his mother; and it was a pleasure and a pride to him to gladden her
heart by the thought that he was helping her. She had other
children--two little girls, just rising from the cradle to womanhood.
Her scanty pension and his salary made every one happy. But over this
youth came a love of dress. He had not strength of mind to see how much
more truly beautiful a pure mind is, than a finely decorated exterior.
He took pleasure in helping his mother and sisters, but did not take
greater pleasure in thinking that to do this kindness to them he must be
contented for a time to dress a little worse than his fellow-clerks; his
clothes might appear a little worn, but they were like the spot on the
dress of a soldier arising from the discharge of duty; they were no
marks of undue carelessness; necessity had wrought them; and while they
indicated necessity, they marked also the path of honour, and without
such spots duty must have been neglected. But this youth did not think
of such great thoughts as these. He felt ashamed at his threadbare but
clean coat. The smart, new-shining dress of other clerks mortified
him.... He wanted to appear finer. In an evil hour he ordered a suit of
clothes from a fashionable tailor. His situation and connections
procured him a short credit. But tradesmen must be paid, and he was
again and again importuned to defray his debt. To relieve himself of his
creditor he stole a letter containing a L10 note. His tailor was paid,
but the injured party knew the number of the note. It was traced to the
tailor, by him to the thief, with the means and opportunity of stealing
it, and in a few days he was transported. His handsome dress was
exchanged for the dress of a convict. Better by far would it have been
for him to have worn his poorer garb, with the marks of honest labour
upon it. He formed only another example of the intense folly of love of
dress, which, exists quite as much amongst foolish young men as amongst
foolish young women."

When Sir Charles Napier left India, he issued an order to the Army, in
which he reproved the officers for contracting debts without the
prospect of paying them. The Commander-in-Chief found that he was
subject to constant complaints against officers for non-payment of
debts; and in some cases he found that the ruin of deserving and
industrious tradesmen had been consequent on that cause. This growing
vice he severely reprimanded, as being derogatory to the character of
the g