San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-12-16
About the worshlp Of Money.

haps and scrapes which they have
brought on themselves BY their own in
| discresIiOn, improvidence and impru-
| dence. This is I'm; ust and cowardly-
unjust, by reason 81 Its being an I'M
| founded impeachment Of the justice OF
| Prov demo, and cowardly, because men
should frankly acknowledge their past
mistakes and bluDders. Ii Is not eX-
peoIed that human creatures should be
perfect either In morals or judgment,
since perfection lies out OF their reach,
consequently could never comprehend
the extreme unwillingness that 10 shown
| BY the large majority Of men TO ackDowl-
| edging they have made mistakes, when
all the wor q knows they have done so.
Men attribute all their mishaps 10
| Providence, or else 10 bad luck, and by
this course. they forfeit the chance OF
repairing the ill-consequences OF their
personal mistakes and blunders, since
| no one can correct fault or rectify q
mistake until he is made thoroughly
| sens bic OF IL. There 10 no such thing
as good or bad luck, good fortune or bad
fortune, and the belief In the existence
| of such thing arises only from super
stition. Ignorance 10 the mother OF su-
perstition, though men and women iD-
| Dibe superstition In childhood FROM
| ignorant persons with whom they come
| into contact. What Is called good luck 10
purely the result OF the superiority OF
| Judgment and common sense with
which some men are endowed; and
what is called bad luck Is the result OF
the want Of judgment, frugality, indu--
try and sObriety. Some men are always
rushing into The widest sort Of specula-
ton with the confident expectation OF
reapiDg q golden harvest and then, when
failure and disappointment follow they
arraign Providence, or curse their own
luck Of sound Judgment In falling TO
give the matter careful cCnsidera-
ton. Others spend money before they
earn it-tbey deny themselves nothing
they laugh at iIugality, and then AS
crlbe their poverty TO their bad luck.
such men continue TO tread the same
cIrclr-and are, OF cOuise, he"ers Of
wood and drawers Of water all their
lives and should the intirmities OF OLD
age oisable them, they become objects
OF charity.
FrughIty 10 the surest road, anyone
can follow to attain comfortable for
tune because II saves something from
our income and this saving becomes IL
self productive. HaZliIt very truly
-nid, that the world was mistaken Ia
suIIpOsing that 10 rrt.u'r.d n higher or
der OF mind and Judgment to enable
men to rise from poverty To hffiuence.
II II man starts ont with he dete'miDa-
don TO berOme ric :, the love oi acCunul-
ttiOn will soon become Il mInanI
passion OF his soul. No slave driver ever
.QuaIled avarIcr. ahd this passion will
stimulate his industry aud his frugaItIJ
IntH they grow into liked ha"its
Pleasure wiil have no aliurrmrnls Tor
nIp, because he l,mks at lts cost before
nand; aIBniIiUn VIII nave 10 charms
for hiID; he viii sacrifice everything 10
crafty his love oI accumulation.
Ii 10 the siigleness uf purpose that
enables n man 10 accumulate property.
The prUdgical sets small value Un money
and / n stranger To The desire 20 aLDass
property; he scVrne 10 practice fGugality,
and looks on Industry Ms dt grading aud
ungentlemsnly; he sacrifices everything
10 ease. indolence and pleasure, aud us
natural consequence, he never accumu-
Istes money.
have known half-witted mn to
emerge from poverty by industry and
frugality; they saved at every turn and
cared nothing for dress or pleasure, and,
by continuing this course, their savings
amounted to n snug sum.
But slO and steady gains, resulting
from Industry and frugalIty, have come
to be despised by the world. Speculs-
ton is the order Of the day. Men are
Tired with q consuming desire to grow
rich suddenly, by sp, culation, and scOrn
the slow but sure plan follOwed by our
ancestors the practice OF industry and
economy.
This thirst for sudden riches has
been augmented and intensified an hun
bred fold by the success with which the
speculatiOns OF Vanderbilt, Gould, Sage,
ETC., have been crowned. A fortune of
5000 Is now regarded as but one re-
move from poverty-a person who is
worth only q million is nobody. The
prevalence Of this desire Of growing
suddenly rich has led thousands TO rush
into all kinds of speculative schemes,
whereby they have lost the money they
started out with and perhaps entsiled
loss and ruin on their friends. 1t has IN
hinged business and discredited the vir.
tues of industry and fIugality. Ii has
seduced men into enlightenment and
forgery, who had built up characters
TOR strict honesty, and who, but for the
delusion that speculation would ena-
BILE them to realize an immense fortune,
would never have fallen into crime. Ii
has fearfully stimulated extravaganza
and profusion, since, as men reckon up
on all their speculations being crowned
with success. they launch out into ex-
penses proportional TO their expecta-
lions OF future wealth rather than TO
their actual means. When the collapse
comes IL finds them unprepared.
Ii Is but too plain that material pros
periry Is now looked on as The highest
earthly good. and as chenply pure" ased
by even the sacrifice OF DersODnl intep-