PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

Of Popu/aJion, PrV'';;Ji~}:,
observed concerning the tendency of luxury to diminish
marriages, in which tendency the £\·il Q-f it
resides, the following general conclusions may be
estab)bbed~
, '1st. That, of different kinds of :uxury, those cae
the most innoceI!t~ wh!ch afford employment to tb!:
greateit !lumber of arr.!~ts and manufacturers; or
those, in other words~ in which the price of the work
bealS the greatest proportion to th~t of the raw material.
Tons, luxurv in dress or furniture is univer.
saHy preferable to luXury in eating, because the arti.
cles which constitute the one, are more the produc-
\ lion .,f human art and industrj, than those which sup-
" pl1 th~ othl!l". -
~ ! 2dJy .. That it is the difjusi(;n, rather than th~ degree
of luxury, which is to be dreaded as a national
~vil. The mischief of luxury consist~, as we have
. seen, in the obstruction which it forms to marriage.
Now, it is only a ~mall part of the people that tbe
higher ranb in any country compose; for which
reason! the faciiity or the difficulty of supporting the
expen ,e of their station~ and the cO:l~eque:lt increase
or dir:!inution cf marri2gcs among the111, ~-~'1 influence
the st(:te cf pC;pu~itic:n but li:tle. So long as
the prevalency of luxury is confined t: a few of elevated-
ran~ much of the bei1efit is felt, and little of
the inconveniency. But wacn the imitation of the
same mann~ri de~cend:-., Cl:: it always "ill do~ ini:!1 the
m~!'l of the people; w h~!l it advances the requisites
of Jiving beYond what it 1dds to men's abiiiries to
purchase them, then it is that luxury checks the formation
of families, in a degree that ought t:> alarm
the public fe.rs.
sdly. That the condition most favourable to population
is that of a )aboriou~~ frugal people, mini~tering
to the demand~~ of an opulent, luxurious nation ;.
because this sitl13tion, wllil~t it le~yes them eV{?T)T
advant3CTe of luxury. exempts tht !ll fronl the e'Til~
c ~ ,
which naturally .'ccompany its admission into any
,"country.