The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-07-30
THE LIVES OF FIVE RICa HEN.

THE LIVES OF FIVE Rich 1EN.
IT ID Q common notion among the poor
and struggling that 1t IL . fine thing to be
rich and if wealth ID not happiness, It IL
very near approach to 1t. Doubtless il
is good thing to be rich, If the rich per-
son knows the value of riches, and turns
them to O proper account for his own ad-
vantage, and that of his family, his friends,
and his feIlow-creatures. Doubtless it ID
very sad thing to be poor, to endure cold,
hunger, and nskedness or to owe debts
which one cannot pay. But when the
mass of people come to the conclusion
that as q rule, the rich are much HAPPIER
than the poor, and that the poor have no
compensation for the hardship of their
lot, and the rich no drawbacks ON the
luxury of theirs-an error of serious con-
sequences to their own well being takes
possession of their minds, and leads to the
worst kind of idolatary, money-worship,
and that worst kind of heresy, that it il
everybody's duty to get rich.
In the course of not very long life, l
have known the histories of many persons
who had, to use the common phrase, "lots
of money money that they either &C.
quired by speculation, by industry, or sue
cessful commerce, or that they had in
herited from their ancestors Out Of
seven such people, whose histories knew,
five were either very miserable in their
minds, disappointed in their hopes, or
would gladly have exchanged all their
money for something that poor people
had, but which unkind fate had not be-
slowed upon them.
The first of these little histories Is that
IS h. hoI
lion of money, at least, by successful COM
merce, and was able to retire in the prime
Of life and strength, and marry for love
young lady well born. accomplished and
beautiful The world was fair before
them. They had q town house and
country house, and shooting box In the
highlands.
They had large library, and q picture
gallery, carriages and horses. and q yacht.
They had troops Of friends, and the respect
hospitable and charitable, and adorned
But they were not altogether happy after
welded life.. Not that their love dimin.
ished, but Fortune, which had given
them 80 much, did not give them evefy-
thing. The gentleman desired an heir to
his estates, and the lady, with large ma
ternal heart, desired a child for the sake
of child; and the desired boon, for
which she would have been 80 grateful
| and happy, was denied her. Beggars
came to her gate with twins in their arms,
and she sometimes thought such beggars
were happier than she at last the sight
of an infant wotild so excite her envy,
and 30 deeply impress her with the sense
of loneliness, and of undeserved misery,
as to produce paroxysms of passionate
hysteria.
Another little story is that Of success
full manufacturer, but rude, unlettered,
and without much mental resource to
help him pass away his time, who retired
from business at the age Of sixty, and
built himself splendid mansion-he
called it q castle-on the shore of q loSely
lake, in the highlands of Scotland, far
away from the highways Of travel; in or
der that his aristOcratic seclusion might
not be invaded by tourists or desecrated
| by the plebian fail and the whiz of the
democratic locomotive. When the castle
was furnished, and his grounds were laid
out to his order, he suddenly discovered
he had nothing to do to occupy his time.
He was no company TO himself, and he
and his wife were mentally as opposed to
each other as vinegar and oil. Friends
and acquaintance occasionally came to
visit him; but he lived too far out Of the
beaten track to expect visits from any but
idlers, and what the Scotch call "sorners,"
and as his conversation was not amusing,
and he never lent or gave away money,
even such waits and strays from the great
fold OF humanity seldom ventufed into his
remote seclusion.
He was too proud to go back to the great
city and recommence business, which
might have been the best thing for him to
have done under the circumstances. So
he continued to dwell in his mountain
fortress, without an object in life, or any
amusement that he cared about. He had
nothing to do but to fish, or to shoot END
he cared nothing for. either of these modes
| of pastime. After about six months of it,
| he ordered boat upon the lake to go, as
he said, fishing for salmon. Unobsefved
by any one, he put an old grindstone into
the boat, and few yards or rope line, and
rowed himself away to the middle of the
lake. He was never seen again alive
| The boat drifted on shore without him in
the evening, aud three days sfterward his
body was drawn from the bottom of the
lake with the grindstone tied round its
neck
The third little story is equally sigseet,
I've. A very hard votkint professions,
man, careful, prudent, absternious, but
| somewhat eccentric, retired from busy
life with thirty thousand pounds; in
order, as he said, to enjoy himself, and
pass the evening OF his lite In tie mild
radiance of the setting sun. But it was
not to be a serious, and, as it proved,
fatal illness overlook him before, as he
expressed it, "he had been three months
out of business" He did not suffer much,
and by no means anticipated fatal
termination to his malady. After ten days
confinement to his room he was somewhat
alarmed by the grave face and 6eEieanor
Of his .tstall5 Hearty and cheerful medical
attendant. 81 think" eaid the latter,
"that it is my duty to recommend to you,
if you have any worldly affairs to settle,
that you should settle them" The patient
sprang up in bed "Do you mean to tell
me, doctor, that I am dying" "Oh, no.,
said The doctor, kindly; hore mott and
l trust that MANY tears are in store for
you; still. IF there Is any matter of bust
ress Tor you to settle, settle it. Life is
always uncertain; and it is best to be
prepared for all contingencies"
Doctor" said the sick man. "you can
not deceive me. You think I am dying,
and you do not like to tell me the truth.
Well have toiled, and struggled, and
screwed, and saved for forty years, and
thought that at the last was going to en-
joy myself for little while before the end.
And no you tell me I am dying All l
can say It il a." He added two
words that were very tragic, very comic,
very lamentable, very unrepeatable !;
turned his face to the wall, and never
spoke more.
Fourth en- ny i,st Of the unhappy rich,
is q gentleman who retired at the age of
fifty, from large and prosperous business,
with the expectation that his share of the
partnership would amonn. &c sali q mil.
lion ete.l.hss Inis expectation was not
realized. On q settlement of accounts
and valuation of the assets between him
and his partners, it was found that his
share fell little, but not much, short OF
two hundred thousand popn6s. Al his
life fro,- very early youth, he had over
worked his weary brain.
He had been unwisely eager to grow
rich, and had overtasked the energies both
of his body and mind, il the attempt to
build up a. Eottths, 1hd to become the
fciinder of family that should rank
among the first in the country in which he
resided He loved wealth fer it, OWL
sake, and eth a love beyond reason.
- l,