Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-09-05
The Road to Wealth.

New York 1t is well worth the perusa
Of every young man, as showing that th
read of The successful man TO wealth is no
through field Of flowers. The question
ar ses, is any amount Of money a ceInpcn
sation for such a prolonged anxiety anc
misery'
"FIFrEEN YEARS IN HE'LL I'-As, will
ia stamp of the foot, he dashed on the ia
lie The p n which had made him bank
rupt and a beggar, was the exclamation 0
a gentleman Of sixty, who had been born
and reared in luxury and wealth. Thi
excellent man, in the course Of business
had become involved, but was hoping and
Striving, as honorable men do, to "work ou
of his embarrassments;" and for all thai
long time he did work, and work hard
allowing himself no ineulgences, sacrificed
his large property freely, whenever neces
sary, to meet engagements" But al
would not do, and he closed the strife say
ing, 81 am old and poor, and have nc
home"
Not long ago, a gentleman who had fai-
led in business, but who had subsequently,
paid all his debts, and was now acting in a
capacity which, while it involved no pecu
mary responsibility, WAS sufficient to ena
bic him and his family to live comfortably,
said, 81 am one of the happicst ms in
New York, and no amount of money coo
induce me to repeat my former career.
could not do it. The efforts 10 keep up
the name of our firm would now eat out
my mind"
Another gentleman, still in actise busl-
uess, who lives in bis own house, and who
is adding to his fortune every year, said,
with the seriousness of a man who, in q
moments retrospection, had lived over the
strifes of a quarter Of a century of bust
ness, "Could | have known, the day I en-
tered New York a boy, the cares and anx-
ielies which | have had 10 encounter, Man
haitian Island and all that is upon it would
not have presented the slightest induce
ments to undertake the task"
Within month, a gentleman whose
"house" in single year cleared six hun
dred thousand dollars, has been sent to the
lunatic asylum, and has since died, at an
age but little beyond that at which men
are fairly prepared to live to purpose.
Little does the careless and penniless
lght-hcarted passer-by of the splendid pal
aces of Fifth Avenue, and Union Square,
and Fourteenth street, imagine what
storms of passion and Of fear-what wrecks
of heart and hope-what whitening Of the
sweet joys and anticipations Of youth
what a drying up of the better and purer
feelings of our nature, these stately man
sious have sometimes cost their owners.
what did that house costs' is not All
infrequent inquiry. 81 am ashamed to
tell you,' or ''more than it is worth" is a
very common response. The true answer,
in many instances, is, at has cost me my
soul!"
To maintain good name at the bank,
at the exchange, or Oh the "street," Is an
idolatry with many New Workers; and to
that idol, rather than be sacrificed, men
will offer heart, conscience, independence,
everything. A good name, certainly, can
never be overvalued; it is worth more thar
millions to the man in business; 1t is as
much his duty as his interest to maintain
it at any pecuniary cost, atany personal
sacrifice; and it is highly creditable to our
business community that so honorable q
feeling generally prevails. But the error
consists in men placing themselves in pc
sitions which present the strongest of al
possible temptations to sacrifice in'lepen-
dence, and heart, and conscience, in orde,
to maintain their standing i'll the business
world. Beyond all question, the uniyer-
sal error of the age ia ills country is''hast
inc to be rich;" and this neglect bring
with it, in multitudes which we know OF
the premature decay of body and minr
together, and in the sweeping ruin carries
with it down 20 death truth, maniiness
heart, conscience, all confirming The say
iag,"They that will be rich fall into temp
talon and I snare, and into many foolish
and hurtf.l lusts, which drown men II
destruction ana perdllioi, Which, "h't
some men coveted after, they have erret
from yhe faith, and pierced thenselve
tlroi Oh with many sorrows" An again
..H. that hasteth to be rich shall not b
Innocent" '.FIe that hasteth to be ricl
hath an evil eye, and considcreth not tina
poverty shall come upon him."