The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-27
A NEW STANDARD
Men Once Considered Wealthy How
Thought to be Poor.
Hondon Spectator1


Few men are quite aware of the de-
gree 70 which the measuring scale of
prosperity has altered within the last few
years. FIFTY years ago, though incomes
had Tor some time been swollen by the
PLoiIS OF traoe ana manufactures, "A man
VINO derived $1,000 a year from land or
secured investments was still accounted
Ilcn- Many had great deal more, and
q rev six or eight times as much but
II was supposed that that income would
give man well placed in society any
thing he could reasonably want either lo7.
the comfort of his household or the MAIN
tenance of his position. No reasona bic
Iather would have objected, on the score
OF his insufficient means, to such mans
proposing to his daughter
Lord Beaconsheld, then Mr.. DisraeH
and one OF the keenest observers of So
clety who ever existed, fixed the figure
even lower, declaring that with any basis
q Sooo management &S,OJO year without
draw backs, was Veritable Aladdin
lamp. He was a man of simple tastes
and probably moderated the outlay nee
essary for a more varied life. but stil
ii is undeniable that $4,000 a year solid
was considered sufficient to keep up a
do that even now if its pOssessor wants
only two houses, has no specially costly
habits and devotes little care and time
to the management of his own affairs
but II Is no longer wealth.
- =, q
That begins with 10000 a year nor will
the possessor of that formerly splendid
income feel, if he lives up TO his posi-
ton, as free from care about money as if
he were really rich. = viii not occur to
him TO call for more curricles," as the
Anglo-Indian nabob. who had possibly
100000 at per cent. is said to have done
When he has paid for mis- country house
with its modern gardens and hired
'ShOOun2s, Tor his London house and its
occasional entertainments. for his wife's
and daughters dresses. for FAR moor
in Scotland. for "a modest yacht for six
weeks in the year, and for an annual trim
to the continent, he will ind that the
amount OF Tree money left to crafty his
personal tastes IS very little indeed-much
too little TO enable him TO commence great
Improvements, or try experiments or seek
Tor excitement in racing or collecting or
IN fact, do anything whatever without
counting the cost. He does not in fact.
Ieed me freedom which is the grand adj
vantage OF neutrality-suspicious. its sole ad-
vantage as compared with competence
sun less the sense of complete exemption
from pecunlary anNieties- 1t mas never
occurred TO me. said an Old brewer or
whom the present writer Knows some
thing, since ] was is to nave 20 tnlnk
Of money but then be spent 5000 ii
year, and had very neaIly 5-,'',t.-
1t is not of such Il man that we speak.
but of one who. having E2OVJ0 year and
a good pOSitiCn. wishes 10 1--we as his
cor1neers do not exactly wasting. but get
Getting It continuously through enjoy
Gents or excitements. or Injuries call
them what you like, varied with each
Succeeding season of two months. He has
nor pound TOO much. even If he is a
fair manager. and viii find that he has
to avoid many expenses which his richer
neighbors incur almost without thinking.
and that he is not reckoned over any
means He viii not have to live quietly.
or to keep himself notably out of the
usual routine eft his rank. but he new
DrosperItss OF the country - altered the