Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-08-08
ssEifteen Years in HE'LL"

AS, with stamp OF the foot he dashed
on the table the pen which had made him a
bankrupt and beggar, was the exclamation
of a gentleman of sixty who had been born
and reared in luxury and wealth. This ex-
cellent man, in the course of business, had
become involved, but was hoping and stri-
wing, as honorable men do, to 'work out
of his embarrassments y and for all that
long tine, he did work, and worked hard
allowed himself no indulgenccs, sacrificed
his large property freely, whenever neces-
sary to meet engagements. But all
would not do and closed the strife by say
ing, Il am old aud poor, and haze no
home"
Not long ago, gentleman who had fail
ed in business but had subsequently paid
all his debts, and was now acting in ca
pacity which. while it involved no pecunia-
~ responsibility, was sufficient to enable
him and his family 70 live comfortably,
said Il am one of the happiest men in New
York, and no amount of money could induce
me to repeat my former career. I could
not do it. The efforts to keep up the name
of our firm would now eat out my mind"
Another gentleman, still in active bust
ness, who lives in his own house, and who
is adding to his fortune every year, said
with the seriousess of a man who in a mo-
ments retraspecton had lived over the
strifes of quarter of a century of business,
Could have known the day | entered
New York, bo9, the cares and anxieties
which [ have had to encounter, Manhattan
Island and all that is upon it, would not
have presented the slightest inducemeht to
undertake the task"
Within month, a gentleman whose
'house,o in Q 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 pennless
light hearted passcr-by Of the splendid pal
ace 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 antieipations of youth, what drying
up of the better and purer feelings of our
nature, these stately mansions have some
times cost their owners.
"W Lat did that house cost @ is not an
nnfrefucnt inquiry. II am ashamed to
tell yea, or more than it is worth, y is q
very common response. The true answer
IN many instances is, "'tt has cos, NE my
Seaf -
Il maintain good name at the bank, at
the exchange or on the street. is an idol
airy With many New Workers and to that
idol, rather than be sacrificed, men will Of
fer heart, coincidence; independence, every
thing a coed name, certainly, can never
be oycr-yalued it is worth more than mil
lions to the man in business it is as much
bis duty as interest to- maintain it at any
peeuniary cost, ct any personal Sacrifices
and it is highly creditable to our business
community that so honorable feeling gen.
orally prevails. But the error consists in
men plaeing themselves in positions which
present the strongest of all possible tempta-
tons to sacrifice Independence, and heart,
and conscience, in order to maintain their
standing in the business world. Beyond
all question, the uhiTersal error of the age
in this country is, "hasting to be rich"
and this neglect brings with it, in multi
tudes which we know of, the premature de-
cay of body and mind together, and in the
sweeping ruin carries with it down to death
truth, manlness, heart, conscience, all =
confirming the saying: They that will
be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and
into mary foolish and hurtful lusts, which
drown men in destruction and pordition
which, while some men, coveted after, they
have erred from the faith, and pierced them
selves through with many sorrows" And
again, "lIe that hasteth to be rich shall
not be ineocent." ole that hasteth to be
rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not
that poverty shall come upon him. "--HaNs
JoafaM Of Heath.