Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1871-06-29
ssGrIs, "A Plea for the Rich Mans

timou ssvoE 80 Son. e8Is's' lsal1 =
To be born with silver spoon in ones
mouths usual ) accounted streak of lick
hardly excelled in this world. Itimplies a
rich father, who can provide for his off
spring in n manner that lifts him iabove
andirimpecunious herd, pla-
| cling him more or less remote from those
who are early compelled to grub for a
], living % bIG h1
The boy who chanced to be born with
an iron, or even plated spoon in bis
mouth. always looks with. envy upon the
son of rich father. He bemoans his own
lot as hard one, and is disposed to
criticise the justice and discri imination
with which silverware was distributed in
Fate's grand gift lottery. He knows
dozens of boys, or thinks he does, whose
tender and unused gums were first made
familiar with spoons of the cheapest, mate
rial and rudest manufacture, who were
better entitled to the silver spoon than the
spooney who drew 1t. sd syiia-sr
In nine cases of ten the rich father of
to-day commenced life poor boy. He is
fond of telling about his early struggles
with poverty, and the obstacles he met
and vanquished. He relates how, at six
teen years of age, more or less, he made
up little bundle and marched boldly
and sturdy forth from his fathers hum
bic abode to do battle with the world and
win fortune for himself The chances
are, however, that instead of marching
boldly forth he stole away in the night
ran away from home, if the truth was
known. But as it turned out all right, no
one is disposed to question how he got
away from the old man.
Enterprise and industry. together with
an ambition to do better by his sons than
his father had done by him, won the day,
and the poor boy with the bundle became
the man of many possessions. His sons
are brought up as the sons of rich men
generally are. They don't go barefootcd
as their father did at their age. They are
not kept from school to assist in cultiva-
ting the paternal acre. or acre and half,
that is to keep them in potatoes during
the winter. They can handle a eroquet
mallct or billiard cue. but not hoe. They
can pick out chords on a piano, but
couldn't chop cord of.wood. No neces-
sity for their making up little bundle
at sixteen and starting away from home in
the night. TO make their way in the world,
or make anything else Ithey did, there
would be large reward offered for their
return, and slaughtering of the pampcr-
ed iuvenescent bovine when they got
back.
a. But when these youths grow up to use
less manhood, and develop no ambition
beyond spending money, then 1t is the
rich father whincs over the degeneracy of
our young men. "'Twasn't so when l
was Young" he says. "Boys weren't
afraid to work then. Wonder what /
would ever have accomplished had | been
like my, boys" And then he brings out
that inevitable bundle which he made up
at sixteen or thereabouts, and taking it on
his shoulder for about the thousandth time,
marches sturdily forth in -searcl of his
fortune. crossing on foot don't know how
many chains of mountains, and wading l
wouldn't undertake to say how many ra-
ging rivers, before he found it,
Now who shall say his slothful and plea
sure-loving son would not have done the
same thing had the been reared as he was
or who affirm that he would have done diff
ferently from what they have done had he
too been born with silver spoon in bis
mouth? The rich father rarely takes these
different condition into account when ne
mourns splendthrift or proiligate son.
After rearing him in idleness and luxury
from infancy, he wonders he dosen't deyel-
op all those admirable qualities of indus
try and frugality which necessity forced
him 20 cultivate
Don't be too hard on the rich mans
son, therefore. That he does not turn out
we'll is as often the fault of his rearing as
of himself. He couldn't help being born
with silver spoon in his mouth, and the
fact that he was is not unfrequently sub
iect for commiseration rather than envy.
Many rich mans son who has turned
out badly might have risen to usefulness
and honor had his parents been poor-no
matter whether they were honest or not.
AS for myself,I was not brought up on
silver spoon but my principles of life be-
lug pretty firmly established by this time.
l am ready to change places with any
rich mans SON lis there are not too many
in the family who is fearful that he may
succumb to the observing influences of
wealth and the prospect of large inheri-
tance, AMI thereby fail to make his mark
in the world. Times.