Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-05-16
RICH MEMS SONS.

lt is not o1ten tnaI young men are
favored with advice from a person so
competent to give it as Peter H. Bur-
nett, the first Governor of California,
now the president of the Pacific Bank Of
San Francisco. Governor Burnett has
been good enough to write an account of
his long and honorable life, under the
title of "Recollections and Opinions of
a Pioneer" which is one of the best
books of the kind we ever had the pleas
ure of reading. Governor Burnett lives
in a community where many men of
uneducated minds gain wealth very rap
idly, and often by unjust means. AS
president of an important bank, he con-
verses with such every day, and knows,
necessarily, much of their history. His
testimony is clear and strong that wealth
acquired unfairly. or too rapidly, or in
quantities beyond the reasonable needs
of human nature, is usually no blessing
to those who get it or to those who in
herit it.
The acquisition of such wealth, he
thinks, is not the way to found family,
but to extirpate it; for 1t is scarcely
possible for a man to make large for
tune In few years, and at the same to
bring up children wise and strong
enough to use properly and enjoy tenn
perately the wealth they have inherited.
Some of the noblest of our race have
inherited wealth from their ancestors,
and much of the most useful work ever
done on earth has been done by persons
who have had the command of their
time through such wealth. But these
happy individuals. like the historian
Prescott, or Mr.. Lowell. our minister to
England, Adams, Motley, and others,
have had behind them long lines of vir-
tuous, educated and frugal ancestors, as
we'll as wise and highly cultivated pa
rents. who bestowed upon the education
of their children the most assiduous and
thoughtful care every day, from their
birth to their maturity.
Far different is the lot of the children
of those ignorant rich men, who get
millions by stumbling over lump of
gold, or by lucky venture in stocks.
They have neither the time, the knowl-
edge, nor the taste to rear children so
that they are amply and safely equipped
for life's work.
After bringing them up in luxury and
idleness, they are very apt, as Governor
Burnett observes. to make a complex
and silly WILL" which enriches two or
three lawyers, and assigns to each child
just enough to spoil him for any useful
career, but not enough to content him
as member of the wealthy class.
Hence, in California and elsewhere
nine out of every ten-as the Governor
computes-of the childrea of rich parent:
ultimately become poor, sour, unhappy
and worthless.
The final result is that huge for
tune, won without honor, and often by
the sacrifice of honor, benefits no singl,
Individual, neither the man who gained
it, nor his children, nor the sharper
who gorge themselves by contesting hi
will.
Upon the whole, Governor Burnet
advises young men to shun equally pov
erty and riches. He has had wild
experience with young clerks of all sort
and conditions. He does not approx
the clerks whom the poet describes as
Little cane.
Little brain;
Little work,
And big shirk."
Nor does he put much faith in an
young man who does not save porto
of his salary if he can. According t
his experience, young man of goo
habits, agreeable manners, good temper
, who saves part of his income, can b
, trusted The mere fact of his holdin
in check the natural desire of youth fc
expensive pleasure, is of itself almost
/ proof, not of good sense only. but {
integrity as we'll.