Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1867-06-21
WHAT MAKES A MAN RIGHT

Of his life, but which very few answer
correctly, and on the correct solution of
which depends very much of the comfort
and almost at length Of life of thousands.
They are those-What is it to be rich
and how to become so? As to the first
of shese nothing is more vague and ilu-
sorry than every common and ordinary at.
tempt to define the word rich. "lt is the
opposite of poor" say ono if the popular
dictionaries, with a spasmodic effort TO be
very clear and exact. But when you turn
the word poor, it also is defined as "the
opposite of rich-needy, necessitous."
Taking this as our point Of departure
then it is clear that he who is always wan.
ting more, and in need Of that which he
cannot obtain, what ever else he may pos
seas, is certainly not rich. But riches and
poverty are dependent more on internal
dispositions than external circumstances.
There is certainly 10 given amount of
gold or silver that can be laid down as
constituting wealth. Before the war, a
man worth hundred thousand dollars
would have been called rich by various
circumstanced people, while now it takes
FIVE or ten times that sum with some peo-
pie to make a respectable fortune. Every
one knows how much his own ideas on
this subject have altered within the last
ten years. In Prescotts Conquest cf Peru
1t is related how the sudden possession of
precious metals by the soldiers Of Spain
produced such a disturbance Of value in
Europe, and especially in America, that
qulre of letter papet was worth several
thousand dollars, and common soldiers
gambled away it single night fortunes
that some grandees Of Europe would have
esteemed quite respectable. 1t is said that
one man possessed an image of the sun
made Of wrought gold eight feet in dame.
ter across the face. 1t was taken from the
front Of one Of the temples Of the natives,
but he gambled it away in single night,
and the day dawned on him bcggar.
Hence came the Spanish proverb, ''To
play away the sun before SUNRISE" There
is getting to be reckless sort Of gambling
and speculation With many, not indeed SO
, disturbing in degree, but as absurd and
mad in point of principal as many of the
speculative transaction Of that woulI-re.
nowned period. In the oil regions man
whose wells were netting him three thou.
sands dollare a day two or three years ago,
has since beeu reduced to poveHy.
That man is rich who POSSESSES more
than he requires; and ho is poor, no mat
ter what he possesses, who needs more
than he has the power to procure. The
idea of riches is that of plenty, Of power,
OF dominion ard rule. He who has con
troll of his own desires and wants, and
can supply them, is rich. lie who longs
for what he cannot command is poor, no
matter what amount Of money or proper
ty be has. Hence riches and poverty are
always fuctuating, not only with the sup
ply Of paper or ofprecious metals as many
suppose, but still more with the demand
occasioned by the hopes and fear Of the
mercantile faith of the hour and Of the
man. When from any cause the demand
is in excess of the means Of supply forth
coming, whether it 10 be for one dollar to
purchase dinner, or one hundred mi i'ions
to construct railway across Q continent,
there is poverty.
The easiest way Of becoming rich is by
that sort Of self-deuial which always rig
orously keeps the wants easily within The
tho means! When John Wesley began
to preach he commenced as curate, with
an income of thirty pounds year, He
lved+upon tweuty.eight, and gave away
two: He Vas 80 far a rich man. BY
degrees his income doubled and trebled,
but he kept up his simple personal habits,
and always bad an abundance. He who
keeps his desires considerably within his
ihcome,has in tha. sense of power and
plenty which constitutes the very essence
Of wealth. 1t gives him control over
circumstances which man of opposite
habits soon and invariably loses. Hence
tits 1hat habit of steady, moderate and
3 well-proportioned benevolenoe really
snrichss the pan who cheerishes it,. be-
cause It keeps poverty long way off.
Had John Wesley begun, as many do in
all professions, BY spending two pounds a
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