Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-04
GETTING ON IN THE WORLD.
Subject of Interest to Women as Well a
the Lords of Creation.
INDIANAPOLIS Journal


Subject of Interest to Women as Well as
the Lords of Creation.
Indianapolis Journal
The underlying cause of human dis
content and unrest, whether manifested
By the individual or the many is a morbid
desire to he happy" Many man would
be happy indeed were it not that he miss
es true happiness in the feverish search
for it. Happiness is like rest found with
out effort and denied to such as forever
seek it instead of enjoying it. The poor
man is not happy because he wishes to be
| rich, imagining that riches would bring
peace. The rich man is not happy for
even more reasons than the poorer man
is not. He is unhappy because he is not
richer; because he fears that his riches
will take wings and get away from him;
because his neighbor has more than he
has; because he has failed to make as
much as he expected in his last specula-
ton, or because he lost instead of max
! ing. All these and innumerabls other
| reasons conspire to trouble the man of
wealth. But the poor man says:
'Give me his possessions and [ will
take care of happiness"
There is delusion in this, and if there
a very imperfect one. 1t cannot be that
its architect should lay it out on the mar
raw plan that none should be happy un-
less rich. The fate of humanity under
such cruel conditions would be deplorable.
Only very few of the vast number of
mankind would then stand any chance of
an existence that would be toierable
That this is mistake needs no argument
The law Of common sense, the law of God
as revealed In the Bible, the law of COM
pensation-all law is against such a mon
strous condition to happiness. 1t is not
saying too much to say that the poor may
be as happy as the rich. There are
troubles and temptations that come to
the rich that the poor know nothing of.
There are sleepless nights in the mansion
that are unknown in the cottage, and of
ten when least expected, the banker whom
many poor man env1es may III turn en-
Wy the man who attends to his horses for
the very peace of mind which he enjoys
and to which the master is stranger. Men
living in mansions have often lived for
years with the shadow of bankruptcy
hanging over them, from which they
would only too gladly escape and welcome
honest poverty. 1t were foolish to argue
against the comforts that wealth can pro-
vide, but wealth alone cannot even buy
peace to say nothing of happiness.
Wealth is often a curse to the man who,
relieved of its responsibility, would be
happy.
But if a man would be rich and feels
that he cannot be happy until he is in
possession of more goods than his fei-
! lows, there is way to become so. One
is to be mean, stingy, grasping intent
ever on gaining more and spending less.
Re can stint himself and family, deny
his wife and children the privileges that
are cheerfully accord the little ones of
poorer men, and in every way make him.
self and family bend to the severest con-
ditions that he has devised. This is one
of the ways to wealth and a way that is
not likely to commend itself to honest
men. Then there are other roads to the
accumulation of wealth. A man may be-
come rich by theft, by fraud, by specuIa-
ton and various other ways more or less
questionable. But it is not this kind of
wealth that the poor man envies, for he
could not accept it under the conditions
required. Besides, as rule, with few ex-
captions, the wealth acquired in a dishon-
Orable way, cannot be retained, and slips
almost as quick as it came.
But it will not do for the poor man to
conclude that all wealth is acquired in
way that can not be thoroughly honor
able. Many man is wealthy and real
ly happy in its possession, because he
got it in way that no man can question
There are thousands of men who have
great possessions and who have come up
from poverty by their own exertions.
Their example, too, may be followed by
such as would become rich. They got a
start by practicing decent economies and
by saving where others wasted. With the
money thus saved they got their start
that so many long for. ; And from the
start it became easier and still easier to
get more, until at last the goal of riches
was reached before it was realized. The
great majority of merchants and manu-
facturers in this country started as poor
men, just as the young mechanic of to-
day is starting in life. There are men
who know how it is themselves and with
few exceptions are glad to encourage
and assist others who show disposition
to follow their example, In truth, the
world of business and traffic is ever on
the watch for just such mon.