The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-01-22
PAYING THE PRICE.


And lift up other souls than mine
Mary Bradley, in S. S. Times.
PAYING THE PRICE.
What 1t Costs to Become Rich, or Power
full, OF Famous. or Good.
We once heard rich man declare
that any man of ordinary ability and
good health could become rich, if he
was willing to pay the price. What the
price is may be inferred from the story
of another rich mans advice to his bar
her, who also wished to be rich: sect
half dozen cards written with the
words: i will be rich.' Paste one upon
the mirror in front of your chair. Paste
one in your hat, paste one in your watch,
paste one over your bed, put another
upon the back of you chair at the dining
table. Each card will remind you of
your purpose. Each will spur you TO
execute that purpose. If this does not
make you a rich man in ten years,
will give you $4,000"
OF course a good deal depends on ones
definition of ''rich." 1t is related of
John Jacob Astor that he once said: "a
man who has million is as we'll off as
if he were rich," his idea of ''rich" be-
ing a fortune of twenty or fifty millions.
To those who have nothing, hundred
thousand dollars would seem an ample
fortune. But we may be sure that if a
mans heart is set on the accumulation
of property, if he thinks of it morning,
noon and night, until it becomes an alb
sorbing passion, if he lives for nothing
else, and makes every other thing bend
to this, he will succeed. He will never
become rich enough to satisfy this pas
sion of his, but he will become in 9TH
ers' estimation rich man, and will be
honored and envied accordingly.
May we not carry the principle fur
Their, and say that whatever man sets
his heart upon as his supreme purpose
in life he will secure? There will, of
course, be here and there an exception.
If man makes the possession Of power
the passion of his life, like Alexander or
Caesar or Napoleon, and lays aside every
scruple in order to forward his ambi-
ton, though he be never so obscure in
the beginning, he is almost certain to
enroll his name among the great ones Of
the earth. The reason why so few real
ize their desires is that so few are will
ing to pay the price of success. Few
have the strength of will, the singleness
of purpose, the capacity for sacrifice
and endurance that constitute the pay.
ment to be made for success. The
motto of the man who would thus
achieve his purpose must be: This one
thing do" If he would die rich, he
must be content to live poor-to make
economy science, self-denial virtue,
and tireless industry the rule of his life.
If he would be famous he must eschew
the pursuit of pleasure, the gratifica-
ton of the senses, and even of the
higher sentiments, so far as their graft.
fication would impair his singleness OF
aim.
The same thing is true of inward as
of outward possessions, of character as
well as of reputation. 1t is as possible
for man to set his heart on the king
dom of God and it's Righteousness, as up.
on the Kingdoms of this world and their
glory. 1t is possible to cherish a pas
sion for holiness as well as passion
for wealth. There have been men who
have lived with the supreme end OF
likeness to God ever before them, who
have counted every thing else as the
dust in the balance, who have stead.
lastly put aside any thing that would
turn them from this purpose. And have
they not succeeded? Are there not
sanity men and women all along the
ages of the Christian church, the record
of whose lives answers: Yes? They
paid the price and they obtained theil
desire.
But the passion for holiness has thi.
advantage over the passion for wealth
Or power, or any earthly good. Of the
latter we can say at most that he who
will pay the price will, as a rule, get hi
wish, may reasonably look to be re
warded as things go in the world. Still
he may be disappointed after all. Blu
we have the promise of one whose word
never fails. BLESSED are they tina
hunger and thirst after righteousness
for they shall be filed" Here no dis
appointment is possible. One who ha
a consuming desire for righteous lif'
and character, who lives in the world bu
not of it, whose heart is supremely Sc
. on likeness to God, shall have his de
sire as surely as Gods throne stands.
1t is probable that the reason why 81
: few become rich is because few reall,
care for wealth-they would like it if i
J were to be had without effort, but the,
J prize something else more than wealth
! 1t is certain that so few are good be
: cause so few are willing to pay the pric
of goodness.-N. Y. Examiner.