Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-10-07
WHAT rs WEALTH ?
An Important Question Viewed
from a Phiiosophic Stand
point.

from PnliOSOpnlC SLduu-
point.
Wealth cannot be any mere sum of
money. Money has no settled value.
In one place, among certain conditions
you eau get for mere trifle what you
cannot buy with thousand pounds
somewhere else. What will purchase
pure air and clear sky in November ?
Millionaires cry out for them in vain.
Yet some poor woman, say in Shet-
land, who never sees money, but ex-
changes her knitting work for her
triae of tea and cloth, can get the
bracing wind and the bright sky for
nothing. We oil know how seriously
this consideration should enter into
our estimate of the real Improvement
to be looked for in any change of our
place or prospects. What better off
are we in going somewhere to earn
double wages if all the commodities
of life there cost three times as much
as where we are now? People rush
off to the capital cities to "better"
themselves by earning few shillings
more per week or few hundred more
per year, as the case may be. They
generally find that the things they
must have absorb all the apparent sur
plus, while many things which they
had before, and ought to have, they
have to resign altogether.
Wealth does not consist of posses
sion of any kind. Take an illustra-
ton A man is wrecked on desert
ed island the ship runs aground, and
he finds himself the owner of bags OF
bullion and precious stones, of rare
books and rich fabrics. But he can
get no fresh water. Presently he
dies Of thirst-a poorer man than the
beggar who wins q humble meal by
sweeping q doorstep or wedding a
garden. Indeed there is no poverty
so terrible as the possession of every
thing except what we want. The
Persian poet, Sadi, has story on this
point. He says:
Il saw an Arab sitting in a circle oi
jewellers of Basrah, and relating as
follows: Once on a time, having
missed my way in the desert and hav
ing no provisions left, | gave mysel
up for lost, when l happened to find
bag full of pearls 1 shall never for
get the relish and delight that | fell
on supposing it to be fried wheat, mol
the bitterness and despair which
suffered on discovering that the bag
contained pearls
Still less does wealth consist in mere
accumulation we really do not have
what we do not use. A miser had ;
store of buried gold, over which h'
used secretly to gloat. A thief stole
it away and wise man strove t.
comfort the miser by persuading hin
to bury some oyster shells in its place
and to visit them and chuckle owe
them, as he had done over the gold.
Now let US turn to what wealth il
in the highest sense. Wealth is The
satisfaction of those needs of human
life which, if unsatisfed, check its har
monious development. No man cal
be wealthy till he finds out the limits
of his needs, for "want is a growing
giant whom the coat of Have wa
never large enough to cover" So w
cannot Gnd out what wealth is till We
find out what these needs are.
Our bodily needs are pure air, gooC
water, wholesome food, sufficien
clothing and shelter, labor and res;
Our mental needs are the education
of our senses, some leisure and som'
intellectual nourishment, either from
books or society. Our spiritual need
are love and duty. r. Mayo, q
Sunday at Home.