The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-04-16
THE ART OF SPENDING MONEY.

"Uncle Esek," in The Century, re-
marks: There are plenty Of people
who know how to make money, and
how to waste il, but few who know
how to spend it" The more any one
reflects on this the more he will be con-
vinced of the wisdom of the saying.
1t must be confessed that the
opinion Of the world is just
the contrary. The belief Of most
men might be summed up in the
saying: "Any fool can spend money,
but it takes shrewd man TO make it. "
1t is not often that the general opinion
of men about matters Of every day life
is wrong, yet in this case we believe that
it is certainly wrong. A fool can waste
money, he can squander it In dissipa-
ton or let il slip away from him
through sheer incompetence to hold 1t,
but he can not spend 1t wisely. II
might be maintained that spending
fortune Is harder than getting it, and
the thesis would have many plausible
arguments TO sustain IL; but at any rate
this is true, the talent for money-get-
ting and that for money-spending are
separate gifts, not often united in the
same person.
Few of the great millionaires have
been successful in spending the fortune
they have acquired. The name of Pea.
body will occur at once as an instance
of man who succeeded in so spending
his great fortune as to do vast amount
of good with it-good Of kind that is
continually multiplying itself and add
ing new contributions of its own to the
sum Of the worlds happiness. But
what other name shall we place along
side of hisP What work Of practical
beneficence is associated with the names
of Stewart, Vanderbilt, Gould, Sage,
Field, and the restP In Europe the case
is no better. The name Of Sir Moses
Montefiore is cherished everywhere as
that of a great bcnefactor OF his own
race. if not of humanity at largo; but
with what great work Of beneicence,
even for their own race, has the name
of Rothschilds been connectedp
We have mentioned the name Of
Stewart among the rich men of this
country whose name is connected with
no great work for his fellows. But he
at least Is entitled to this honor, that he
desired TO do something for them, and
really made the effCrt. He began q
palatial home for working women, but
so badly was the whole thing planned,
and so inefliciently WIS the idea carried
out by his executors, that it was costly
failure. His name greatly strengthens
our thesis that the talent for spending
money is quite distinct from the talent
Tor getting money. The only one Of the
great millionaires of New-York who
mas ever shown any disposition toward
a large charitable enterprise failed be-
cause he had not studied the conditions
Of successful money-spending as he had
studied those of money-getting.
The talent for money-spending Is one
that may be cultivated. It is the duty
Of Christian man TO cultivate IT, II is
noteworthy that the New Testament has
little TO say about the getting ofmoney.
1t is apparently taken for granted that
men will look out for the means of get
ling money without any injunction to do
do so. and that what they need is in
truction in the art and true principle of
using the money they acquire. In this we
nave another proof Of the adaptedness
If the Scriptures TO human needs. The
men Of New-York, and of every other
place in like manner, are all busy about
plans for acquiring money; few Of them
ever stop to think what they shall do
with ii when they have gratilied
their highest ambition in money
,setting As result, when they
lecome rich they do not even
know how 10 use their money for
their own pleasure, and are obliged in
order 10 save themselves from unen-
durable ennui TO go on piling up their
millions when the possession Of great
wealth has ceased TO be pleasure In
itself TO them. They are even more
ignorant Of how 10 use their money for
the good Of their fellows, nor do their
actions give us any warrant 10 suppose
hat the desire so 10 use IL has ever
entered their minds. II men devoted
half the thought and skill TO the wise
spending OF their fortunes that they
10 tolhoir requirement, we should not
soc great charitable and educational
pro ects languishing for lack Of the
means b. carry them forward, nor would
the few enterprises undertaken by ricb
men so often miscary and PrqYe inter
failures. 'Ai'
The most generous givers to every
object that appeals with force to q
Christian mans heart are the men who
began 10 consider. when they had little
TO give, how 10 give that little so that II
would noeomplish the most, and who,
trnfned n such o school. when they had