The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-17
HOW ONE MAY BECOME RICH
Rev. Thomas A. Goodwin's Address Be.
fore the Progress Club Yesterday.
Money Is Not the Only Determining Factor
-Frugality and Shrewdness-Com-
bines Of Capital and Labor.

Rev. Thomas A. Goodwin talked before
the Progress Club yesterday upon the phi
losophy of riches with telling effect. The
speaker began by calling attention to the
fact that he proposed to show only how
mon may grow rich. not how they may be.
como rich by accident or fraud. and that
riches no not consist in the amount OF
money or It's equivalent one possesses. for
many live in the most abject poverty in
tho posseesionof much money. while others
were passing rich on very small incomes.
Proceeding he coptended that very little
of the riches of to-day has been inherited
from ancestors. or is the result of some
fortuitous investment. but. on the other
hand. III most cases riches are the result of
patient labor and frugality, and that while
most of our richest men began on small in
comes, and are rich because they observed
the laws by which riches accumulate.
among the very poorest of our very poor
are the sons of rich men who were taught to
abhor labor. Hence the sons of once well-to-
do mechanics and business men. taken to
boot blacking or some other calling that
calls them to the street instead of to the
shops of their fathers. in many cases driven
there because the rules of organized labor
would not allow them TO work at the trade
of their fathers.
Speaking of work, he continued, that it
IS that which ditferentiates man from lower
animals, and civilized from uncivilized
peoples. and is inherent In manhood; and
that Adam. the first man, was O working
man before he was married. and he kept q
good garden before he had to support
his wife. The speaker dealt backhand-
ed blow at the my tn which assumes that IL
Eve had not toyed with The apple. IN the
garden. there would have been no work re-
Quired OF her cbildren; and he attributed
much OF the popular repugnance to work TO
the prevalence of the thought that 1t was in
some sense y penalty for her escapade, as
nobody wished to be held responsible for
another's transaction. hence they REGARDED
work somewhat like paying q security
debt-something to be avoided. If possible.
whereas work was essential to a well-de-
veloped manhood. and always was and all
ways Will be.
Speaking of the economic conditions
which are favorable to growing rich, he
said more OF these are found In harmonious
cooperation in this country than in any
other country on earth. and hence, az ex-
President Harrison 90 f0rcibly expresses il.
the gates of Castle Garden open inward,
not outward. and men from every nation on
earth come In to grow rich. while none ever
20 out for that purpose. and mono como in
In vain who will faithfully observe the laws
of growing rich. as is eeen IN the tens Of
thousands of rich men who Tor whose an
cestors) came through those gates with no
capital but strong bodies, and willing
minds. and lndomItable pluck, and 1t is
the b8ldest demagOgy to say shat our instl.
t~utions. or any part of them. are calculated
man poorer. They are calculated to make
the poor man rich and richer. while q disre-
gard of the conditions of prosperity make
the rich man poor and poorer.
. ssI 80 - Nt mr. nh tha l<ntn m DO ~ .as1 kh4
speaker. Ito enforce the conditions of pros
perity. 1t cannot compel industry or
frugality, the two essential conditions of
growing rich. The most it can do IL to sec
that every man has o fair Chance to engage
in whatever contributes to prosperity,
hence IL has q right and should exercise It,
to forbid all combines. whether of capital
or labor, which close the door against
competition and al equal participation in
whatever contributes to individual or the
general welfare. While il may forbid the
sale of tainted meats 1t cannot forbid
their use. and while 1t may require q man
to appear In public only IN mems clothing.
IL cannot dictate ont of whSE kind of
material it shall be made, nor In What style
1t must be cut; although in sheer justice
to the masculine gender it may be called
upon in the near future to more specifically
define what distinctiveiy belongs to Us OF
the male persuaslon; for have not the
women Apr opriated orr hats and our caps,
our shirt fronts and our coats and vests
everything in short but our unnwntions
blcs. and there are suspiclons that many of
them wear these metaphorically II not
literally. Give us men q fair chance it is
all we ask.
I'm our political economics the chief if not
the only great wrong against the people is
in our iniQuItOus land laws. We wrested
| the lands from the Indians because they
lowed the land grabbers TO appropriate
acres by the thousands which they have
never seen, and never intend TO cultivate.
This 10 wrong. No man should be allo we'd
to own lands or lots on speculation, to be
held to the exclusion of those who would
improve the lots and cultivate the lands.
My limited time. he said. will not allow me
to say how this is to be prevented. The
method may not at once be obvious. but
when public opinion demands Is. as lt will
some day, the way will be found. not
through revolution, but through evolution,
and IL Will certainly not DO through de-
privlnR every man OF the ownership of his
| home. nor Yet by raising the entire revenue
of q great nation by q tax upon the homes
of the people. letting the ten thousand
other evidences of wealth 60 scot free. IL
anything on earth shoHld be wholly exempt
from taxation and execution 1t is the home
and the schOolhOuse.
1T is not possible nor il il desirable that
the wealth of the world be equally dis
tributed az to dollars and cents. II Om-
impotence should apportlon all things
morrow inequality would begin. and in
less than q decade the relative wealth of
every man would be substantially what 10
Is to-day. Equality of possession implies
equality in capabilities. q condition not
yet attained and likely never to DO; hence,
the thing is impossible. But IL 10 equally
undesirable. for there are thousands Of en-
terprises which are conducive to the gen.
ersl welfare that could never rave an ex.
istepce unless some person or persons could
handle moro funds than any of us over
have handle or ever will. But wealth is
not measured by money. The country
parson who was passing rich on f40 q
year was q representative man. There are
more really rich men whose possessions are
small than can be found in the ranks Of the
miillonaireA"