The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1876-06-23
WHO ARE THE RICH :


tive, not absolute. There is, per-
haps, a level of absolute poverty,
away down where the necessities of
life are not but we doubt very
much whether there is anywhere
level of absolute wealth. Our ideas
of whether a man is rich or poor are
based on the amount of property or
income at his disposal. Society has
fixed an artificial scale by which
wealth and poverty are determined,
and varying level above which a
man is said to be pch, and below
which he is called poor. This is con
venient for others, but it has little to
do with determining the condition Of
the individual. If we would know
whether he is rich or poor, we must
90 deeper than this, ard take as the
basis of our reckoning, principle
which this artificial scale merel y e
cognizes.
The fact that even this arbitrary
scale has no fixed level, that its zero
is ever varying, high in one genera
ton and lower in another, up in one
locality and down in another, suggests
the true basis from which to reckon
wealth and poverty. The rich man
of the last century aud the ri>h man
of to day have very different bank
accounts. Tried by the scale of the
former, the wealth Of the latter would
would seem tremendous; and yet he
is not corresponiingly richer. The
man who is rich in a country to~n
f might not be considered comfortable
in New York aud yet the rich man
Of New York is not necessarily rich
er. The requirements of the present
, are more expensive than those OF the
last century and residence IN
New York entails far greater expen>
diture than a residence in Jenkins
vile.
Nor are these differences in mems
reauiremets always determined By
time or place. Peoples tastes are
different. An income which would
, make one person rich, might be but
a beggarly pittance to another. The
wants of a man whose taste are sim
pie and unostentatious, may be as
, fully supplied by moderate salary
as those of RsIOton by prlncely
income. The difference between the
rich and the poor consists not SO much
in the difference of their incomes, as
in the different relation which these
= incomes bear to their respective
wants, 10 whether or not they meet
] and satisfy their aspirations and de
. sires. What men call wealth is de-
termined by the amount of proper,
. ty that q man has at his command ;
but what are wealth to the posSessor
are the cOntentment and satisfaction
e which it brings him.
g Who, then, are the rich 7 Certain
ly not always they of large estate.
0 There are in many SO called wealthy
E poop, lonqirg for something still
, hey ond .nelr 2keans, which max es
q them poor indeed. The poorest of
5 all poor people are they who live up
. to or hey ond A1eir means, and still
= lonL tor the uaattanable. 1t matters
G little to such natures what the extent
/, Oh their means il, so that il be suffic'
q lent for the necessa'ies CT life, sins c
a all beyond this goes but to feed the
:. few irish flame OF Unsuitable wants, AND
t leaves them ptiably poor, The poor
s are they whose means, no matter
G whether large or small, are insufficient
$ to meet their wants natural, &C
q quirsd, or imaginary The rich are
they whose wants, neither few OF
0 many, are all within their means
@ Contentment is the soul Of wealth
n The man who is content with his in
t come, great or small, is rich in a more
t enviable possession than RotI schild'f
millions, of themselves, can give;
C while he who rolls in wealth, if con
, tentment be waiting, is poor in q
g more pitable poverty than that which
5 doles out to a man the bare necesSi-
A ties of life - B. T, Bush, in Phreno
logical Journal