Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1888-02-24
MONEY ANU HAPPINESS.


special correspondence OF tho Phil. Prssg.
In my time haye seen most of the
millionaires OF this coun.
Try and have asked them about the
pleasures which wealth conferred.
Russell Sage has been here this
week swapping "Reminiscences with
The other congressman of thirty years
ago who helped make N. p. Banks
speaker OF the House. Sage wss only
30 when he came to Congress, but be
did one thing well-he rescued Mount
Vernon from decay in private hands
and organized the scheme for its pur.
chase and renovation. Since that good
deed he has wrestled with the bulls
and bears in Wall street and has
piled up shekeis. He is probably,
worth $50, 600, 600, at any rate, Jay
Gould has so declared publicly.
/ asked Mr.. Sage to toll me what
fun there was in making money more
than he could use.
Merely the pleasure Of successful
competition" he said. "Just the
same pleasure that boy experiences
in running faster and climbing higher
than his mates. There are other ways
Of surprising that | should think
would give even more OF this sort of
Notwithstanding the greatest poet,
Or the greatest artist, or the greatest
inventor, or the greatest scientific au.
hority."
Then there is no pleasure in the
mere possession of money! | asked.
what do you mean by the mere
oossessionY" he replied. swimming
he money and keeping 1t when all the
est of the fellows are trying TO get it
5 just the successful competition
vas speaking of. Money in itself has
10 power OF comforting pleasure, Of
course, any more than so much mud.
I Is the knowledge of what money
will do that gives pleasure.
Are you rich enough, Mr.. Sage"
inquired.
"Am IL Why. yes. Ihavo great
'eal more money than need and don {
eally want any more 4"
why don't you so out OF business,
hen?"
because there Is nothing else that
want to do. don't care about horse
acing or yachting. don't want 10
raycl. New York | like better than
Paris, and Broadway is goo enough
or me. in fact I'd rather stay st II
Broadway and guess on the prices Of
hings than anywhere else in the
WHAT PETER COOPER THOUGHT.
l used to talk with Peter Cooper
,retty often at his little retreat in his
glue storehousc down town in Ne9
ork, when be found out that didn't
want anything.
"What are the pleasures OF having
money!" one day asked him.
The probability it brings that you
will not come to want" he said.
There is no happiness In the mere
accumulation Of wealth that l know
'i," he added, Except the chance II
gives of serving others. But the art
If spending money so that It will do
gooa is, / think, the most difficult art
n the world-more difficult than paint.
ng great picture. | tried Tor twenty
years TO benefit those around me by
giving them money as l thought they
needed it. and l suddenly found out
hat l had set up pauper factory and
was changing induatrious families into
1eggars' Then | stopped that method
and built the Institute, and really
hope some good will come from that. IL
as man any happier when he is
worth S. 900, 000," / asked at u ven
uTe. than when he is worth So 600"
"No, | cant say he is, except tor
he chance | spoke of. 1t is a real
pleasure to give to others when YOU
Ire sure it will do them good. The
most pleasure money ever gave me to
ook ut was $40 in gold that saved
n 1903 ont o. the S2j BuItis L Wood
ward paid me a year for carriage max
ng. | clothed myself somehow out
If the remaining $l5, though clothes
md everything cost more than than
low, and l saved $40 each year and
I seemed as if l was almost rich
nan. The mere possession Of mil
ions has never since given ME so
much pleasure.
John g Moore, the new Wall street
nagnate, is probably worth $500, 0C0
'r more, and | asked him one day
low it ielt to DC worth a million.
''FeelY" he repeated, laughing,
there is less fun in making the last
million than the first thousand. nm
lure of that. The only value of money
5 its use / don't mean merely to buy
aud articles OF necessity
with; | mean TO skirmish with !"
STANFORD SAYS IT'S PLEASANT.
| asked Senator Stanford last week
What were the pleasures conferred by
wealth.
ut is pleasant to be rich" he frank
y said; ito feel that you are beyond
he reach of want and cGn actually do
to relieve the wants of
thers when you are certain of the
ase; but the advantages of wealth are
realty overestimalcd. | am not COM
'aring 1t with pauperism That mil
ionaire is infinitely better off than the
but so is man who Is
Forth $40. 900 above his debts. l do
ot clearly see that man who can
uy anything that he fancies is any
etier of than nan WHIP can buy
THAT he actually needs. He can
ratify his whimseys. to be sure; but
here are some positive disadvantages;
4 the first place, the life he was com. !
elled to lead In order to accumulate ,
'ealth has probably prevented that |
OF taste tor art, music aud !
etters which are essential to the high |
st enjoyment, and. in tho second
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