The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-03
The AGING CRoEsUs.


Probably the vice of envy is aroused
in more hearts by the career and per
sonaiity of J. Pierpont Mo4'gan than by
those of any other living man. In THESE
DAYS kings and presidents are not
much envied. Their discomforts are
too many, their range of fndiVlduaA
freedom is too narrow. the sunlight In
which they move. deepens the shadows
where the assassin turks. A king Is a
guarded treasure in a giided fortress.
But an American citizen, master OF the
money that confers more power than
a scepter and buys the liberty SOW
ereign may never enjoy and commands
luxuries which the impoverished treas
uries of the old world may not afford
to give their fgureheads OF state
here Is one to be envied by kings them
selves.
On the surface of things, as the world
Judges. Mr.. Morgan ought to be nap
by man As financier he has greater
resources and is more widely known
thar the Rothschiids. His is the
Midas touch Such vast capital is at
his command that he can assume the
debts of kingdoms and enter. with con-
fidence. upon plan to merge, under
his control, the merchant navies of the
world. When he travels the private
car and the private steamer are his;
and his hosts are ambassadors VINO
have reigning princes for their other
guests Is there an almost priceless
painting for sale in any market! j. L.
Morgan buys it,. Is there library OF
rarest books to be had for money j.
p Morgan's purse Is ready for 1t.
Whatever his fancy reaches out TO,
which money can buy, is his. The
. question is does he get happiness and
contentment with 1t all?
AT one of the ancient feasts, in the
thick of the reyel. skeleton was al
ways shown. 1t was tie dread reminder
of mortality 1t taught the merry
makers that each one must one day be
like that. Stalking into all the pleas
ures of Thu. American Croesrs must be
the spectei- of tomorrow's doom. Nor
gan is an aging man, and his grave is
not far off What good is power if it is
certain to be lost SO soon? What COM
when. by another day, it may be scat
tered by rnlineal hands? The stately
library is not to be long for its owners
eye, and he cannot tell, even after he
has made his will, what may become Of
it, The noble works of art will go. the
greet com binations of business, break
in pieces-land the rest is silence and
the ultimate forgetfuIness of man.
Vanity, vanity, all is vanity, said the
Psalmist
The true picture of the aging rich
man is not that of one who stands, as
on a pedestal, his lips phrasing the 5u
biiant boast: can hundred millions
and the world is mine" 1t is rather
that of a white-haired patriarch, sit
ting on the crumbling edges of his own
grave, wearing purple, perhaps, and
Jewels, but envying the barefooted lad
who goes whistling by the graveyard
with the world before him. J. P. Nor
gan today would be willing to give that
boy his bank account and his tapestries
and Cations and private yachts, in re-
turn for the lads chances of living sew
enty years He would give a fortune
for every year he could bur. Yet. in
the midst of all his treasure, the knowl
edge haunts him that money can
buy a minute of time from the Destiny
which. with it's final summons is al
most at the gate