North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1867-06-19

| WHAT MAKES A MAN RICH.
There are two questions which almost
every man has to consider in the course oi
his life. but which very few answer correct
| ly, and on the correct solution of which de-
pends very much of the comfort and ais
the length Of life of thousands. They are
these-What is it to be rich ? and how to
become so As to the first of these, moth
ing is more vague and illusory thau every
common and ordinary attempt to define the
word rich. at is the opposite OF poor,
says one Of the popular dictionaries, with
spasmodic effort to be very clear and ex-
act. But when you turn to the word poor
it also is defined as "the opposite of rich
needy, necessitous." Taking this as our
point Of departure, then it is at least clear
that he who is always wanting more, and
in need of that which he cannot obtain,
whatever else he may possess, is certainly
not rich. But riches and poverty are de-
pendent more on internal disposition than
external circumstances. There is certainly
no given amount of gold or silver, that can
be laid down as constituting wealth. Be-
| fore the war, man worth hundred thou
sand dollars would have been called rich
BY variously circumstanced people, while
now it takes five or ten times that sum
with some people to make a respectable
fortune. Every one knows how much his
own ideas on this subject have altered
within the last ten years In Prescott,s IS
| g all kaI hoxu q ha
sudden possession of the precious metals
by the soldiers OF Spain produced such a
disturbance of value in Europe, and espe-
cially in America, that quire of letter pa
per was worth several thousand dollars,
and common soldiers gambled away in q
single night fortunes that some of the
grandees of Europe would have esteemed
quite respectable. 1t is aaid that one man
possessed an image of the sun, made of
pure gold, eigh feet in diameter across the
face. It was taken from the front of the
temples Of the natives. But he gambled
1t away at cards in a single night, and day
dawned on him beggar. Heuce came
the Spanish proverb. "To play away the
sun before sunrise" There is getting to
be reckless sort of gambling and specu-
| lntion with many, not indeed SO disturbing
in degree, but about as absurd and mad in
point of principle. as many of the specula-
| tive transactions of that world-renowned
| period. In the oil regions man whose
wells were producing him three thousand
dollars day, two or three years ago, has
since been reduced to poverty.
That man is rich who Possesses more
than he requires and he is poor, no mat
! ter what he possesses, who needs more
than he has the power to procure. The
idea ofriches as that Of plenty, of power,
Of dominion and rule. He who has con-
troll of his own desires and wants, and can
supply them, is rich. He who longs for
what he cannot command, is poor, no mat.
| ter what amount of money or property he
has. Hence riches and poverty are ALWAYS
fuctuating, not only with the supply of pa
per or of precious metals, as many suppose
but still more with the demand occasioned
by the hobes and fears or the merchantile
faith of the hour and of the man. When
from any cause the demand is in excess of
the means OF supply forthcoming, whether
it be for one dollar to purchase dinner,
or one hundred millions to construct a
railway across continent, there is power
ty.
The easiest way of becoming rich is BY
that sort of self denial'which always rigor.
ouslY keeps the wants easily ae;thin the
means. When John Wesley began to
preach, he commenced as curate, with an
income of thirty pounds year. He lived
upon twenty-eight, aud gave.away'two j.
He was SO far rich man By degrees
his income doubled fand trebled, but he
kept up bis simple personal habits. and al
| ways had an abundance. He who keeps
his desires considerably within bis income
has in that sense of power and plenty
which constitutes the very essence of
wealth. 1t gives him control over circum-
stances which q man Of opposite habits
soon and invariably loses. Hence it is
that habit of steady, moderate and well
proportioned benevolence really enriches
the man who cherishes il, because it keeps
poverty long way of. Had John Wes-
ley began, as many do in all professions,
by spending two pounds year more than
his income, debt and degradation would
have followed, and habits of expenditure
would probably have increased faster than
bis iacome. Every man, when he has
finished his education, ought, if in health,
not only to earn enough to meet all his
wants and be generous, but to lay by some.
thing, however small, for rainy day
The consciousness Of this is mine Of
wealth. 1t makes man inwardly rich in
the true sense of the term, and the habit
will grow--a manly sense of independence
Will grow WITH it. t3.mnos tadl .avrm