The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-01-21
THE WEALTH THAT IS WITHIN THE
REACH OF ALL.

DEAR AUNT JENNIE while 80
manv of us are signing for wealth
and financial or political power, how
many of us realize shat higher and
nobler things are nearer and far
more easily acquired? None of
Christ's teachings seem to be less
generally understood and appreciated
than, 1.-The life is more than meat,
and the body is more than raiment. !"
The greatest wealth that any man
has is hims elf. If his life is low and
himself unframed and undeveloped,
he is a poor man in spite of bonds,
houses and lands. The highest form
of wealth all of Us may possess,
But how few of Us seek for it How
few of US ever take an inventory of
ourselves, as it we're, to find out
whether we are poor or rich in an in
t~elleotual, moral, or physical state F!
If you have a sound, healthy body,
that is wealth. If you have a
cheerful disposition, that is wealth.
II you have a good character that
is wealth. If you have a we'll trained
mind, that is wealth. On the other
hand, if you are in bondage to any
evil habit, you are not wealthy or
independent, but a slave. If you al
low cares to harrass you and rob
you of peace, you r poor. If you
cannot control your temper, you are
poor.
Suppose we take an inventory CT
ourselves, and see in what respects
we are poor and in what respects
rich. Then let US resolve to acquire
new riches of this kind that is alone
worth the work required in their get
ting. Let us set before ourselves
certain ideals to be reached by per-
sonal Improvement.
To show how far we fall short of
that noble character, that true
wealth, unto which we might attain,
let Us take up the single matter of
talking as an illustration.
How few of Us speak with the pre-
cision and grammatical accuracy
which would soon become natural
we're we to speak c2ly as we'll as
we know, avoiding the mistakes
of which we are conscious, day by
day? How few of as pass a day
without saying something that
would be better left unsaid? And
then there's the matter of gentleness
and courtesy in speaking. Here is
wealth to be had for the seeking,
yet we continually neglect it for
things of far less value. Gentle
ness-dO we esteem it as highly as
onoe did, this quality that was
once supposed to distinguish the
we'll. bred man from the low and vul-
gar, and to be the peculiar property
of woman, "the gentler sex?"
Lillian Ball says that the courtesy,
gentleness, for which the Old South
was noted is passing away with the
passing of the men and women who
knew the South of ante 6eILum days.
Some of our men who are winning
much wealth are markedly deficient
in courtesy, that is TO say, in gentle
manly kindness. And some of our
girls whose attachments in school are
most praiseworthy repel by lack of
refined, respectful and courteous
treatment of comrades and of older
persons. The education we get
from books should be had by
ali means, but a nobler thing is the
courtesy, ~gentleness of manner, for
which our ancestors we're distin-
guished. The boy or girl who has
acquired this courtesy or gentleness
in dealing with comrades and friends
has something of greater worth than
school training. On the South.
ern mothers of today rests the re-
sponsibility of this matter.
CARELESS Tom.
THE DUTY OF