The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-10-21
IEANS & M MocEE.
Anaersosl gate1ligeaesr.,
Compensatlons of Poverty.

held. The truth of the proverb that
"riches suddenly take to thems> .ses
wings and fly away" is illustrated by the
fact that as many fortunes are lost as
made, and lost much more quickly than
they are made. The burdens and ankle.
ties endured by the rich in the effort to
keep their wealth and for fear of losing
it, are scarcely less than are involved in
gaining it. The wise man says: "The
abundance of the rich will not suffer him
to sleep" The banks where his treasure
is boarded may break; his barns, eleva.
tors, and factories may burn down and
the insurance companies may fail i; bis
railroad stock may depreciate; and then
there is tho standing and awful menace
to wealth from the hatred of the poor;
from labor riots, dynamite and bomb
these will not let him sleep; she heapeth
up riches and knoweth not who shall
gather them" The poor man escapes all
these troubles, for he who has nothing
has no worry about it, and suffers no
hatred on account of it. So the same
wise man says: "The sleep of the labor
ing man is sweet whether he.eat little or
much;" but he puts it rather strong in.
that last clause, for the lRboring poor do
sometimes lie awake from hunger. But
if he has enough to eat: his plain food
tastes better than the 'viands ofsthe rich,
aud his fatigue makes rest and sleep
luxury which many Of me pampered
children of fortune know nothing about.
His daughters are not besieged by fortune
hunters; his sons escape many tempta-
tions TO vice to which wealth would ex-
pose them. = ;5.s...'
We do not, however, need to depreciate
worldly advantages in order to find com
pensations for the lack of; them. Wealth
and the position. and influence it gives
are,Inet evils in themselves, but "real
goods" which, if rightly used, may be
blessings to their possessor and his fell
low-men. Tho pretence ofdespising them
is usually insincere and always foolish
Nor should We seek comfort for our lack
of, these things in the notion that all who
have them are thriftily wicked and ,destin,
ed, like those the Psalmist envied, to
be- cast. down rte destruction and utterly
.consama With hrrors.o The road to
wealth is best with great temptations to
which many -succumb, but, all do-not.
We leave it to anarchists to regard great
wealth as,prima faeis 'evidence6f,c6
tioni.i III ~ sa II SaS
' Das IL FL .shs posihsa,c a,compenladOns
poverty is that it makes exertion neces-
.sary. This is deplored by many as q
misfortune; but it is really blessing,
because 1t is indispensable to the best
self. development. Somebody has said
that all men are constitutionally lazy,
and asreg6ife The constant spur, 0f:nec ecessity
to stimulate them to do theirBest.j Those
who are reared in wealth do not have
this incentive, and, hence, very few of
them achieve distinction. Riches pro.
mote idleness, and idleness is enervating
and injurious. Poverty necessitates in.
dgstry and sebriety, which are conditions
of success IN every department. of human
activity. This is the simple explanation
'ofthe fact that, with but few exceptions,
the greatest and best men either are, or
have been, poor. Poverty has q great
compensation in the fact the children Of
the poor are bred to; useful callings, and
taught to make their own way in the
world. The discipline of want in which
they are reared is q perpetual admonition
to exerlion and sslfreliance, which is
more efectusl than any other lesson can
be. 1t prepares them to meet with forti
tude and lcheetfulness The reverses of life,
which are usually overwhelming to the
children of the rich, who have never
acquired the ability TO support themselves.
Happy is the poor mans son who, by the
hard tuition of want, has become able to
defy "the slings and arrows Of outrageous
fortune" conscious that he has already
seen the worst, and knows how to sustain
himself in the lowest condition. But
most pitiable is the helplessness of those
WHO have been reared in! luxury and idle.
ness, and are suddenly left penniless,
without ability to provide for themselves
and those dependent on them, and with
no schooling in the endurance of hard
ship.
The poor mans keen enjoyment of the
common blessings of life is one of the
greatest ,compensations of poverty. To
him who has learned TO moderate his
desires by his needs, the necessaries of
life are luxuries. Toll to supply his
wants is the best sof-appetisers, and the
bread he eats isrswester for the thought
that he has earned it. The happiest
children at Christmas time are those whose
gifts are comparatively meagre, while the
children of herich, who have had sur
felt of toys all the year, are exceedingly
hard to please. lItshould be ever borne
in mind that riches can not give happi-
ness. "a mans life consisteth not in
the abundance of the things he possess.
eth" Who are the happiest men we
know7 If not the poorest, they are GER
tainiy not the richest. Indeed, We often
observe and hear the remark that the
richest men in town seem careworn and
unhappy. The chief barriers to happi-
ness sre not in poor circumstances, but
in ourselves. The simple lines in an old
school reader hit the mark exactly:
eff Happiness have not it's seat
And centre in the breast,
We may be wise, >or rich, or great,
But never can be blest."