The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-12
A POOR RICH MAN .

Sometimes we are accustomed to sym paGhize very much with the extremely rich men of the earth. for they certainly have a hard time. For example, man who signs himself "A Miserable Million aire," writes to The London Truth about his troubles, and out of sympathy we give considerable space to his wailings. He says:
 Poverty is to happiness what hunger Is to food; 1t is appetite. The simple pleasures delight the poor, and those are innumerable. Eight -and-hfty years ago l was born in a cottage, with no nope or prospect of rising above the position ,n a iaborer I passed my youth; would that my millions could reproduce that happy time. It is sufficient for the present pur' pose to add that l emigrated, prospered' and eventually amassed a colossal for tune. I now live in palaces, and am wretched! '[Care is my master have multitude of interests. and in many directions: ana am in continual dread of losing some of the money which have so painfully ac- ouired, and a thousand and one unex- pected occurrences could materially at- feet my fortune. The raid into the Trans vaal cost me a quarter Of a million, though l was not concerned In that des- picabls attempt. ,. Money Is made to be spent. and l do not know how to spend 1t intelligently. It requires special instincts, education, and training to enjoy the artificial pleas ures which money can provide l have collected many art treasures-which I do not understand I only know what they cost, end the cost represents to me their value. In my library are stored the best editions of celebrated books, but 1 have neither the inclination nor the time to read them. My butler, gamekeepe', coachman, cook and the captain of my yacht are masters in their respective de- partments, for I know little or nothing of the management of a big establish ment, the rearing of game and the beat ing of covers. the art of cooking and the government of ship-The sense Of inferiority is always active-though am the nominal superior. The finest wines require the finest taste to appreciate them, and my taste is like my nature, rough. My friends have been chosen for their social value; they are companions, not friends. My wife, who formerly took so great an interest in whatever con cerfied me, now devotes herself to so- ciety' My imagination breeds disturbing thoughts every instant of the day; my wife is ashamed of me, my son Is eager to succeed to my estates and fortune, my friends are designing, my servants are swindlers I am alone and In the way I was immeasureably happier when from day to day l lodged starvation.
 There Is a good deal more of the same kind. for the poor fellow seemed to be full to the brim, and was bound to pour out his worries and troubles to some one.
 We believe it was Agur, the son of Jakeh. who prayed: ''Give me neither poverty nor riches" and we suspect that he was more than half right. Most men
 will agree with him in the first part of his wish, and some of them, like the l Englishman, may take the prayer in It's
 entirety. Probably the greatest difficulty
 would come if men were called on to
 draw the line which should represent the happy medium between poverty and rich | es. One would consider himself poor, if
 he only had million, and another would think himself rich with one-tenth of that
 sum. Goldsmith,s village parson was
 passing rich with forty pounds a year" Burton. in his Anatomy of Melancholy.