Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-01
THE ONLY WAY.


There is no royal road to learning or
wealth. Unless man be born rich or have
riches thrust upon him by the death OF
some unknown millionaire relative, he
must achieve riches for himself. That
man is in healthy financial condition who
spends less than he earns and who never
owes more than he can pay. The pre-
vailing weakness of the American peo-
pie is extravaganza, which is the great
stumbling block to the acquisition OF
money. There is more extravaganza IN
the scent cigar and glass Of beer to man
working for a weekly salary of ten,
fifteen or twenty-five dollars week
than in the necklace of diamonds worn
by Mrs. Vanderbilt or in the yacht and
orchids of Jay Gould. Vanderbilt and
Gould can afford these luXuries, while
the small salaried man cannot afford to
smoke cigars and drink beer. There is
no reason why any man of average intel
hgence and health in this country should
not accumulate a competency, and
where the failure to do so is not at
tributable TO misfortune, it is due solely
to habits Of extravaganza. Most of the
Am erican people who are poor have
''rlch ways, . and "the poor man with
rich ways'' is the poorest man on earth
save "ehe rich man with poor ways.
The rich man who boards his money and
spends no part of it is of as little benefit
to society as the poor man who has no
money to contribute to the general
good. These reflections are suggested
by the Derusal of Washington GLADDEN. s
remarks in the Forum, which SAVIOR so
much of the spirit of appeals made by
THE GAZETTE to wage-workers to join
some one of the many building associ-
Citations in the city that they are given
here as the statement of truths which
| cannot be controyerted. Cigars, beer ,
base ball, theaters, faro banks, lottery
tickets, extravagance-these are the
stumbling blocks to success, and until
the poor man puts these things away
! from him he may confidently expect to
! live and die poor. Says Mr.. GLADDEN.:
Somebody must save money; and the people
who save it will be the capitalists, and they will
/ control the organization of industry and receive
the larger share of the profits. If the working
| men will save their money they may be not only
| sharers of profits, but owners of stock and re-
| ceivers of dividends. And the workmen can
save their money, if they will. 1t is the only
way in which they can permanently and surely
/ improve their condition. Legislative reforms,
! improved industrial methods, may make the
| way easier for them, but there is no road tc
comfort and independence, after all, but the
plain, old path of steady work and sober saving.
! II the working people of this country would
save for the next five years the money that they
spend on beer and tobacco and base ball, they
could control pretty large share of the capita
employed in the industries by which they get
their living; and they could turn the dividends
of this capital from the pockets of the money
lenders into their own. There is no other way
Of checking the congestion Of wealth and of pro
| noting its diffusion, so expeditions, so certain
and so beneicent as this. I wish the workin
( ,,aoDIa yOu1d try IT