The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-08-12
FICTITIOUS PROaPERIrY.
IlOm MsM. Z MaemAls yo,rnaI.

bT0h WoH, n Ngea1ttIe Journal.
There lisa great deal OF fictitious pros
perity 10 this world. Prosperity that ID
not the growth OF steady perseverance,
and healthy enterprise; but an appaient
prosperity, that 10 enRendered by ihe
false and fashionable style OF living OF
the present day.
Industry 10, In too many Instances,
rapidly giving way 10 idlenesB and
speculation. The truth 10, we have O
desire 70 get rIchl too fast. Cautious,
meihodical, persevering efforts are
iroWned upon, and the Individual who
possesses such characteristics 10 regard.
ed BY many % being eccentric; o flt sub.
Jeot for laughter, pity, or contempt. He,
only, who would reach the goal ut q
single bound, is the person loked upon
with anything like admiration by the
masses Of mankind.
ThIs fictitious prosperity 10 not only
prejudIcial 10 labor; but all Its acqulBl-
lions are based upon luck. Men who
are influenced In this way are constant.
~ seeking an opportunity 10 make q
"corneT" In commercial transactions.
Here the unwary IRE likely to be
tripped up, and their pockets rIfed,
while the successful operators In the
undertaking, Instead OF being regarded
as thieves, are too often held up before
the public as heroes.
A noticeable example Of the manner
In which mercantile affairs are some
times conducted, is seen In the recent
failure OF dry goods house, transact.
Ing business Of several millions q
year. This house had capital OF one
hundred and bfty thousand dollars,
and yet they were paying fifty thou
sand dollars year rent for their place
OF business. This was, however, only
q single item OF their lavish oxpendi-
lures, that was charged to the account
Of expenses. There is certainly not
much economy here Very little desire
Ia manifested to do business with A
view TO fair profits. They evidently
placed small reliance on those constant
accretions OF steady gains by which
judicious merchants build up an hon.
orable name. There are thousands OF
such histories, II We could only read
them. Thousands OF people aim 10 be
considered what they are not, and new.
or can be. Thousands Of business men
swallow up their capital by means OF
useless expenditure, and are all the
while trying TO recover their losses by
the aid Of wild speculation.
'0ne cannot eat his goose and keep
his goose, Ia as true now as ever,
Flooding industry, economy and per.
severance, will always build up small
business, and often make successful
that which had previously been unpro .
ftHble through bad management; but
industry, however we'll directed, can.
not, at once, accomplish great results,
II requires time and close application
to snrmount serious obstacles, and our
commercial men should understand
that no human being can hope 10 be
permanently prosperous, unless he
adopts those means, and makes them
essential to the actual ends Of his exls.
tence.
Our young men are too specifically
educated In political economy-the
great principles that uuderlle the paths
OF human success. They are too apt 10
believe that pluck is the one thing
needful to place them on pinnacles OF
prosperity, whose height Is only meas
ured by the extent OF their ambition,
This fictitious prosperity Of which we
write enters into every ramlfication OF
life. 1t takes possession oil the small
lradeSman, and he Is at once emulous
10 initiate the style OF living OF the
wealthy wholesale merchant; the law.
yer and the doctor are respectively pos.
sessed Of mania 10 Burpass the other
In lavish expenditure; the SPECTATORS,
from mere habit OF being reckless at
oil times and on all occasions, Bcatters
his money about with q Wasteful hand,
and when It Ia too late, opens his eyes
TO the stern realities OF q situation OF
misfortune and poverty. The clerk, on
his one or two thousand dollars salary,
does not save q single penny, and is
frequently in debt three or four hun.
dred dollars more than he has the
means OF paying. This Is certainly IN
unnatural condition OF things, but II
continues to exist, and Is all the while
gaining strength. The country was
never 80 productive, never 80 prosper
Gus; but the evil Ia not abated. We
have a remedy at hand, II the pIescrlp-
ton is carefully followed. II Is this !:
Danish extravRgant follies. be dilligent
10 business, and you will be eminently
happy In your social relations, as we'll
as commercially prosperous In your
business affairs. This plan will also
answer the purpose OF destroying ruin
GUS speculation. Confidence will be es.
tablished on stable foundations, and
there will be greater certainty attend
Ing the prosecution Of the various In
dustrial employments.
We are all 10 prone 10 live for the pres.
ent, and TO ignore the future. Other
peoples opinions govern our individ.
ual action In some matters more than
Is for our personal good; other peoples
eyes are the spectacleS by which we are
too often seen, and other peoples tastes
establish In our mind an expectation
of sweetness, when our own good sense
would teach rs that the fruit produces
nothing but lasting bitterness.
It is q matter OF anxious inquiry with
us, whether the time will ever come
when we shall be able to shake of this
degrading slavery to others. Shall we
ever march forward to freedom, both
Of opinion and OF action? Until such
happy contamination, we suffer the
highest and best purposes Of our nature
TO be made Bubservient to base preju-
dices and uarrow-mlnded views.
At present, all our efforts at living
are restricted to the narrowest chan.
nels OF fashion and display. It Is true
such experience Is very costly, and
equally unsatisfactory, while 1t places
US directly under great tyranny, which
compells us to seek position where