San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-08-08
KLoNDIKE FEVER.

Were the Light preacher one of the
old orthodox kind he might take for
his text Lay not up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and
rust corrupt and thieves break through
and steal,' but he is not, and further
more is not inclined to kick at that
provident forethought which lays up
the wherewithal for a rainy day. The
object of this present discourse is not
to discourage laying up treasure, but
to discourage paying any more for the
same than it is worth in the market.
Also to stir up your pure minds by
way of remembrance to the need of
keeping the head cool and the pulse
regular. in order that there may be no
feverishness in the system. There
fore, listen and be instructed.
The love of money may be the root
of all evil, that is the love of the
thing for itself, but there are few who
are troubled that way. The love of
money, for the love Of that which mon
ey buys, is another thing and the man
or woman who despises this is not wise
in head or heart. Money is only the
measure and medium of exchange in
most instances. Gold has it's intrin-
sic value and paper money only its rep
resentative value, but so long as the
twenty dollar bill will buy the same in
the market as the twenty dollar gold
piece it matters not as to intrinsic or
extrinsic. 1t is not the love of money
but the unhealthy passion, the fever
for it that hurts and finally kills.
Right here there is the same dis
tinction to be found as in all other
love. Your love is a healthy thing.
Your passion is an unhealthy, a fe-
verish thing. Love is always ennob-
ling. 1t is passion that is base. Love
enlists our higher faculties. Passion
lays hold of our more ignoble and base
qualities. The love of family is the
moving cause to most of the sacrifices
that men make. In this is included
all that the family represents. 1t is
one thing thus to be moved to exert
yourself for money, and fame and hon
ors, and it is another thing to be NOV
ed by the passion for riches and place
anu llOAlNGs W oil else "
these. The thing to be guarded against
is not the healthy movement, but the
feverish passion.
This Klondike gold fever is fully rep
resentative of the whole movement of
the race toward improved conditions.
Without such movement, such ambition
to be better placed and place those
we love better, there would be no i'm
provement. To denounce the attempt
to grow rich in all honest and honor
able ways is to denounce all progress,
all development. Because it is only
as nations and individuals grow veal
thy that they have the leisure to i'm
prove, study, to become artistic, to pa
tronize the arts, to establish art schools
musical Conservatives, dramatic tenn
pies and all else that refines and ele-
Yates. 1t is not the Klondike move
ment, but the Klondike fever against
which the warning is raised
The trouble with that KlOndike
movement is that it is mostly all few
er. 1t is born Of excitement. The ex-
element of a possibility of growing
rich in year, month, week. 1t is
the excitement that underIias all
games of chance. This is a game of
chance. 1t is a game in which health,
comfort, business, life, morals as well,
are pledged against the yellow metal
upon which the stamp of the world is
set. Even then it is not always unwise
to play out your hand. Certainly in
the majority of cases it is. The great
objection to this Klondike movement is
that ii is feyerish one and all fevers
are unhealthy. Cost is not counted in
the delirium of that movement and loss
is sure to follow.
1t is not denied that one in a thou
sand, one in a hundred perhaps, will
strike it rich. 1t is equally true that
the same proportion is all that is found
in ordinary business. 1t is not true
that in ordinary business the same re
suits follow the failure. That Klon
dixie fever once settled in the system
and coursing through the veins is new,
er eradicated. Success only feeds Il
in the great majority of instances
Failure in that quest absolutely unfit,
for exertion in any other avocation o.
life. But in this particular case Their
are particular dangers, and therefore
particular reasons why the catchinl
of the fever should be guarded against
The daily prints have told you o
these.
There are men who are only At 10
powder, fod for powder. There ar