Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-07
Wealthy Men of Classic Times.

The people who are advertising Mr.. Rookie
Teller as the richest man that ever lived
evidently were never acquainted with some
of the ancient Romans and other gentlemen
of means who lived in classic times For
example, there was Ptolemaeus Philadelphia
us, who, like Mr. Rockefeller, founded a
university, and made Alexandria the most
famous seat of learning in the world.
Euclid, the gentleman who contrived the
problems that have given so much anxiety
and concern to young students of mathe-
matics was one of his proteges. He had
the finest group of astronomers in the
world, and called to Alexandria the most
distinguished men in all the arts and
sciences. He was worth 100000 talents,
which, counting talent at $1,000, amounts
to 81, 4S0, 100000; or counting a talent at
81 900, half that amount; and he had an
annual income of 1850 talents, which
amounted to about $29,6O0,000. He lived
2s5-247 B. c.. and his grandson was one of
several husbands OF Cleopatra
Then we might mention AJticus, who was
a diplomat and a literary man, quite as
eminent in his time as is Secretary Hay in
this generation. He managed at the same
time to keep on good terms with Caesar
and Pompey, Brutus and Cassus Antony
and Augustus, and his most intimate friend
was Cicero. We do not know exactly how
rich he was, but he inherited 10 600 600
sesterces from his uncle and adopted father,
a
half pounds of silver bullion That means
that he got $4,000, 600 pounds of silver in
one lump and Mr. Bryan will tell you that
there are sixteen silver dollars to the pound,
or should be. Atticus resembled Mr.. Rookie
Teller in that he suffered from indigestion
and became so tired of it that he starved
himself to death in the year 80 B. c., at the
age of SeVenty-Seven.
Cicero was a lawyer, and he must have
done very well in business, for he paid
roSiHannn on palo ina
He was no doubt a corporation attorney and
advised the billionaireS of that day how to
escape the trust-busters Messiah, a friend
of Horace the poet, who distinguished him
self as the patron of art and learning, and
was a poet. historian, orator and gramma-
rian, as well as a politician, paid $4,000. 600
for his house, which was about the price of
Mr.. Carnegie's. Seneca, the philosopher,
was worth $3.50, 600, 600. When Caesar came
to the throne he owed S14, COO, OO0 and Marc
Antony is charged with having squandered
1920 100000 of public funds. Claudus the
enemy of Cicero, paid So, 000, 600 for his resi-
dence. Lolita Paulina inhArited S5O0,000,0O
from her grandfather. Lolius, and for a
while was the wife of the crazy emperor,
Caligula.
1t took $4,000 a year to support Roman
senator. and some of them had incomes OF
81, 600 600 or S., 100000 q year They gave
banquets that would make young Mr..
Hyde's fancy dress party look like a eoun-
try Sunday school picnic. Aesopus, the
great tragic actor of Rome. we are told
made a fortune of several hundred millions
of dollars, which indicates that theaters
were well patronized in those days-but II
was all squandered by his son. That fool
ish young man once took a pearl worth
$4,000 from the ear of Cecilia Metella, dis
solved it in vinegar. and drank the solu-
ton one evening at dinner party.
And all the wealth of those famous days
was not found in Rome. You have no doubt
heard of Croesus, who was the Rockefeller
of his time; and Midas, who was a friend
of Bacchus, which Mr.. Rockefeller Is not
Bacchus offered to grant any favor Midas
might ask, and that greedy fellow desired
that everything he touched be turned into
gold. The request was granted but when he
sat down to dinner. Midas was frightened
nearly out of his wits. for his food became
metal as soon as he lifted 1t upon his fork
Being gluttonous as well as greedy, he I'M
plored the god to revoke the fatal gift
Bacchus ordered him to battle in the river
Pactoieus. That bath saved Midas. and