Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-12-03
LET ME BE QUICKLY RICH.

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The prayer of most young men is, I" Let
me be quickly rich" Few seeem satisfied to
become so by the once honored mode of indus
try and economy practiced by our ancestors
OF the thousands who make the effort fen be-
come quickly rich, and fewer remain so. But
the story Of those who prove successful, with
fabulous additions, spreads with telegraphic
speed, infames the minds of the excitable and
often many others, and they long to become
quickly rich. Forgetting, or not regarding
the fate of the unsuccessful, their whole ener-
gies are directed to the rapid accumulation gf
a fortune. They vainly imagine that the pos
session of wealth, and living in a style
common with many who have suddenly acquir-
ed it, confer happiness without alloy, although
experience has everywhere demonstrated the
fallacy of all such expectations. Man is so
constituted that employment is necessary for
his health and happiness. He who devotes
| his energies to business to secure q livelihood
is far happier than him whose employment is
caring for and protecting wealth, while no
system of measuring merit can prove the latter
more honorable or noble.
A false and highly injurious notion is widely
pervadng the public mind, that honor and
happiness eow from wealth. and that the want
of it indicates dislronor and misery. This fall
lacious theory has led TO more misfortune, suf.
fering and disgrace than wealth ever prevent
ed. 1t induces men to engage in the widest
adventures, and to hazard, not only their own
| accumulated earnings but those of Others as far
as subject to their control while not one in
hundred proves successful. The effort to be-
come quickly rich is the cause of the frauds
upon merchants by their clerks, and many of
their customers, and upon banks and corpora
tions by their officers and employees. They
are not content to follow the path trOd by AS
tor, Girard, and others, and rise to fortune by
industry and pursuit of business, directed with
skill and intelligence. They forget that Astor
commenced his commercial career by carrying
his stock upon his back, exchanging it for furs :;
and that regular business skilfulIy managed,
conducted him to his immense fortune. They
do not remember that Girard, from cabin
boy on vessel became first small ship gro
Ger, and by unremttihg attention and great
sagacity, accumulated his millions They
only recollect them as millionaires They
wish to approach or rival them in their accu-
mutations without subjeCting themselves to
| the toll, physical and mental. necessary to ac-
complish the result desired Girard once
| hectiom.
| A young man had been offered salary
which he thought too small as he could lay
up but G limited sum after paying his expenses
| Girard replied-"I labor far harder than you
having all this property to manage and take
care of, and all | shall ever have ont of it is
my victuals and Clothes" Out of his millions
all he enjoyed was comprised in these two
items. Men are most happy when constant
| ly engaged in business and are most likely to
perform all the duties of good citizens in the
most acceptable manner. Of course they are
gratfed if it proves successful, so that it may
guard them and their families against want
| IF well and skilfully conducted, most kinds of
business leads to independence and competence
which tend to happiness whereas the mere
possession of wealth, except with the sordd
misers never confers happiness ON mankind.
Those who become suddenly rich lose all the
pleasure and reputation derived from conduct
| ing q successful business One lucky adven-
ture will lead to new hazards, and often occa-
sious total loss of the fruits on the first SUI
cess. Among all who engage in mercantile
! business, not three in hundred are computed
| to die rich. Among those who seek to become
quickly rich, probably not one in a Thousand
dies So Of the thousands in California who
suddenly became apparently wealthy, or reput-
ed so, very few are not even comfortably off
The rich men there usually become so by the
slow process of regular business. Of the thou
sands who have been suddenly made rich by
stock and other Wall street operations, few in
deed close their career with wealth. Among
the numerous operators in land and other
property, where regular business course is
not pursued, but limited number ever come
out with property, much less large fortunes
We hear much of those who in all these
matters succeed, but lose sight of the infinitely
greater number who fail and fall into obscuri-
ty. That father confers the greatest benefit
on bis son who educates him to some regular
and respectable employment, and encourages
him to happiness and reasonable share of
wealth. The son who deyotes his time and
talents to such employment may nationally ex-
pect far greater share Of respeCtablity and
happiness than can be derived from fortune
not actually earned and accumulated but quick
ly from one lucky move out of scores of unsuc-
cessful ones. He who prays to be made quick
ly rich, if his prayer proves fa7orably answered,
will fail in his greater object of becoming hon
orably distinguished and personally happy
THE B1BLE TwANG'-Once upon a time
an elderly Scotch woman gave her grandson
<all