Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1863-03-05
Worth of Money.

thousand dollars; that lot is worth eight
thousand, horse three hundred, car
riage five hundred, and so o. endlessly
This allvery wellin its way. Butought
not the question, sometimes, to be put
the other way, how much is a mans
moncy ,corth? There is wider range
in the value Of money than most persons
think. And, upon little inquiry, [
suspect that it will be found that all per-
sons who possess money, or who long to
possess it, have way Of measuring it,
no; by dollars, but by its value in some
sort Of pleasure or article.
One man earns a thousand dollars.
and says to himself, there, that puts me
one step out of debt. Money to him is
a means Of personal liberty, A man in
debt is not a freeman '.The borrower
is servant to the lender"
Another man sees in thousand dollars
a snug little homestead, home for his
children, shelter 10 his old age, place
to live in, and good place to die in.
But his neighbor only secs one more
link in the golden chain Of wealth. It
was only thirty mine thousand last month,
he is worth forty this. And his JOY is
in the growing numerals. He imagines
how it viii sound, full, round and hearty,
when men say, 'he is worth a hundred
thousand dollars" Nay, when it comes
to that. lie thinks five better sound
than one, and five hundred thousand
dollars is a sound most musical to his
ear. though he loves even better yet, to
call it half million! The word mil
lion cuts great swath in mems mag
nations. All this estimate of money is
sheer ambition. The man is vain. He
thinks much Of himself on account Of
money, not Of character. A man who
is openly proud Of money is secretly
contemptuous of those who have none.
Another man wishes tc see the world.
Every dollar means travel A thousand
dollars means Europe. Two thousand
dollars mean Egypt Palestine and Greece.
Bows dealing in small sums reckon
the same way. \ penny means stick
Of candy; sixpence is but another term
FOR bali shilling means Kite, and fifty
cents 4 jack knife.
The Young Crack sees in his money
a skeleton wagon, and fast nag. rousing
trot a jolly drink, anda smashing party.
Rut many and many a weary soul sees
in every shilling, bread rent, fuel, clothes.
There be thousands who hold on TO vir-
tue bv hands Of dollars; a few more
save them; few less, and they are lost.
Their raver sisters see feathered hats
and royal silks in their money, or rather
in their fathers and their husbands
The poor scholar passes daily by the
stall where books tempt his poverty.
Poor clothes he is content to wear; PLAIN
and even meagre diet he is willing to
subsist upon and as for all the gay dis
sipations and extravagant wastes OF lash
ionable life. lie looks upon them without
even understanding what they mean, as
child locks upon the milky way IN the
heavens. a glowing band Of tar-away and
unexpiorcd wonders. But ., those
books! He looks longinely at morning
he peers at them with gentle covet-
ousness at night. He imagines new de-
vices for earning few dollars. lie
ponders whether there IS not some ne"
economy which can save few shlillngs.
And w@cn good luck at last brings a
score Of dollars to him, with what Ter
yoy of haste does he get rid OF them,
fairly running to the stall, and tearing,
at every step. lest some fortunate man
should have seized the prize. Nasteful
man that night saw too much oil burnt
out in pouring over the joyful treasure
Books are what hiS money IS worth,
But others see different visions. Money
means flowers to them. New roses, the
latest dahlia, the new camelia, or others
Of the great houriband Of flowers that
fill the florists paradise-the garden
Some men see engravings III money
some, pictures some, rare copies OF oio
books some. curious missals. Others
when YOU say money, think OF frult
trees, OF ShrupbeFy' anu 'i W
pinetums. and fraticctums. And we nave
reason to believe that there are some
poor wretches who, not content with any
one insanity, see pretty much all these
things BY turns.
But there are nobler sights than these
to be seen, through the golden dens q ::
wealth; father and mother placed IN
comfort in their old age; young man
helped through college or estabiisneu N
business friend extricated from rum ,
poor woman saved from beggary, ana
made suppliaut before God Tor ! mglo,se 1;,'as
on your head, every day that she ,i'1s ~
the sick and unfortunate succoreu -
orphan educated, the school 1ouhacu, e,
the village lined with shade trees a lfee re
library established, and thousanusucn m
ion n