Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-09-08

you see tnat S0fa! SAID q gentleman
some years ago to a friend well,
that one sofa almost ruined me. 1t
took me years and years to recover my
self. have always kept that sofa as
an object lesson for my children When
1 was young man we were living In
humble street and In q small but
comfortably furnished house. ] was
working my way along and would In
time have come out all right. But one
day my wife was at an auction sale,
and she was able to buy that sofa very
cheap. She bought It, but no sooner
did she put it In our parlOr than 1t
made all the rest of the furniture look
shabby. Then we decided to get new
parlor set to match the sofa. No soon
er did we fix up the parlor than we had
to buy new furniture for the dining
room, and so we went on fixing the
house. Then, after we had refurnished
the house, we decided that the house
itself was not good enough for the fur
nlture, so we moved into larger house
on a better street Then, when we
moved into the better street, we found
out that we had to have better clothes.
Thus we went on increasing our ex-
penses and our outgo while our income
remained the same. Then the first
thing I knew the bills kept piling up
and was a financial wreck" "Ah,
yes" I said to myself when l heard
that story, how true that Is about the
unsatisfyIng result of selfshly living
for what we can geti When we live
for self the more we have the more we
want Greed has an omnivorous appe-
tite. Greed is a giutton. Greed keeps
crying: More, more. Give me more. I
! must have morer" My friend, is not
/ this the personal history of your greedy
llfe2
Growing Rich but Selfish.
My brother, how old are you? For
ty." How are you getting along in
business? "Oh," you say, "splendidly,
splendidly. My business was never
better than now" Are you making
any money outside Of your business2
"Yes," you say. II do not tell this to
everybody, but 1 will to you. Last
week closed one deal alone whereby
I made on one piece Of land a net
profit of $4,000" Indeed! I suppose
you inherited a good deal Of money
from your father to start In business?
"Inheritedl Indeed, did not. Why,
father never had anything to speak of.
| was brought up on farm. | made
my own way alone. Why, when l first
came to this city my wife and I used
to live In two rooms. Then l often
said to her, If the time ever comes
when we have an annual income OF
81, 500 and a little home Of our own
we will be satisfied" Then you laugh
to yourself and say, Thank God, we
have a good deal more than our little
home now and $500 year income"
Is that so, my friend? Then. sup
pose, as your money is increasing, you
are giving more and more to God and
to your fellow men suppose. as your
clerks uUwu sssosO- P-s~--s-~~- ~-so
that you give them more time of for
rest. suppose that every year, as
vour financial income enlarges, your
benevolences enlarge also. You look
at me a moment. Then you drop your
ewes as you slowly say: "No; / ought to
do this. but | do not give as much now
as | did twenty years ago. The strange
fact Is that financial success inevitably
encourages selfishness. The more l get
the more | want and the less | give In
proportion to my success. Thls Is
selfish world, and I am each year like
most rich men, becoming more ana
more selfish" God pity you, Chris
tan migrate! God pity you, say
aaain. because as you grow weaitnier
Won do less and less for others.
know one fact Is true-the more you
pet the less enjoyment you derive out
of your own selfish successes. He
that Ioyeth silver shall not be satisfied
with silver, nor he that loveth abun-
dance with increase"
But | take a step further In my sub
iact and declare that greed Is an ON
nivorous demon, which Is not SATISFIED
IN feediug In our own pasture lands
alone. but he wants us to collect his
fodder from the pastures of our neigh
bors also. This sin of greed Is like all
other sins. 1t will so warp and twist
| our natures that before we know II we
will be looking at the world through
false spcctaclas, and our open palms
will be itching after other mems goods.
And what is worse, our covetous hands
FOO often will grasp those things which
belong to our neghbors. What you
say, "do you mean to affirm that our
rich men. MS a class, are thieves and
robbers?7 No, l will not go as far as
| that. I will not say that as pickpock-
cts they will grab your purse and run.
But will say this: II man will allow
the evil worm of greed to gnaw at his
heart long enough he may be willing,
and he often is willing, to do tina;
| which in the sight Of man as well AZ OF
| God is morally wrong, although Dy
mans law it may be legally right. Let
| me ILLUSTRATE tnlS ny phacNSai iASi
dent Of everyday life
Supposlng I have a little butcher
shop upon one of the street corners OF
Los Angeles. Supposing am having
a fourishing trade there and you hear
| Of II and you decide to open a little
butcher shop upon the next corner.
Then, supposing go to you and say:
Mr. So-and-so, you must quit. l was
here upon this street first. want all
| the butcher business of this neighbor-
hood for myself" What would you
sayi why" you would answer, you
are a fool. This is the land Of liberty.
One of the great cardinal principles OF
our country is II live and to let live.
There is a good butcher business here