Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-09-15
THE mocKrny OF WEALTH.

The case Of multi-mllllonaire dy-
ing OF starvation is so very rare that
when IL occurs the whole world be-
comes Interested and asks for details.
The one to which reference is now
made occurred but II short time ago
August 2Tth-the city Of London
England. being the place and Ogden
Goelet the name The details have
largely been published already in these
columns and elsewhere, but it tx not
generally known that the immediate
cauae Of death was depletion Of the
system through lack Of food nor that
the man was at his death in possession
of the colossal sum of one hundred
million dollars. Yet such are the facts.
in view Of the fact that gold. silver,
stocks, bonds. securities and Jewels
all or either-cannot sustain human
life or alone contribute one atom OF
comfort to the human system, the
mere statement that millionaire died
| of hunger might at first cause one TO
suppose that he had by some means
| drifted into land where barrenness
prevailed, aud nothing could he OBJ
| tnined; or that he had through some
| mlschauce got into q place where he
was unknown and had lost his pocket
book--but neither of these nor any SIM
liar condition obtained. The death
| occurred in the wealthiest, most
populous and busiest place in
The world. where the mans slight
est wish. IL expressed. would be
instantly taken up and passed from
| attendant to vassal, then without the
| waiting of an instant to the place
where and those by whom the wish
would he Immediately gratiied. Yet in
the midst Of all this. he died as some OF
| the poorest. most unfortunate, and
| most obscure In all this existence have
died.-of sheer hunger Think Of it,
and then ask yourself II the irony OF
fate could have found more striking
~ fitting Judgment
For a long time before his death
Goelet was unable TO digest solid
food. and more recently liquid food
was also rejected, his sole sustenance
consisting of dry champagne in small
quantities with a little jelly dissolved
in it. He gave grand dinners in which
he could not participate except to b'
present, and attended royal functions
aa the merest fgurehead. He helt
aloof while others were indulging' on'
was dreamny distracted and moros'
while others We're hllariously par
tlolpant-and yet, perhaps, at no on
of these occasions was there anoth
or soul worth half as much
i'm possessions 49, as himself
pcrhnps not all Of them combined
could nearly duplicate the sum of hi
vast wealth. But 1t could not saw
him from a lingering. tormenting dis
solution, nor could he take any NOR
out Of the world than he brought vii
him at his birth. And did he seek /
the midst OF all his getting, or eve
when he knew the end was close O
| hnnd. to gain happiness otherwise ina
! bv ministering to his own wants? I'll
b account Of 1t has failed to come thu
far If he did The greatest real pleas
ure on earth, that Of making othel
= happy. was always at his comman
= hut like most others Of his class
D would have none OF it. 1t Is unde
=, stood that his entire fortune goes
3 his only son. II years old, so that II
f with those among whom and fro
q even n grateful reminder may rema
u whom his wealth was taken.
e one Of the humorous writer's got b
S yond humor and into the domain
sncred logic when he said: at sho'
n Gods opinion OF wealth by the m
e He gives it to-" Truly. it Is hard
d serve Him and Mnmmon.