The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1868-08-14
AlisG&lIaneOas Ssl&rtiG1ts.
WASTING CAPITAL.
BY JAMES PARTON.

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BY JAMES PARTON. ho
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No great career without great health.
No great health without virtuous habits.
The capital of a house of business is
not its money and effects, but the brain,
the knowledge, the intelligent force
which it wields. Its money is one Of
the tools with which it works; its busi-
ness talent is that which made it and
keeps it great. -a.77i-a7s 3 b I
How often do we see illustrations Of
this truth. The brains are withdrawn
from a well-established concern, and,
in some mysterious way it declines, and
finally collapses. People say, "the OLD
MAN took out too much capital, mean
ing that he withdrew a certain sum Of
money. In fact he withdrew all the
capital, for he took away all the brains,
And when l say brains, l do not mean
merely the thinking faculty, but such
qualities as patience and self-control,
which the man of great and sound brain
possesses. ,-
One of the giants of business iu,Amer-
ics is Cornelius Vanderbilt His talents
of this kind are wonderful and his
business principles are correct and wise.
Every man connected with him init
mately knows well, and acts upon the
knowledge that that sound brain Of his
is the great fact of his position--not the
nifty or sixty mitiious Of dottars which
execute the colossal schemes which that
brain engenders. Take that away, and
double his millions, and you viii have
to search long before you can find a
man capable of SO much as holding his
business together. .5.
Your. brain, then, and what your
brain holds, will constitute yourcapital
as men of business. Do not waste that
capital. a 7o
1t is a curious fact, that every one of
the vices impairs the brain most Of all ;
nothing hurts it like aNice.b If you fly
into passion the whole system suffers,
but it is the brain which suffers most.
If you sit up too late, if you read iu-
flaming novels, if you over-Hofk, if you
underworld, if you breathe poisoned
air, if you eat improper food, if you
drink improper drinks, whatever you
do that is wrong or excessive, while it
lowers the efficiency ofthe whole system
its final and lasting effect is to coarsen
or enfeeble the BRAIN We have all
committed wickedness enough in our
lives to know this; and every one does
know it who is accustomed to watch
the working Of his own system.
The impression used to be general
that it is a good thing a sign Of spirit
aud courage, for young man to aban-
don himself for a while to vice and
dissipation. This was called, O" sowing
his wild oats" What wild oats are, or
whether there are any, or why people
should SOW them, i have never been in
formed. The expression appears to be
as senseless as the meaning is senseless
which it conveys. 1t is not a sign of
spirit or courage for young man to be
dissipated. 1t is sign of want of
spirit and want Of courage. 1t is also a
sign of mental inferiority.J, y1rl ra-r7
There are few instances in history
of brilliant and gifted young men aban-
doning themselves for time to the
vices Of their day; but it is clear, even
Iia their case, that thelovices Of their
youth lsmed all their subsequent career,
and prevented them from attaining the
excellence and influence which nature
had originally placed within their
power Charles James Fox and Lord
Bolingbroke were striking examples Of
this truth-both Of whom had great
opportunities and great abilities, but
both of them showed, at critical mo-
ments, certain lack Of Judgment and
force, indicative of brain impaired BY
excess. .srase .-ais5.0sI @ -
-j On the other hand, if'you look into
the early years of truly helpful men,
those who make life easier or nobler to
those that come after them, you will
almost invariably fnd7 that they lived
purely in the days of their youth. In
early life the brain, though abounding
in vigor, is sensitive and very. suscepti-
ble toinjury-and this to such degree,
that a com paratiyely brief and moder-
ate indulgence in vicious pleasures ap-
pears to lower the tone and impsiI
both the delicacy and efficiency Of the
| brain Of life.
| used sometimes to be puzzled with
this myself, but j would now answer
| the question thus s:ao In the first place
1.-THE desires in question ought not to b!
furious, and need not be, and will moi
be, if we live temperately,. and keeI
our minds occupied with proper and
/ interesting subjects. 1t is a fact vel
known that total abstinence is easiel
( than moderation; and l do not believc
; that people who live with absolute
tpurity are ever much troubled will
furious desires. In the second place
the desires which nature has implsnteC
in us were designed to be gratifed, anC
may be; but then there are two way
of gratifying them-s lawful and al
/. unlawful A thousaudondOllars is
good thing to have, but there are tw,
ways Of getting it earning it, anc
stealing it. We can steal it in q mo
ment, but it is a dangerous and bastard
J ly action. Earning tits long and ia
borious, and often painful; but wher
we have won it, it Is nHrs against th