The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-04-30
WEALTH AND CAPITAL.


WEALTH AND CAPITAL.
Among the ideas which are often
est COMPOUNDED and most commonly
misunderstood, none lead to graver
consequences than the abuse of those
growing out of the words poverty,
wealth and capital. The man in
debt is the poorest of all poor men
though be may have lands and bonds
and houses and blocks in his pocket.
The soul of a man is more benefit
ed by work than by the possession
of riches, and the enlargement Of
the soul is the only true object Of
life. And the laborer who has suf-
fcient clothes and food is often
richer as we'll as more independent
than his employer. It Is not the
dollars but the intelligence that rails
es a man; not blue blood but
strength Of mind and purity of
heart. The truly great men who
were born in luxury may be count
ed on the fingers Of one hand; scarce
one hero from Columbus down
in whom America takes pride owes
aught to long descent or ancestral
glory. The mechanic who saves
more than he spends is a capitalist;
the wealthy man who spends moth
ing for the public good is drone.
In the free intercourse and com
mercial rivalry allowed by the laws
of free people the son who mis-
uses the wealth acquired by his
father only passes it over to another
more capable OF approaching its
value, and the selfshness which
would hold what was made for con-
venience Of circulation, defeats its
own ends. He who cannot use
money will find he is unable to hold
it, and the Iaborer who respects
wealth for its own sake lacks the
true pride which should make him
akin to all producers of wealth, whe-
Their mental, moral or material.
The nation possesses q character
as well as the individual, and that
character is made by those who la
Dor not by those who possess. Ma
poleon thoroughly appreciated this
when he ignored the arislocracy and
styled England nation Of traders.
In all times of difficulty and danger
those who lead are always those who
work, and the natural laws Of our
being make the active brain impos-
sible of realization save in the active
body.
Therefore our great men have
grown up from country boys; there
fore the artificial refnements OF
social life are continually set at
naught by the earnest purpose which
can only como from the strong mus
Gle and the brain fortified by strug-
gle. Therefore the efforts of George
and his brother communists viii
come to naught and their arguments
however logical lead the march in g
circle always returning to the start
ing-point For oven as the accumu
lation not the creation makes the
wealthy individual, so the accumula
ton not creation makes tht
wealthy nation. Spain Ding mil
lions from her colonies, but at the
end of century England possessed
the wealth. Shut up a dozen mel
in room, and they might swa)
, jack-kniyes for a century aud n,
wealth would be created even if one
man had accumulated all the knives
but the man who saves part of wha
he produces is a capitalist even If b.
, is not wealthy.
If every man had an equal pIo
of ground as George thinks h,
should have, it would soon be as un
, equally divided as it is now, an,
even if it could not be sold, one plo
would soon be made by industry
and good judgment much more val
liable than that of neighbor wht
: lacked these qualities. The Who'll,
r trouble with these theorists is found
: in their assumption that man wa
, created to make money; wherea
money is made for the use of man
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