The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-11-03
POVERTY AND RICHES,
Grave Hearts That Perish With the Light
of Hope Still Burning.


"'e hearts That Perish With the Light
of Hope Still Burning.
oolon dictum that no man should be
accounted happy until after his death,
may De recalled by pensive philoso-
Pher now and then while inwardly
coming the long list of the old citizens
Vi New Orleans who have survived
thelr wealth. How often does one meet
upon the streets of this city gray
headed men who once were princely
merchants or lordly planters and now
are compelled to struggle hard for a
Scanty support!
al spectacle like that, one may
query whether such man is more to
De pltled than he who has never tasted
Ine sweets of good fortune, but all his
lie long has toiled hard at the oar
against an adverse tide. "Use," said
shakespeare, doth breed habit in q
man, and it might be argued that he
VINO has never known prosperity,
having become hardened to poverty,
can not suffer as he does who has fallen
from high estate. But to argue thus
would be to ignore the numerous dis
appointments that enter into every
poor mans life. In this country it is
especially difficult to settle down to
"hard commons" There seems to lie
beforeSs so much opportunity for en-
~ Use, and we are surrounded by so
SGisay examples of brilliant success,
that oven the poorest and most OBJ
scure have their alluring day dreams
of ri6es and fame. This is particu-
larry tue of the young. 1t is said that
every American boy expects to be
Presidat of the United States, and
when Qe thinks of Andrew jackson,
Andy Jhnson and Abraham Lincoln,
that expectation is in some measure
justified. But, as Tennyson puts it,
''Ihe one succeeds, the many fail. ,
And it is sd to think of the many thou.
sands and tens Of thousands of young
hearts that have broken in silence while
the light of hope faded before theh
eyes and left world to darkness anC
to them.
The great doctrins of compensation
holds good all alongthe line The bal
ance may not be Exactly even, bu
there is always some offset for either
good or evil fortune. The other day
we read that Mr.. William Vanderbilt
felt constant sense of pressure from
the magnitude of his wealth. He wa
a slave to his own property. He wa
harrassed by continual demands TO
money, being in that respect almost a
badly off as an impecunious wretch be
set by a throng of relentless creditors
The condition of his stomach would no
permit him to enjoy champagne O
rich viands. He complained that hi
grand mansion was only a boardin!
house for servants, and as for hi
wealth, he never had been able to Sc
it. After all, physical enjoyment i
limited not so much by fortune as b.
bodily strength, and the highest intel
lectual pleasures are within reach G
the poor, A few good books, q seem,
--eHa<2d a hearing ear will equip ma
forempyrean flights.
On the other hand, it would be cas-
to push this view too far. 1t is no
true that the rich man has no real AM
serious disadvantages over the poo
man. In this commercial age none
always commands consideration AM
cOnfers distinction. The poor ma
does not easily secure an audience
The first inclination is to set him dow
as hero-there are too many of thi
sort already. He can not return you
hospitality, introduce you to inluen
tial people, or provide an eligible brid
for your son. The fact is, the man ha
not yet won his spurs. Why is h
poor, unless it be that he lacks the elc
ments of powerful character? Th
rich man who has made his own for
tune feels that he has at the same tim
demonstrated his manhood. He for
gets how often he has succeeded b.
reason of unforeseen circumstances
sheer lucky. o. RcayUne