New-York tribune., 1870-01-08
ance of Winter SHOWS. Resumption and Fund
ing are twins and cannot be made antagonists
Hasten their welcome triumph
4 LESSON or POFRRTY.

in the Temple OF Health, they madc upon lJ
no aInsion to his victories, but this was the
inscription In honor of Cato. the Censor. who,
when tho Commonwealth was degenerating
into licentiousness, by good discipline and
| " wise institutions restored it." Mr. Stanton,
having taught a great lesson in his life, has
taught another in his death. He took upon
himself, it seems. long since, not only the
knightly VOW of courage, but the other knightly
vow of poverty Having controlled national
expenditure of two millions day. he died ut last
| aud left his children poor. In those countries
where craftsmanship means selfisLness. this TACT
alone would prove him no statesman. lie
would seem to deserve the rcproach infiicted
| by the European statesman on his sub ordinate
" You are unskiled in the art of fishing in 80
vast an ocean as the pockets OF hundred
| " million people.p But in America-thls nation
which it is the fashion TO abuse for wOrshlplng
| money only-this greatness is appreciated, ana
| il ia a statesmans crown of glory to die poor
This shows that we prize other things be-
side money Mr.. Parton, in one of those inn
pulsive over statements with which he somc-
times INDUCES himself, declares that Gin the
"United States, man is fool who does not
sacrifice to the acquisition Of wealth every
|
wealth alone gives platform upon which
"a happiness can be established" This GER
tanly does not seem to be writ sarcastlcal'
"a Artemus Ward would say; but it certainly
| is not writ truly. Multitudes of the happlest
men in America are men who are following
some fayorite pursuit, in the full knowledge
that it will never yield them moro than
moderate support, and that some other pursuit
| might Weld them wealth. To the student, the
artist, the Sdydnt, money is n very secondary
aim. Coleridge, on being offered half share
in The Morning Post and Courier, with pros
pect of $4,000 a year, answered that he would
not give up country life, and the lazy reading
of old folios, for 1000 times that income. In
"short," he added, beyond $3.50 year,
"recard money rs a real evil.n This is one
extreme of the case of which Mr.. Parton gives
the other extreme.
Doubtless, money Qct us here venture on an
original observation) has its attractions. "Ihe
"sight Of gold," as old Burton touchingly re-
marks, who had seen very little OF it, refresh
"eth Our spirits and Gelighteth our hearts 1t
"will make man travel to the antipodes" Yet
Professor Agassiz, when once invited TO travel
in search of it no farther than Portland, Name
replcd to the munifcent lecture association
that he was very sorry, but he was just
then busy with some researches that LETT
him no time to make money. There was
man who priced something above wealth.
1t is said of one of our first poets that he
owns a bit of cranberry meadow which yields
him a larger income than all his poems. Yet
does any one doubt which he would prefer to
lose. his cranberries or his laurels9 What true
statesman cares for wealth. His aim is "to
read his history in nations eyes" or Ito come
down from the nights of Gray's Elegy) to Sc
cure that sense or personal power which is
more fascinating than the power of wealth.
National happiness, at any rate, Is not to be
found in vast extremes of wealth, bat Ill the
general distribution of competence In the
little State of Rhode Island every third person
is dep0sitOr in q savings bank, and the
average of deposits is 1862 So In New York,
every seventh person is dcposltor, and
the average of deposits is S2Sl 1S. Ii this Is
not national wealth, it is a condition of affairs
more favorable to happiness than wealth is.
1t was not the pursuit of wealth alone that
first settled America and has since made 1t
great The career of such men as Stanton ap-
peals to higher aims. Let a man begin life
with honest purposes frugal habits good
health, and strong love for some special pur-
suit, and he can generally obtain competence
and happiness without making wealth his only
aim. On the other hand, if he seeks that
chiefly, he enters on path where the goal
recedes as you seek it. and cOntentment rarely
comes. "Philus,n says Latin writer, was
"'nOt so rich as L9lius L9lius was not so
:" rich as Scpio; Soipio was not so rich as
Crassus and Crassus was not so rich as-he
wished to be.p
To suggestions which Mr.. StantOns fOrtu-
nate career so happily enforces, and to the
| tender euogy on bis character which woman's
pen traces for us in another column, let us
add, in conclusion, hitherto unpublished let
ter from tho great War Secretary. 1t makes
| vet palmer his honorable poverty, and
| his right manly instinct of independence.
| We hope it may likewise make palmer the
duty of the American people to hasten the
work of pEgYi9jng for his family IN tbe midst
of which the long following results of his la
bors in our behalf cut him Off A year ago, in
failing health, and feeling the necessity of
some rest from professional labOrs, Mr.
Stanton was compelled to ask loan
from a personal friend. A citizen of
| Cleveland, learning the fact by accident,
hastened to send the Secretary a check for
five thousand dollars, begging its acceptance
as mark of his esteem and gratitude for the
great services he had rendered the country.
As soon as he had recovered sufficiently, Mr..
Stanton made the following reply:
WAsIuNGTos CRY, Jan, %, 1869.
Ny DEAR FRIEND regfet TO learn by Mr.. H.'s note
received this morning that your pess mentioned by Mr.
continues TO nfiiict you. My indsposi'
tim has deayed the grateful gnent OF yonr