Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-10-11
THE PsYcHoLocY Of n.

Why Brains, Frames and Consciences
Are Strained Accommodating Millions.
There seems often to be such a lack
Of reasonable human motive In the ac-
lions Of men commanding large for
tunes, and manipulating financial en-
terprises and movements, that the GU
rlosity of the ordinary mortal is
aroused.
This ordinary mortal is, perhaps, en-
gagged in the common struggle of man
kind to earn his own and his family's
three meals day. with something to
the good for the condiments of life, in
Guiding his fun, fads and altruisms, as
well as bit over for sickness and old
age. He looks with astonishment and
perplexity upon the group Of old men
who. on the crumbling brink of the
grave, are still straining their brains,
frames and consciences in the frantic
accumulation of unnecessary millions.
One Of these persistent accumulat-
ors, who was also congenital miser,
was asked once by friend of ours
why he kept on thus unreasonably pill
ing unneeded millions upon millions.
You can't eat them or drink them,
you have no reason to pile up more
for your heirs-why do you work so
hard in your old age gathering them
together?" said our friend. The old
miser retorted, did you play marbles
when you We're boy?" Yes" Did
you keep on winning them?" yes"
Gould you eat them or drink then?"
mo-" why did you do it?" "For
the fun of the game" THAT'S why I
do itv' triumphantly cried the old fel.
low, that's why do it!'
Ihe fun of the game accounts for
good deal. But there is another
phase OF the matter which continues
to puzzle. How is is that supposedly
honorable men'-often men not with.
out certain chivalry even, and who
are far from being classed by their ac-
Quaintances as among the depredators
or degenerates-do things in their
function and capacity of financiers
which shock the consciences of the
average decent citizen. Is it that the
command of great amounts Of money,
whether inherited or acquired, has
somewhat the same psychological ef-
feet upon the individual as the being
born into or being taken into n legal
lied aristocracy? Does it set the in
dividual apart as belonging, as by
right, to caste, an order, privi-
legged class, to such an extent that ii
gets to be thought venial offense to
stretch the laws of ethics bit In the
maintenance Of ones position In this
caste. or to increase ones holdings and
Importance therein? Has not the read.
er-whom we suppose to belong to the
MURAL order of human beings-noticed
something In the mind of the very sue.
cessful business man that sets him
apart? The old saying that the gods
help those who help themselves has
often new and dangerous meaning in
the mind of such man.
Enormous and brilliant as are his
energies, often his success is so prodl.
gal as to astonish even himself, and
there soon settles upon his conscious
ness sense of the benefcence, to him
ward, Of the unseen, mysterious pow
ers. The gods have helped him, indeed.
His God has helped him. He is this
exceptionally successful person, he be-
longs to this peculiar caste of the very
or the preposterously rich, by divine
right" In the division of profits why
should those be too anxiously and etn-
ically considered by him who, as yet,
have shown no signs of belonging In
the divine aristocracy of worldly sue.
cess and earthly wealth! He under
stands, Of course, that those who are
Indispensable to this success of his
must be taken into account. But the
ordinary mortal4well, the ordinary
mortal must take care of himself, even
though the favorite OIL the divine pow
ers stands in the relation to the ordi-
nary mortal of sworn and confiden-
| tally trusted trustee.
Well, there are signs that the ordi-
nary mortal is beginning to take care
of himself. 1t would seem to be high
time.-Century.