The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-19
The. Conceolment Of, wealth.

Weare assured by three separate and
In their way, competent authorities, that
diamonds have Of late shown a tendency
to rise In value, have indeed risen within
the last six or eight months from Z to 8
per cent. The fact Is remarkable, as dia.
monds, owing 70 The cosmopolitan chGrac-
ter Of the demands for. them, are compar-
atiyely independent Of the, caprices o.
fashion, and have had for years almost as
fixed d value as gold or silver. Their
price has Increased Indeed. hNtnotin sud-
den rtlshes. Newspaper readers are some.
time startled or amused by narratives o.
new discoveries OF diamond mines in Aus.
tralIa, Or the Cape, OF Lower California
[why docs not somebody spend q thou.
sand ortwoin geological investigation o.
Golconda, q district never, scientifically
searched or by stories Of some chemist
who has made diamonds, and will speed
fly food the Inarket;abut dealers, we slls'
.pect, are cryeliGtle affected by such ~;
.nors,d Diamonds are. pretty things, let
philosophers say what they will, eternal
develops being necessarily aspretty as dew
drops which last a minute; but the desire
iOrtl them ,is no more. q, 9taste=Tas the
desire for china, for example, is-than
the desire for gold, and flnctnates just as
little. They excite At once the passion
for value and love ofirarity. The trade,
though apt, like the trade in bullion, TO
concentrate itself in few hands Is large
one; and the supply, VIC expect, without
exactly knowing, begins 70 fail to keep
pace with the demand. Diamonds dOnot
wear out but every year more and more
people want them. II that is the case, If
demand and supply have Just become
equal, the price may continue TO advance,
and within ia Yery.4 Jew years reach .
figure which may make the little jewels
rank among the best OF nterest-bearing
investments. Such an occurrence seems
odd TO men WHO cannot perceive the
charm Of precious stones Il but II Is not
more odd tlnn the duration Of the taste
for this particular stone, Which has out
lasted not only fashions but civilizations,
and shows no signs Of dininution, or than
the 'undoubted. ind extraordinary rise In
the price Of NIL articles, Of useless or ar
tistic luxury. Pictures, CONS, china,
broIzes, 6t4e a bfac Of livery sort, rare
shawls rare engrHVingsj dand even rare
fruits, flowers aud dogs are, Qs, steadily
tending upwards In value Us il their price
dependel on q want, not Q caprice. It Is
the most curious illustration Of the uIl.
chahgeableness of.lthe clangeable, of the
law which govern even caprices, that we
are acquainted with, and tends 70 indicate
that the desire for the rare (which we all
notice and smile At IN bibliopoles, dntiqua-
ridns, entomologists, and evGrylyarietyr Of
the genius, collector,-is not an exGep;-
tionGl eccentriCity, but permanent at
tribute Of the, human mind, though only
noticed in those who have wealth to in.
dulge il in some unusual or splendid form,
1t Is like the desire discrimination, one
Of tho passions, and not Que of the mere
tastes OF; men, and may be relied on In
business almost Us certainly as sclf.inter-
est, vanity, or ambition. - g.Ii HU :
1T Is probably, we say, that the demand
Tor q rare article of luxury, which Is de-
sired throughout tic world, Which Is i'm.
perishablc, and which alone among such
articles can be instantly and certainly
turned into cash, has AZ last exceeded tue
supply, Just as the demand, for gold to use
up in art-work had, before the discovery
of California, begun to exceed the supply,
and IL so, prices will'Tise rapidly; but it
Is also Just possible that the demand Is in
creased by, another; cause. It has been
supposed for some years that the practice
Of boarding, one SO universal, is gradually
diving out under the influence Of educa4
tionIand the desire for interest, and the
belief Is in part, well founded. The
French peasant, for example,, puts HIS
savings Unto Rentes, and defiant qof
economics, quotes their cheapness as proof
Of, the kindliness of the Emprei the
Italian invests all he can spare In some
now business, Or another vneydrd'; and
the German never wearics Of American
Bonds.pLTherc is!a,go0d deal of boarding
still in tout.9E therWay places !; but i will
probably yield 10 the growing desire Tor
money and the growing Insecurity Of p6r-
table property from theft oThOl number
oHidisricis In Europe. where men. can
sleep with open doors grow few, and TINT
Of the " InsophisticGted," to whom n
buried Hoard Is no temptation, fewer still;
willie therecent series Of swindles at Ma
Piles, if 1t shows thecredulity Of the poor,
shows also the awakening, Of tho taste for
IN, Su ,1Sro nrodnceJ S Sacs,,sc tnnt r.
sn rS H at6rs ofTSrcd K nsE cant nifntS
IA fT" 1SSid iStsFssfi With nav denosits
R,St yre ' arr ,lt6 M, means certain HAL
tho S .temntotinn ~ TO- sccrcte. wealth ia
Jv;r% a',t "Honr IL I rich q tie tcinn !,
tStioS 4 III SosTd SIca Int nm among tSeI fiSnr
0,SII, 4 onVrs ~, WV Tya oSSnecf +bat, T. ~.
Sr a S SsS SUd 11iiI IN 1;mc hecome rather
Ste ezi.a anu f %In n mo o1S sdcieiy
Mndsrn f;acaS isGiaIaf IL tends ycry much
~ &Snt.rstS sShSf N imHSISe Ftcent in
F,5TScS 5;Ss 2 bs1inu.to nress so
haSv;iy that the S rich are, almost ,as much
t tS, ~ make their wealth moyable IS