The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-01-24
THE HASTE TO BE RICH.

birth and breeding, though not
wealthy. He was man of correct
habits. He had no extravagant
taste, and he was what may be
termed manly fellow. When asked
why he was tempted to prove false
to his trusts he hesitated to make
reply, but finally he confessed that
his desire to make large sum of
money in short time was the act
uating motive which cased him to
be dishonest. He stated that the
idea of taking money without in
tending to replace it never for a
moment entered his head. He
wanted wealth-he stole, and he
wrecked his life.
That the haste to become wealthy
is the primary cause of nine tenths
Of the defalcations, suspensions and
misery which befall those who weld
to this temptation is no doubt true.
If there could be a list made of the
men in Boston who have risen to
rapid wealth by fortunate specula-
tioh-for legitimate wealth requires
time-it would be apparent that the
men who have thus foated on the
top wave by happy hit have al
most invariably passed to obscurity
and comparative poverty, even more
quickly than they rose. With very
few exceptions the kings of State
street seldom hold what they sud-
denly gain. Here and there may
be found man who has known
when his bread was buttered and
has been content to leave ff,but the
feverish anxiety which accompanies
this hot pursuit of wealth is very
apt to unsettle mans mind, and
the qualifications which he possessed
In fortunate venture appear to
desert him. 81 should have no
doubt been well enough off," said
middle-aged gentleman only few
weeks since, eff | had not made
fortunate outside speculation when
| was young man. | was doing
very well in my business, making a
good living and laying little aside
each year. | saw other people
richer than /, and, without weigh
ing the chances, | specialized. In
less than three months had cleaned
up more than $4,000. 1t was my
ruin. My legitimate business ap-
peared tame, and | imagined that l
had genius for speculation. | firm
ly believed that anything | touched
would turn to gold. | found in less
than year that | was worse off
than nothing, and my speculative
fancies were so fixed that my part
ner dissolved the concern-and,
we'll, you know the rest"
If, as it is claimed, happiness is
one object of living, is it certain
that large wealth means unalloyed
felicity? The possession of wealth
is good thing. No one but fool
derides those who seek to make
money legitimately, but wealth,
when suddenly a obtained, rarely
brings contentment. Men must be
educated to the enjoyment of
wealth they cannot acquire the art
of even spending money judiciously
in moment, or even the knowledge
how to use wealth to their own ad-
vantage. Men who acquire a for
tune by slow degrees ripen into a
knowledge of its proper use. Rapid
ly acquired fortunes bring with them
aspirations which are never salts
fed. The world is apt to protest
the demands of such men. You
may take the blue book of any city
or even few years ago and there
will be the names of scores of men
who hoated to the surface upon
gilded shingles who have passed
away, and their brief careers of
prosperity, which may, no doubt,
enyied, have terminated, perhaps,
in dishonor, but more frequently in
poverty, the result of having OBJ
tanned in a year that which if it had
come by degrees would have been
kept, for then they would have at.
tached a proper value to THEN
wealth.-Boston Journal.