Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-03-11
4 49, p1NHAnLN anLE

4 VERY PASSABLE GULF
A speaker attbe meeting of the striking
knight. d Labor Ia this cry asserted
that there oHlsts 'an lmpass ,he gulf be-
tween The very poor aud tho very itch "
THE same proposition has beou hard b.
fore. 10 has becn repeat so oh,n that
probably many honest men really believe
It TO be 20. That It Is not 50 u proved
by thousands Of evidences IN the shape Of
men who have passed the gulf
An "inpassa1le gulf is ono that eau
not be passed If such barrier inter-
venes between The very rich and the very
poor then neither can ever pass Il The
rich VIII always remain rich because that
lmpas4able gulf separates them from
poverty The poor viii always be
poor because they cannot pass out OF
their condition beyond II. mans birth
VIII settle his status in society If he
WIS born rich he will die rich II he was
born poor he viii die poor. That IS the
logic Of The propositlon
Nobody will contend that rich man
cannot become poor We have too many
examples Of reduced greatness among us
To seriously deny sucn proposition,
These men, at least, have passed the im-
pa-sahlc gulf
II vii bn said, Of course, that IL was
not the meaning OF the speaker that the
rich could not become poor, ioranybody
can iull, Wen, let That go, and seo II
thcre Is Al. lmpossaple gulf between tho
poor man aud riches and distinction.
How many Of the leading men OF this
country aud state to-day were born tn
prc,tneSs2When the list Is scrutnlzed very
lew, indeed, viii bo found who were moi
born ON the neither side Of tine guf.
Presldeut Cleveland vas poor farm boy,
aiterwnrd an ill-paid clerk in a country
store. Tho origin Of Grant, Lincoln An.
drew Johnson, and indeed of " majority
our Judges aud our legislators have come
np from the ranks. Tho leading Imam.
81 ~, the richest men, have made their
own rtnnts, starting from positions as
humble and nnpromlslng as are occu.
pied by majority OF the audi.
tpls Of The gentleman who declared
that between the very rich aud The very
poor There Is a gulf that cannot DO aol
over Even jay Gould, the head. devil OF
'heslrikers' dcmonology, began lie with
out a cent. II the gulf had been impassa.
bic, ho wouldstill be q toiler with HIS hands
for tile daily ntcossarles OF lie. In the
state of Texas we do not recall any one
among the leading public men who has
moi been below the puf Oar present
governor drove an oX.cart, It Is said, for
a living, oven after he had reached man.
hood,
The fuct IL that this stutf about the inn.
pnseahle gulf that divides the poor class
and the rich is all empty defamation, a
tale full OF sound aud fury, signlfyma
nothing Any mau with good sense and
energy rightly directed may pass the bar.
rlrr Ofcourso there are millions who
viii not They viii live aud toll aud suf.
fer, and die as they were born, howors
OF wood and drawers OF water But
whose fault Is NJ II others, starting from
Tho ssmo point, with no cxtrlnslc ad.
vantagcs, reach The goal while they fail
by tho way, what was the cause of their
misfortune 7 There are two causes.
They may lack the natural ability and
aptitude of thoir successful rivals, and IN
the strife for survival they fail, as being
less ilt than they who win. Or they may
possess equal natural ability with the |
most successful, and direct its exercise
Ia channels OF uselcssnpss, as the vicious 4
aud indolont do, aud waste their energies
Society Is not to he condemned for their
ialluro Society has moi made anybody
detective, but the creator has.
aud be Is responsible for tho failures Of
he inapt' Existing laws have not
made men 90 waste themselves In vice
y idieness. They owe their misiortunes
% themselves, but as nobody ever oou.
'eh'A " make himself a scapegOat, the
unsuccessful aud ,llseonted blame the
AVS The social conditions IN witch they
I've, and, more than all else, the menwao
ave surpassed them aud won tho ON.
nence which they envy.
There Ia gulf between poverty aud
ichcs, but Il Is not impossible, The
ridge over u Is built Of seli-aenial,
nergy iortitude, perseverance, aud
XIII These are not within tho reach Of
u, and no laws can change the coustitu.
Ion q men who lack such qualities, The
nen whe can lead VIII continue TO lead,
nd The mcn who cao only follow must ,
onsens themselves with their places or {
cyelcp stronger qualities In themselves
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