The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-05-10

1AL4aG NhnAAJ 11o SCR
IshDess. Enough OF that is left
usually, heaven knows!
People who see what is before theil
eyes can not but have observed this
curious degeneration Of human nature
I in average successful rich men. Nc
matter how much they owe their sue
cess to other people, no sOOner have
they reached It than they draw up
after them the ropes by which they
climbed to fortune, lest somebody else
| lay hold OF them, and thus shut them
1 selves in their castles Of Luxurious
eRse, Indifferent whether all the rest
Of the world starves, or freezes, or is
kicked to death, confcund 'em! /
think good prayer for the human
race would be, God ssvs US from the
curse Of indifference
II, in becoming rich and successful,
one must become q selfish, dried-up
old stick, with no mere for ones
! brothers and sisters, the workers,
| than II they We're 50 many stones un-
der ones feet, then / am sure it is bet
ter to live on q crust CT bread and die
| in garrst.
Good and bad fortune, / must Insist
on 1t, Is almost wholly 3 matter OF
circumstance. The golden Oppor-
tunity comes to nearly all Of US once,
and but once. Suppose q man is sick
and can't grasp the golden OppOr-
tunity when it comes or suppose he
is away from home for an afternoon
when the golden opportunity passes,
and It goes on and strikes somebody
else, who is to take the praise or
kIon ~ ~ Dansn 4.
side Of certain very narrow limits, is
so much q matter of chance that it
seems 20 have very little TO DO with
individual stupidity or brightness-so
little, indeed, that there are actually
people who seem to succeed in the
world by the pure Uis inertia of stu
pidity. One can't account for their
success in any other way, apparent
ly.
That sort Of people seem to me to be
the weakest and silliest of all the ex-
tensive and respectable class of high
toned people. Did you ever see 8
hOd-csrrier get sudden appointment
as policeman ? That is Wnat mean
those shallow, vulgar-minded peo-
pie, whose brains have been turned
topsy-turvy by Q sudden accession to
prosperity. They always remind one
of the "dad-struck-ile" story. They
are certainly the mCst amusing (per-
haps, also, the least really OffensiVe)
of all the "high-tOned" people.
And there is not mothers son or
daughter in the whole gang of rich
snobs who will patrOnize poor people
when he or she mas an axe to grind.
think that is the very eontempti-
blest trait about 'em. The sOlemnest,
most pompous old snOb in existence
can be as democratic as 3 lOafer at
corner grocery, when it comes to get
ting the votes of the Uor pOp1tj. He's
not too good to mix with common
dirt then.
II UOE pOpui wants to be used as
tool, and then dropped like q cold
potato, it is nothing to me. But
when people with no other claim to
superiority than mere money, under
take to pstronizs newspaper people,
then especially l have something to
say about that.
Most OF US seribblers love our work
with enthusiasm, and find in it that
sort Of happiness which we wouldn't
exchange for anything in the uni
verse. There are exceptions, but that
is how most of US feel, L am sure. At
the same time, too, we have a fancy
that most OF even the very richest Of
the rich people we know could hardly
do our work il they tried. We scrib-
blers have a fancy that our work,
rightly done, is an honor OF itself,
yea, a thOusand-fold more honor tnan
even being a millionaire. And, IL /
must tell the truth, we feel as though
there is quite as much eOndeseension
on our part az on theirs, when we
meet them iii q civil war.
Do we feel "honoredi5 by the coude-
scending notice OF these rich people &?
Do we? l tell you. at times 1 feel as
though, If were dog, the sight of
some of them would raise the bristles
on me. And, in the name OF all scrib-
blers, 1 hereby inform Old Bobbins,
the stock gambler, and Madame, the
rich mans wife, who comes to US all
smiles and hounces and bad gram
mar, when she has an axe to grind,
and passes us in the street next day
without looking at us, that for all
their money twice over we wouldn't
he they. We return their contempt
with indifference, and we don't care q
straw for them and all their money.
We want them to know 1t, too.
That is q calm, strong brain which
can remain wholly 1nturned by pros
perTty. Prosperity is an infaUi5le
test Of character, a test which only
the strongest, truest souls can sustain.
He who, in the midst of wealth, can
move on in the even tenor of his Way.
keeping his soul full of sweet and
kindly human sympsthy-as the
stately old Latin has it-has deserved
well of his fellow-countrymen. The
true republican gentlemen is he whose
manners are simple, graceful, and
kindly to all decent people. His pO-
liteness springs from his human SYM
pathies, and these are as far-reaching
and as beautiful as the sunbeams.-
e. Il. in Cincinnati Commercial.