Montaigne said, “I always feel a pleasure in paying my debts, because I discharge my shoulders of a wearisome load and of an image of slavery.”  Johnson might well call Economy the mother of Liberty.  No man can be free who is in debt.  The inevitable effect of debt is not only to injure personal independence, but, in the long run, to inflict moral degradation.  The debtor is exposed to constant humiliations.  Men of honourable principles must be disgusted by borrowing money from persons to whom they cannot pay it back;—­disgusted with drinking wine, wearing clothes, and keeping up appearances, with other people’s money.  The Earl of Dorset, like many other young nobles, became involved in debt, and borrowed money upon his property.  He was cured of his prodigality by the impertinence of a city alderman, who haunted his antechamber for the purpose of dunning him for his debt.  From that day the Earl determined to economize, to keep entirely out of everybody’s debt,—­and he kept his word.

Let every man have the fortitude to look his affairs in the face,—­to keep an account of his items of income and debts, no matter how long or black the list may be.  He must know how he stands from day to day, to be able to look the world fairly in the face.  Let him also inform his wife, if he has one, how he stands with the world.  If his wife be a prudent woman, she will help him to economize his expenditure, and enable him to live honourably and honestly.  No good wife will ever consent to wear clothes and give dinners that belong not to her, but to her shopkeeper.

The knowledge of arithmetic is absolutely necessary to those who would live within their means.  Women are especially ignorant of arithmetic; they are scarcely taught the simplest elements, for female teachers think the information useless.  They prefer to teach languages, music, deportment, the use of the globes.  All these may be important, but the first four rules of arithmetic are better than all.  How can they compare their expenditure with their receipts, without the knowledge of addition and subtraction?  How can they know precisely what to spend in rent, or clothing, or food, or for service, unless they know the value of figures?  How can they check the accounts of their tradesmen or their servants?  This want of knowledge of arithmetic is the cause, not only of great waste, but of great misery.  Many a family of good position has fallen into destitution merely because of their ignorance of this branch of knowledge.

Young people often rush into marriage without reflection.  A young man meets a pretty face in a ball-room, likes it, dances with it, flirts with it, and goes home to dream about it.  At length he falls in love with it, courts it, marries it, and then he takes the pretty face home, and begins to know something more about it.  All has as yet been “very jolly.”  The face has hitherto been charming, graceful, artless, and beautiful.  It has now to enter upon another sphere of life.  It has to be seen much closer; it has to be seen daily; and it has to begin housekeeping.