The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-06-26

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this way, perhaps, they atone 10 their con
science for their premeditated silence ~
| specting widespread vices that they dar,
moi condemn. In this country. one of tn,
regular pegs TO hang snowy wreaths o
moralizing and censure on, is what press
writers call the haste 10 grow rich. You
can hardly pick up newspaper without
finding something in this vein. When an
under-paid book-keeper is discovered 70
have appropriated two or three hundred
dollars of his employers money when a
bank-teller, ona starving salary, Is known
10 have overdrawn his account; when AN
unfortunate underling in a wealthy cor
poration proves petty defaulter-we are
treated To editorial homilies on the nation
al CELEBRITY 10 acquire opulence.
Ii would be interesting 10 know what
these lay-preachers consider riches how
imminent they deem the average mans
likelihood TO secure a fortune. There j.
no more danger of any considerable num-
Der of people getting rich in any COM
munity than there is of the world growing
philosophical. Almost everybody. doubt
less, would like 10 be in easy circumstan-
ces, II for no other reason, To be relieved of
anxiety, drudgery, and the wretched shifts
which poverty, though the form be miti-
gated, inevitably entails. But what pros
pect have they ofattaining their wish? DO
they even delude themselves with any
such expectations They may have vague,
faint hope that some day they shall be
lifted out of the need of hateful toll TO the
fair place of wholesome occupation. But
the hope is very vague, very faint-like
that of ideal love, ofperfect rest OF abso-
lutte happiness-existing somewhere, per-
chance, though scarcely TO be found.
In this republic. where every man has at
least a chance, the chance of genuine Pc
cuniary prosperity Is almost too small TO
enter into calculation. The material con-
dition of the great majority is fixed, or. il
not fixed. is lmited-limited by tempera-
ment, training. habit, surroundings. The
capacity to make money-albeit, not en-
nObling nor intellectual-is one OF the rar-
est. 1t is a peculiar talent-difficult TO
cultivate, next to impossible TO inspire.
They who possess it, manifest il early.
They who possess it not, are not slow To
discover their lack, whatever their pre-
tense to the contrary. 1t would seem to
be secular obligation for a man to make
money. whether his constitution and taste
so incline him or not. A certain amount
he must make enough TO provide for
himself and those naturally dependent
upon him-or forfeit something of his self
respect. The very best that most of us
can do IL TO keep even with the world.
Not one man in fifty, il is said. dies out of
debt. The estimate may be excessive. but
IL is fair to put il at one in twenty. Think
over your acquaintance How many of
them are not in arrears? And. of those i'm
arrears, how many will be left so with adj
time?
Ii seems strange that he who goes not
out of life poorer than he came into il
should be an exception and vet such is
the fact. What idleness. then.
to talk. in general way, OF the hurry for
wealth! Children cry for the moon, but
not long. They soon learn that they can
not get il; that il will not come 10 them
for all their tears.
SO with men. They may enter for the
race; hey may see the prize afar off; they
may start upon the course. A brief while
shall convince them they are wasting their
breath, exhausting themselves TO no pur-
pose. The strong runners outstrip them
at once-leave them hopelessly behind. II
is borne in upon them that riches are not
tor their winning. and thereafter they rest
content witn-rather are resigned to-hum-
BILE earnings. To these. who have des-
anent haste to grow rich must sound satir-
ical. 1t is not unlike the penurious father
who gave his boy penny with the counsel
not to make beast of himself Not UNI
like the temulent vagabond. who. taking
home boon companion after a fortnight's
asked his poor wife to prepare
dinner. "Dinner !" she echoed: II have
nothing in the house. ate the last crust
this morning. You have not given me
a cent for more than a month How can
you expect me to prepare dinner without
'Come," said the husband to his fellow;
. let us leave this mercenary wretch TO the |
torment of her base ingratitude-
The talked-of haste to grow rich, i'm for
ty-nine cases out of fifty. Is simply the |
struggle for existence. In the metropolis. |
more than elsewhere. such talk Is tire |
,omely common. notwithstanding that we
have tenement-house population ofover
half million. DO those unfortunates, de- |
prived of fresh air, sunlight--of the stimu- |
us even of "A future. press forward to |
wealth With penury. toll. and Pottcr's /
Field alone before them. are they feverish I
rom the pursuit of goldY Among the |
and less snlucky classes il is not |
much better. IL is computed that gener-
lily six or eight persons rely for support |
IN each able-bodied and abe-minded man. |
Thus, between the competent and incom-
,etent, the self-sustaining and the depend |
mt, there Is so little chance of reaching the |
yoal of wealth that thought of il seldom |
listurbs their mind. They who cannot I
axe care of themselves are not likely to |
pend their force in running after the un-
ttainable. Those that are borne down by \
BURDENS are not apt to start on a contest |
or speed.
The fault of Americans, instead of being |
taste to grow rich, is improvidence, the
Idoption of habits that render riches inn
possible. They need to be encouraged to
economy. instead of being lectured upon
which, despite the oppo-
lite opinion. they have less Of than any
,ther nation. The comparative few who