Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-09-15
HOW A WORKlNGMAN MAY Save A MILLION
Must Hoard His Entire Earnings For 5000 Years.
II He Can SubSst on Half His Income He Will Re-
quire Only 64Oo Years to Become Millionaire

t.udge along through summers heat
and winters storms. Years and de-
cades come and go until they grow
into centuri'-, and still he works on,
fe his task is only begun. He sec ]
Kingdoms and empires rise and fall,
but still he labors on, for the greater
part of his task is still before him.
Christians are prosecuted in vari-
Gus countries, the Roman Empire
disappears, the dark ages come and
still he labors on, his task not yet
completed. The crusade are fought,
America is discovered, modern SCI
enGe awakens the world from its
shroud of darkness, and still he La
bors on. TIL? string events of mod
ernhitsyor oectw ltg ctaietaeta staoi
ern history transpire and bring us
down to the present moment, and
would you believe tour Carpenter
Is "till laboring on, not yet having
saved million dollars, yet not hay
; missed single working day from
sickness or ~ cause in all these
centuries. Let us see how his task
would stand at this time. We are
not counting interest, but purely the
earnings of labor. We have seen
that his savings would be 1913 per
year; this would be $4,000 per cen.
fury, but adding twenty-five leap
years per century, 1t would hA SAL
QOE To of n hnx1y
his account would stand at the be-
ginning of the present century, null
tiply $31,325 by Lineteen, and the
result is $595,175, and add $1878
for the six years of the present cen
fury and the amount is $597,053. So
the task at tn present time would be
only a little more than half done.
Let US in Imagination bring him be-
fore us. Here he comes, time
SCARED, storm-scarred, labor-scarred.
We ask him questions. He tells us
interesting stories of how he has
builded homes for princes and peas.
ants in many countries, of how he
worked on the Coliseum, the Alham-
bra and st. Peters. He mentions ia
miliarly such masterpieces as Michael
Angelo. He praises his good fortune
in having steady employment during
all these centuries, anG that his
wages were always promptly paid,
and that he YVES allowed to make up
the time lost by going from one job
to another by night workout sud
denly he says: II must not tarry.
am the drudge of the ages, with the
task of earning a million dollars. l
must get it honestly, therefore, l must
earn it. Ny task will require many,
many years, even centuries, so
adieu" With this he leaves us. But
does ~ mt leave many reflections
concerning our millionaires and their
millions? What shall we say to those
who obtain not only one million, but
many millions in the few years of the
a'Tlt period of single life?
1t is plain that no man can earn
million dollars in brief human life,
however hard he may work. But
many have become millionaires, and
while 1t is impossible to do so hon
estly, in a strictly ethical sense, we
will admit that some have done so
legally. This shows that these men
have been enabled to do this only by
the many advantages of the institu-
tions of this country ana aided by
the protection of the law. Then, do
these men owe nothing to the coun-
try and to the law? Indeed, they
owe much. But as rule, they sys-
tematically dodge" taxes during life,
and at death are permitted to make
any disposition of their vast posses
sions that they may desire to order
in their will, without any contribu-
ton to the Government that made
posi-. lie the accumulation of their
vast fortunes. Is it not just and fair
that a percentage should go to the
Government? The people of other
countries think so, but we, as usual,
are behind.