Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-11-04
THE TRUE USE OF RICHES.

.a...... BY NJ. NJ. NOAH.
In an old newspaper file We find one
of,he off hand, happy efforts, of the late
M. M. Noah, than whom few writers OF
our country, have thrown more of the
bes, impulses of the heart, more of kind
and benevolen. feeling into their compo-
sitions. When he could call off the pol
itician and interest himself with domestic
scenes, and affairs of the fire side, social
life-the welfare and happiness of his
fellow men, his essays had much of the
charm about them .hat in later years has
made those Of Mr.. Dickens SO universally
popular. The following. though written
some years since, is not inapplicable to
the present time Editorial Union.
Why am not rich man! said very
intelligent person to us, while looking at
a splendid equippage which ratified down
Broadway.
It was the equippage of man Of
weal.h--a man of yesterday: a parUa'a-
ne in the most fashionable phrase-who
made fortune suddenly, by buying
farms and selling them out in lots, and
who was determined by his houses, the
magnifcence OF his entertainments, and
richness and variety Of liveries, his loud
talk and consequential air, to show that
he did not belong TO the quiet families OF
some hundred years distinction and
wealth, who never offended by ostenta
ton, nor exhibit heraldry to which they
are not entitled. We gazed at several
similar growlh-the riches which sprung
up over night, like Jonah's ground;
some by speculation, others by accession,
some by fortunate marriages, and some
crsditably BY mechanical labor and in
genuily.
Why am not rich man? said my
friend. | must purchase somewhere in
the west, or in the moon-no matter
where; mus. plunge in TO the current of
speculation, and swim on to fortune and
eminence must be rich; every body
tries to be rich-why shall | not be rich?
l am liberal in my disposition, hospitable
and free. / should like to have coach
and pair--a house Of corresponding mag.
nifcence. should like to throw it open
several times year for the gay and fash
ionable throng; should like you to dine
with me twice week, and punish few
old. very old, MADEIRA. Why am not
a rich man? deserve to be, said he mu-
sing, and at intervals dropping his voice,
as he slowly withdrew his eyes from the
long cavelcade Of coaches and phae.ous,
and whiskered footmen.
Hundreds, no doubt, thought as he did;
hundreds expressed the same feelings,
and felt the same desires, and all under
the same delusion that money is wealth
--,hat sheer palpable gold and silver con-
siitutes riches; and that it is under this
delusion that thousands OF our citizens
are racking their brains by night, thoughts
BY day, toiling and sweating. and manag
ing, and twisting, and turning out of the
common, settled, and regular order of
things to get gold and silver. under the
impression that with their possessions
they will be rich.
Statesmen, politicians, nay. government
itself is inoculated with the same mania,
and il all could succeed, we should be
compelled to blacken our own boots and
wait upon ourselves at table. The delu-
sion, however, consists in this, in consid-
ering piece of gold the only representa-
tive of wealth. We are for the most
part rich, without knowing it. The an
vii Of the blacksmith is, TO him, with
his handicraft, valuable. mighty lump
of gold; he lives by i, and to his mind,
habit and wishes, as well as he lives
who pays out his eagles and half eagles
in the market-so with the painier-so
with the professional man, the sculptor,
the musician, and the man of talents, all
who possess the means of acquiring
wealth are actually wealthy; for if tenn
perate and industrious. all these faculties
are convertible into wealth; nay, are more
and durable, and available, than