Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-06-27
A FALSE STANDARD.
Guard Against Making the Dollar
Mark the Measure of Your
Success i'm Life.

The great tide of PROSPERITY which
has been sweeping over the continent,
Canada and the United States, is like
ly to leave as a legacy the settled Cpln-
ion that money is the measure Of great
ness; that only the man who brings
things to pass -by'whichis meant the
accumulation of mCney-is the man
who has succeeded in the real sense
of the word. That it is wrong no.
ton, that it has already resulted dis
astrously in its effect upon young peo-
pie, is easy to be seen, declares the
Baptist Union, if one listens to the
average conversation, or notes the
changes that have come over people
who aforetime were simple, devoted
people, of sterling worth, of modest
habits, Ct ardent zeal for the kingdom
of God
The unitarian measurement IS APP
piled to everything. The attack on ed
ucation, from the high school pupil to
the university graduate, is the outcome
OF the financial measurement of
things. Education is put on one side
of the scale, and money is placed on
the other; the gross hand Of greed
presses upon the money side of the
scale, and for time education seems
lighter. Such questions as: What can
high school graduate do, or college
graduate do, or a university graduate
do? are directly related to the utterly
false idea of the age-which makes the
dollar mark the measure Of life
achievement. 1t is aptly illustrated on
title page of medical almanac l saw
lying on a post Office desk, the other
day, out in a country town. 1t was
finely engraved cover, with the words:
successful men of to-day" up in one
corner; the central. picture was
Young lad working with hoe, in con-
nection with which these words were
printed: How -- earned his first
quarter" The name was that Of per-
haps the richest man in America. l
suppose the inside of the book was full
of other pictures of other successful
men, which, according to the sugges-
ton of the title-page, was the making
of money. This kind of literature is
flooding the world; it is read by every
school boy; it is suggested by some Of
the magazine articles which appear
regularly in high-class publications.
The air is charged with it; and we
are saying to the great body Of youth
to-day: Success is measured by the
number of figures after the dollar
mark What-are its effects as we see
them to-day?
The spirit of money-getting never
possessed people as it does to-day. 1t
| is not the habit of thrift; money-mak-
ing does not always indicate thrift, for
thrift implies honest working meth
DDS, whereby a man honestly earns
that which he receives. But the pres
ent spirit is not thrift is the spirit
of grasping after that which costs
of the most ''successful'' men of to-
day said recently that a man could
get rich on a salary. Just what he
meant is not clear; perhaps deflnl-
ton of riches from his standpoint
WOULD be interesting. While in a GER
tain sense it is true that millions"
cannot be made by a salary" it is
also true-and the truth should be put
before every young man and woman
in the world-that "millionaires'' do
not represent the rich people of the
comm onwealth. Indeed, the safety
of society to-day depends upon the
people who are not rich in the sense
just mentioned. The day of calamity
is here when the dollar mark is the
measure Of success; and it does not.
need a pessimist to say that that day
is here. Perhaps some reader will
discover his photograph in the follow
ing outline. 1t is composite descrip-
ton of number of eases which may
be found in any church or community
in the land. Here was a young man,
an employe; he was making fair wages,
and opening up avenues for extras
which added considerably to his in
come. His devotion to church work.
his zeal in the kingdom, his positive
growth in things which made for a spir-
ftual character, were beautiful. BY
and by he entered into business for
himself; he became an employer. OF