Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-06-23
From the Washington Globe.
Wealthy Men I'm New York.

The editor of the New York Sun has published
the third edition Of his book, with the title,
Wealthy Citizens Of the City Of .Ns1 York. None
are included in this volume who are not worth
100000. The persons worth that sum and
over are at present set down at 900. OF these
there sixteen who are worth one millon
five, one million and half six, two millions;
one, three millions; two, four millions; and one,
six millions. The sextuple millionaire is Mr.
Astor, son of the famous John Jacob who came
TO this country about seventy years ago with no
fortune, and no capital except his industry, sa-
gacity, and integrity. He went at once into the
FUR trade-a very lucrative business in that day,
and one that when well followed led almost in
variably to competency and to wealth.
Of the 1000 rich men, 800 began the world
poor, and in very humble stations some as hired
daily laborers. Very few inherited fortunes and
not many have accumulated them except BY
prudence, economy, and attention TO business
Some vendors of patent medicines are among
the successful; some physicians; and the Parm-
lees, dentists, who are set down for a million
pretty snug sum to be scraped together by pulling
and plugging teeth. A few authors have done
pretty well, but have not gone beyond 800, 900
Mr.. Bancroft's property is valued at that
whilst Phineas t. Barnum is set down at $500
600. A French journal says he ought to be
classed with the sarants, for having invented the
mermaid and many other phenomena; and with
the patrons of the fine arts for having established
HhuscuHl, anu hs eWpTeSdffo OF Jenny Lind.
Barnum, for these eminent services, claims in
his Life to be regarded as great public benefac-
tor. modest appreciation of his own merit is
not among the weaknesses of the "great show
man." Proprietors of newspapers figure pretty
largely in the list A good many Of them are
worth 100000 and more; one, Mr.. Beach,
editor of the Sun, and author of the book re-
joices in an estate of S350,000. What seems to
US to be the most remarkable case is Mary Okllly,
who has made a fortune of S250, 900 by keeping
school. When before did school mistress do
anything like thisi Edwin Forrest is down for
licve
The wealth Of these one thousand and sixty
rich men amounts in the aggregate to 1896 .OOO.-
O00. This is an enorrnsus sum, but the same
number Of men be found in the citv of I on.
don, whose united property woald be worth at
least FIVE times mach. We have Ieen told bv
one who had opportunities Of knowing, Mai there
were in that metropolis thousand i,. hun.
dred capitalists who could pay off the British
National debt, which would give an average az
more than 81, 000, 900 each.
Where will all these riches be fifty year,
hence' We can tell pretty well where the own
ers will be-meaning nothing worse than that
they will be gone hence-but their wealth, for
which they have toiled and struggled, and suffer
cd and sinned, II may be, in some cases-where
will il be? Scattered TO the four winds Of heaven
and not one-tenth part of IL, probably, in the
hands of the descendants Of the present owners
This Is an inevitable consequence, as il ought to
be, of our institutions, and Of the absence of
entail and Of primogeniture. Long may they be
absent. Reinstate them, and then comes an
hereditary aristocracy. We have none now,
none but that Of wealth, or that is the most pre-
dominant and pretentious Let it be so. The
man who has made fortune in the Goldfish line
and now lives in splendid mansion with all
splendid appurtenances to match-this mans
grandson, or his son IL may be, the fortune spent
mansion and all, may return to the paternal puri
suit, may scrape together another fortune to 90
in its turn the same way; and so on, for ever
we mean, TO the end Of time.
Our last paragragh-ths, we mean--must
give margin TO some melancholy reflections
Trade is very uncertain pursuit, il appears BY
the same nuthority-Mr. Beach s book. OF ono
hundred men in business, eighty have to die poor
ten only acquire a moderate competency, five
handsome fortunes, and but one, that s, one pei
cent. Of the whole, turns up a millionaire
These failures are imputable, partly to misfor
tune, and partly to imprudence and extTava
gance
Since men for the ale house
Forsook hewing and splitting,
And women for tea, forsook sewing
and knitting,
Many an estate has been spent in
the getting.