habits of self-indulgence which produce
idleness and selfish indifference to the wants of others. In a still
more pernicious fashion, I think that refreshment bars at railway
stations minister to luxury; at least I am sure they foster a habit of
drinking more than is necessary, or desirable; and that is one form of
luxury, and a very bad one. The fellows of a Camford college are
reported to have met on one occasion and voted that we do sell our chapel
organ; and the next motion, carried _nem. con_., was that we do have a
dinner. As to ornaments for the dinner table what affectation and
expense do we see. But in the days of Walpole it was not amiss. "The
last branch of our fashion into which the close observation of nature has
been introduced is our desserts. Jellies, biscuits, sugar plums, and
creams have long since given way to harlequins, gondoliers, Turks,
Chinese, and shepherdesses of Saxon china. Meadows of cattle spread
themselves over the table. Cottages in sugar, and temples in barley
sugar, pigmy Neptunes in cars of cockle shells trampling over oceans of
looking glass or seas of silver tissue. Gigantic figures succeed to
pigmies; and it is known that a celebrated confectioner complained that,
after having prepared a middle dish of gods and goddesses eighteen feet
high, his lord would not cause the ceiling of his parlour to be
demolished to facilitate their entree. "_Imaginez-vous_," said he, "_que
milord n'a pas vouler faire oter le plafond_!"

To show how much luxurious living has increased during the present
century I propose to quote a portion of that wonderfully brilliant third
chapter of Macaulay's _England_ which we all know. Speaking of the
squire of former days, he says, "His chief serious employment was the
care of his property. He examined samples of grain, handled pigs, and,
on market days, made bargains over a tankard with drovers and hop
merchants. His chief pleasures were commonly derived from field sports
and from an unrefined sensuality. His language and pronunciation were
such as we should now expect to hear only from the most ignorant clowns.
His oaths, coarse jests, and scurrilous terms of abuse were uttered with
the broadest accent of his province. It was easy to discern from the
first words which he spoke whether he came from Somersetshire or
Yorkshire. He troubled himself little about decorating his abode, and,
if he attempted decoration, seldom produced anything but deformi