Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-02-28
The Misery of the Rich.
From the New York World.


. Your newspapers make q great
FUSS" said one of the wealthiest men
in New York to a World reporter,
"about the sufferings Of the poor man
during these hard times, but I don't see
that any OF them notice particularly
the diabolical distress of the rich man."
The reporter wasn't aware that the
rich man suffered at all.
"That," said he of the wealth, SIS
because you don't know anything about
it. Why, sir, undergo more actual,
absolute torture in an hour than any
poor wretch in this city. If I hadn't q
cent in the world, I'd have some SYM
pathy, some rest, some satisfaction. AS
it is am bounded to death, Pm de-
spised, beset, annoyed, condemned,
backbitten, waylaia. The papers write
editorials on me. If L 60 to church, am
told that camel can get through the
eye of needle slicker than I can get
into heaven. If don't dress my fam
lily in 81 extravaganza manner [ hear
that am an old skinfint-if ] do, |
am told that all think of my money
is to make a vulgar show with it. I
suppose worked as hard as any man
for more than two-thirds of my life to
accumulate a fortune, but I believe
most people think I ought to
give, it away and commence
over again. In 8 winter like
this you've no idea of the hardships of
the rich. If help all the people who
apply to me, might as well 60 to the
poor-house, and yet all of them expect
it, and most Of them, [ dare say, are
worthy. It's out of the question. So
they curse me, suppose. All the be-
nevolent societies, charities, public in
situations and church organiza-
tons have their agents out.
[ am waited upon by COM
mittees, runners, clergymen, secre-
taries. They send me half dozen let
tiers day. They drop upon me in
most unexpected places. They get into
my private office. They wait in my
library before am up. They sit on
my front steps. They follow me into
the horse-cars. What is man to do
If let them have their way, my name
will be paraded as if [ wanted to ad-
vertlse my charities. If l don't, the
press will want to know what he has
ever done for New York. The other
day reporter came to see me about
my will. He said the public would
like to be informed as the proposed
disposition of my property at my de-
cease. [ suppose, if I were to get
cold in my head, there'd be a whole
brigade of them quartered under my
windows. begin to feel that rich
man is disgrace to the community
that somehow I have committed q
crime. [ don't like to look q man
squarely in the face for fear his hat
red of me will show itself, or that he
will stop and ask me to lend him a
thousand dollars to get his starving
family something to eat. [ tell you,
sir, that the winter is awful hard on the |
rich man. He don'G even eat his din
ner in peace. How can he when there
are over 10000 who are dinnerless q?
His money gets to be a reproach to
him, and he feels as if he'd like to give
the whole of it away in one lump, and
try the luxury of being poor for awhile.
But you needn't say anything about
that. or I'll have fresh battalion here
tomorrow, and half the idlers in town
will be writing me letters. In fact, I
wouldn't say anything about it, if L were
you, but it's fact that the rich man
suffers in hard winter good deal
more than a poor man. You take my
word for it. And the poor don't pity
him a bit.