 111-natured critics'may say that this is useless extra vagariqe ,• , that . the/ Luna costs quite enough Willi its! IwilvW • thousand pounds a?yeary and^that two Government yachts fitted. .up in royal style and. commanded by. R;jS., officers .» r will cost the country not. much less, than fifty thousand a-year. But what will fifty thousand a-year he ; t6 : *the' ' moral effect? The Spar tans, -according^ *-'• to. the familiar story, used to.m^ the, ... Helots drunk in order to teach their children sobriety. Sir' ! Julius^ _Jas' n ■doubtless the same end in view;^^ti% two royal-fitted yachts are eVid&tl|r/ w be perambulating examples oSthe wicked heights to^hich-rbyal-te^^K^ gance will go, onetokeep-sailm^^ffii*; each island to teach'its people whainve must expect if we prefer^the kmgship / of a member of the royal femil^tb^the^ premiership . of anr, economical i knight, > • By this we .may^. see (hpw^^he^ O^P**; .... spends as much of ter subjects' moneys on an occasional * toy as~6ur ! f Preh.ier o'would0 '- would spend on r a, trip td.the^loan^nar^;" ket. The Prince's trip V India wifi ''' cost England several tens 'of thbu_hnd,. J ' How cheaply we get off, when- we sefid* " a Premier; to Europe^at^dfcily^aVfett'-/ thousands more . than , his salary, and that too without troubling the Assembly to vote it ?' ! Where would. we get a ruler in the present degenerate age^rr-.i let him be* : prince or presideht-~w_io would save his legislature' ■«_* ? much .trouble? In his own political habits, then, he #ivie]s,New Zealand aldirec't T example of the precept he wishes to in- : culcate by the negative wa-Alngs^yH^^; bids us "tors wear sack and live cje._&iyj;? -.,'-- He waras us against the evils; of prodi* • gality, and as the Ministers ana their" friends lounge into our ports in their royal yachts, :we shall look r*updn* the" { floating schools of asceticism, the ma-- 1 * rine Helots, and learn to be Spartan in our frugality and courage. '<-" •' - ; . -'