Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-26
MEzEI1NAIRES

MELfL0NATRES.
a house to cost one million and q half of
dollars Such is the announcement of the
latest palatial marvel on Fifth Avenue" by
the New York papers, which dilate with pride
and pleasure upon the manner in which that new
'Belgravia'' of the Western world is magnify
ing itself Philadelphia had its turn the Other
dayin contemplating the progress to completion
of another private residence for another mil
ionaire, at cost however of only 100000
Unfortunately, though the poor man for whom
it was going mp was Obliged to content himself,
ere it could be finished, with much humber
one a mere cell in fact; Il merciless creditor
having in the most unhandsome manner sud
denly 'foreclosed' on him i'll relation 10 the
larger establishment, with not the slightest re
gard to either his calculations or his wishes
And noting the palaces going up on every
hand rs fortunes accumulate, and the disap-
pointments incident to poor humanity, who is
not reminded Of the Oriental story of the poor
Dervisc, who, looking about him on certain
occasion for shelter, found his way into the
palace Of the Sultan, proceeding thereupon to
make himself comfortable. Discovered by
the attendants, demonstrated with as an intrrg-
der, and finally led before the monarch, the
latter inquiries of him as to his business, or his
right there?
lis not this d Caravanserai," he asks III
reply-(a place Of resort and shelter for lrav-
eIers?)
The answer WaS-''Noi'
P,+ =,
place before you?"
"Why, my father
!And who before him."
"Why, my grandfather; and so on backward
to remote generations!
':Alas - was the reply Of the Dervise, Ills
Gas L thought this is only carayanserai.
''after all; aplace where travellers merely come
''and CO. abiding butfor little time;'' and the
monarch, touched by his reply, permitted hin
to be no further disturbed
We have instanced two recent cases as spc.
cimens of the manner Of one way in which
men are prone to amusc, or deude themselves
when burdened with overgrown wealth. they
pine for some mode of multiplying cnioyments.
for which Heaven has denied man the capacity.
In the cases named, the poSseSSors of vast for
tunes build huge shelters for themselves, -for
what is house at the best, but that, however
gorgcous-iorge:ting for the time, apparently.
the trail tenure by which they are held Thcr
build as ii for thousand years, instead Of, a,
al the best for a score OF two, remembering
not at all, that,
Too low they build who build beneath The stars.
When Garnck, after his splendid success as
the first actor OF his time, showed the old
friend of his darker DAYS" DR.. Johnson.
through his fine residence in London, point
ing out to the great mor.iist with evident cx
ultation whatever was rich aud rare garncrcA
IN the place, poor comfort got he for the os
tentatious exhibition All. David, David.
thlslt is which makes it so hard for a man to
die J was the exclamation elected; SHARP
perhaps what might be considered an untimel9
reminder, such as in The school Of modern ro.
'tcness could not easily be tolerated.
But the building on earth as if for eternity,
is not the only---we had nearly said. the most
pitiable phase which the desires of over
grown wealth assume in its efforts TO delude
itself A great robbery was committed the
other day in New York, the sufferer 10 the
extent of one and a half millions being IA man
Of more than four score years of age; and then
was divulged the manner of his cnioyments:
or, to put it somewhat finer, his unouSeneats.
from, day to day. His chief occupation, j,
seems, was sitting in "A dingy back Office, re
mote from social intercourse, from the blessed
sunlight, from intercourse with fields or ocean
or sky, from aught that elevates, to clip from
bonds held in vast amounts by him. the '.col,
pons' for REIMBURSEMENT; to add again and
again to the already unwiedy heap all hut
crushing to both body aud soul by It's vast
magnitude.
.,-sua CIIiuTeH CUuIueI 10
the house by rainy day, busying themselves
in the same manner, clipping with scissors
whatever comes to hand; and in the light Of
stern reason and revelation, is the amusement
or occupation Of the onc-for, after more than
a competence has been reached, ii is as much
an amusement with the mature child as with
his fellows the one whit in sense or dig
nifty above the other? Does it not, indeed
seem as if the child has the advantage, or that
to say the least of it, and sure enough.
Men are but children Of larger growth?"
Does not such a case give Unwonted en-
phasis to the lines Of the poct?-
"Avarioe! remember when the cowslips gold
Lured and yet lost its glitter in thy grasp
Do thy boards gladden. thee more than thosc Of old
Those withered in thy clasp?
From these thy clasp falls palsied 1t was then
That thou vert ricb;-thy Golfers are a lie!
And care thea p0yert t,f '"''u "a "''"'
Let the poor take comfort; let them not envy
the rich, who vainly hope TO multiply their
means of happiness by multiplying their bur
dens and their cares. Do what the best of us
may, what can we accomplish at last, as some
one well remarks-but eight the battle of life
for our victuals and clothes, humbling as is
such a consciousness, except indeed, to pro
vide for sphere more stable than this If
riches come, enjoy them; do good with them;
be your own executor. The example of one
such man as George Peabody is worth to the
world those of scores and hundreds of the
mere vulgar ''heapers up of riches" who
"know not who shall scatter them"
To recur: Fifteen hundred thousand dollars.
properly expended, would build fifteen hun
dred nice cottages for rs many one legged or
onearmed destitute soldiers, who have risked
their lives, and given their limbs to protect
the millionaire in the possession of his riches.
But who thinks of This, when Fifth Avenue is
to glitter with new glores of marble and gid,
ing; when Gotham needs one more sensation
to give zest to that appetite for display already
palled to safety?
MkRETEn