St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-06-21
9iifsrrllanu,
THE IDEAL INCOME.

Independence, rom an entirely
american standpoint. is always more
or less hard TO gain, though not eX-
Feeding hard, not almost impossible,
as it is across the sea. 1t requires
continuous resolution, unfinching
perseverance, steady self-abstinence,
Clear Judgment, with dash of what
is reckoned as luck, especially in
youth, when such qualities are least
developed. Above all it requires res
Olution and perseverance. An earnest
attempt at independence can never
REALLY be made too late, desirable as
it is to make the attempt early. In
dependence should be aimed at, kept
firmly in mind, whether one be TWEEN
ty-hve or sixty, whether one have
many responsibilities or none. For
BIT is very rarely reached without
#ceaseles solicitude and striving, and
not as must be granted, reached gen
#erallv even with these. After good
repute and good health, it IS the most
@valuable of possessions. 1t Is appre-
hensible salvation. Nevertheless, the
first stages are most arduOus, the
most discouraging. Beyond them
the road Is smoother, and success
dawns in the distance. Cling to the
prospect while life lasts, though expec-
4 tation swoOn by the way. The rec
ompense is worth the stOutest labor,
i the severest sacrifice; it richly
atones, in the end, for whatever may
have been endured for the precious
cause. What constitutes anindepen-
dence? Does it not vary with the
81 place and the Individual? Is not the
independence OF one man totally mad
i equate to that of another? Obvious
s Nv, yes. Your idea of an independence
NAV be so superior to mine as TO
seem like wealth, which, IN any reas-
enable sense, may not be hoped tor,
and is not, in truth, by any number
of men, though to the manner born.
Still sensible, sober opinions on the
subject are not so different as may
appear at first. Each man should
determine for himself, according to
his surroundings and relations, what
amount he and his, if all sources
fail, can live on in a very simple way
in a way bearable and decent, if
not quite pleasant or desirable.
It seems to generally agreed that
in New York a native citizen, man
Of small familv-a wife and two chill
dren, for example-cannot get on re-
specially with less than about $4,000
a year. IF a bachelor, $1,000 to
$500 will answer. In other cities
$4,000 to $4,000 may sustain him do
mestically; in a village or the coun
try, materially less If he must de-
scend TO marked plainness, rigid econ
omv, prOsaic facts, he can find places
where, without other income, $4,000
to $4,000 will keep him and his house
hold together. not without material
comfort. That amount, therefore,
NAV be taken as an approximation
to an independence, as enough GER
tainly to keep the wolf and the cred
itOr from the door. Confession may
be frankly made, however, that no
such sum is regarded by city folk as
sufficient for the purpose. They might
put it at fully $40, 900, and speak of
miner figures as penury, or prolonged
starvation. Strict independence may,
Notwithstanding, be computed in
general at $4,000 to $25OO; and he
who has secured it individually has
no cause to tear compassion, or to
seek tor sympathy. he may esteem
it genuine misfortune to be so re-
duced, especially after having had
five or ten times as much. Still,-it is
independence - not handsome, wei
come, OF in any manner satisfactory;
and it is within reach of nearly any
one who diligently and earnestly
works for it From PecuniaryI
pendence," by Junius Henri Browne,
in Harper's Magazine for May,