The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-12-11
RICHES NOT WORTH,

Nit''to Noi "Ohl liz
"Too many persons, in all the relations of life
look upon wealth rs the true standard of merit and
pass by the cottage of the intelligent and ,rluous
to associate with the ignorant nabob in his castle
reared upon fraud and oppression. Their standard
may SUIT their present condition., But if it does
not prove their ruin, it surely will that of their
d children. Their riches may fly with the wind, in
moment, and, then, where is the merit Flown
Also leaving them neglected by their old associates
and despsed by those whom they before summed
merely because they were poor Let those, then
VINO wish TRUE GREATNESS, seek il through
moral and intellectual, rather than pecuniuru cul-
ture. Good talents and good character are the
passport to any circle and an honor wcrlh seeking"
! The preceding extract we have caught, as we
found it floating about on the sea of newspapers.
1t embraces subject upon which we are accus-
toned to think too little, and which is not rightly
understood. Whmta fool is that human pcing who
n,agines that riches are uOrM. man who may
so much, a most wrctched pervcrsion of the mean
ing of the good old English term. Worth cannot
he bought with money. 1t is not composed of stars,
garicls, ribbons, brocade and costly equpage-
|
oil mems affairs; chance, circumstances, may, in
an hour clolhe a man with all the trappngs and
butterfly consequence Ofriches. But a rise in the
price of snuff and tobacco, does not bring uorh
along with it. 1t is not gained by fair business
transaction 1t is no, lost with bad bargan.-
1t falls not with the fall of stocks. 1t rises not
with the price of calico 1t spreads not with the
spread of bank notes. 1t livcth not with great
yield Of potatoes. 1t dcth not with a horse |,
is mighty, giant principle, that hccds not the con-
sequcn,ial strut Of circumstances swcclens power
y, a'lcymtes Distress endurcs suffering, is not de-
pendant upon pomp, show, and circumstance
mc'css, indes,l uctibIe living as well in the brcas,
of brawny labor as in that OF silkcn-robed
ease.
Riches may take to themselves wings. Hawk
ers, and knaycs, and men cunning, in the bar
gaining and cheapening of this worlds goods, ma,
make the rich, rich-less, hut they cannot make
the rorh-y ,worh-lcss. The elements may scat
ter riches to the four winds of heaven, as the tor
nado sca,ters the sands Of the desert. They have
cattle, and our horses may be taken from us, but
north, the true and the faithful, stays behind with
us, 10 comfort, to cheer, to bless, to sanclify.-
Though hope, and joy, and ease, and love, and
health, and friends those tickle children, Of tickle |
and ncons,ant ppicnts, may desert us, worM |
knows no change but cngs with deeper strength |
aud more enduring affection to the heart that
cheri>hes it, and becomes TO the hopeless, and the
wrctchrd like the shadow of great rock in a
weary land;' like the shade of palms and the gusl-
ing of waters to the weary wandcrer in a burning
and trackess desert.
Who, that is the richest Of u.s. at times, has not
felt the winged spirit turn away from all his gold
and gliding with oa,hlng? Who has not felt that
all his goods and his challcls have been like puff
Of emp'y air to satisfy the mysterious and undefu-
able ycarnngs of the soul Who hath not seen
moments when, if all his worldly goods had been
weighed in the balance with the ghlcst breath Of t
IN infant, they would be found wanling'- :
Who hath not seen moments, hours, days, when
he would give all his estate, without thought,
sen, of "what he should eat or drink, or where c
,i,ha he should be clothed" 10 look into his own Il
icar,, and find wo,M cnlhronsd there with the II
almncss OF god: Riches may remain with us e
Trough life, and ensure Us case comfort and world b
, honors. And in the last dread hour they NAV pile s.
ilkcn cushions beneath the crazcd and wandering Ii
cad. They may hang curtains Of damusk about Il
ur last couch. They may command mcnaIs and "
,cophans and crockodilc tears. They may gid III
nth gold, deck with satin and ornament with b
'ssels our last narrow hcd bn, they can 60 no
r'her. They have done all they could do before at
lc sods are evced on our graves, thew hasten in pc
other hands as il we had never been. But worth
ops not at the portals Of the narrow house. |,
kcs us by the hand and leads us, with n mothers
ire through the valley and shadow of death, to =,
es,rd immortality. A.
How foolish then, oh how van how utterly Ci
lin aud idle 10 allow ourselves and to teach 9TH =,
s To think that the sum and substance of life is TO
lie up heaps Of gildcd toys, to scrape together
ndslnl Of giticrng dust, and to place our alrc-
ms upon trlcs light as mir. How much rather
ould we choose that our riches should conss, in lo'
II rorth, than that our uorM should consist in me
II riches. ter
Il
"See here, l.. I've got a pretty good one =,
YOU" 80
- We'll what IL ;v