Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/846

 832 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

Let us now examine the second, or economic, ground of defense urged in the case of the recent New York extravagance. It is held that the spending of money is an economic blessing. Louis XIV. of France defended the extravagant expenditure attendant upon his frivolous court in the same whay when he said : "When a king makes great outlay, he gives alms." Of like import was Montesquieu's remark when he said: "When the rich diminish their expenditures, the poor die of hunger." If our previous reasoning on this point is correct, the fallacy of the statement must be readily apparent. From an economic stand- point the prodigal is preferable to the miser, but inferior to him who invests his money in some productive enterprise.

We have now examined the subject of luxury from the stand- point of the historian, the moralist, and the economist ; and the inquiry naturally arises : Is the individual ethically bound to abide by the decision of these three classes of persons ? Does the ethics of citizenship demand that he shall forswear luxury in every form ?

In order to discuss this question intelligently and definitely it is necessary for us to come to some understanding with regard to the meaning of the term "luxury." No exact definition of the term is possible from the very nature of things. There is naturally no substantial agreement among writers as to what constitutes a luxury. Pliny mentions ice and asparagus as inde- fensible luxuries. Holinshed, the writer of the famous Chronicle (1577), considered the substitution of the chimney for the rude hole in the roof through which smoke was wont to escape an evidence of decadent refinement. He also deplored for the same reason the substitution of earthen and tin vessels in place of the wooden ones hitherto in use. There are almost as many definitions and conceptions of luxury as there are writers upon the subject.

Adam Smith's conception is broad and inclusive :

Consumable commodities are either necessaries or luxuries. By neces- saries I understand not only the commodities which are indispensably neces- sary for the support of life, but whatever the custom of the country renders it indecent for creditable people, even of the lowest order, to be without .... All other things I call luxuries.