Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-12-15

sesses means above the average al
lows the festival to pass without
making a few presents he misses
not only the opportunity but the
joy of the day. Giving returns
more than it spends. 1t is one of
those satisfactions which cannot be
measured by figures or material
things, but which suffuses the heart
with a richness beyond price.
What is generous giving?
In order to understand the sit
uation, let us look at the American
people as they live and move today.
There are about eighty millions of
them. Their wealth approaches
one hundred billions of dollars, a
stupendous sum which would seem
to insure bounty for every man,
woman and child.
But 1t happens that this wealth
is not evenly distributed. If it
were, it would give to each only
about twelve hundred dollars, which
would be almost no capital in the
big figures of the day.
Even that does not show the real
smallness of the average. To ap-
preciate this we must take another
illustration.
Here it is: If all the money in
circulation in the United States to-
day were divided each one of the
population would receive only about
twenty mine dollars.
We talk of plutoerats, billion
aires and millionaires. Our papers
are full of the vast riches, their
autocratic powers and unspendable
incomes. In way we think that
they exist all around US, and we
wonder why we are not able TO join
their ranks. But it is a case of the
few magnifed by the popular mind
into the many.
We have IN the United States
more mill1onalres than any other
nation, and yet their total numbtr
is below five thousand.
In other words, for every man
who is worth a million there are
over twenty thousand of popula-
ton.
We may carry this division still
further until we get to the fact that
the person who has an income OF
two thousand dollars a year stands
far above the general run of the
people. Compared with the MAORI
ty, he is almost wealthy. Indeed,
the man with thousand dollars is
we'll up in the higher half of the
country's fortunate people.
So when we put all these facts
together it suddenly dawns upon
us that there is a large mass Of
mankind, wOmank1nd and child
hood, even in this land of prospect
ty, who hardly know the meaning
of money. Indeed, there are literal
ly tens of thousands who do not
handle ten dollars from one years
end to the other, and there are
hundreds of thousands who have
to live from day to day on the
little they are able to exc from the
competitions of the times.
It should be unnecessary to point
out to the more fortunate the duty
of doing all they can in the season
of peace and goodwill for those who
have little.
Yet it is almost impossible to get
into the minds and souls and hearts
of the people one-half the just
deserts of the jewellers at the bot
tom of the social structure. The
chief difficulty is to disl0dge the
feeling that what they give is an in
Justice drawn from them under the
name Of charity.
Charity What q host of hideOus
selfshness that name suggests.
Long ago it was said that charity
covered a multitude Of sins, but
that meaning was used when chart
ty was taken as a synonym for love.
Modern charity OF certain sort
seems to be occupied with uncov-
erlng the misfortunes OF the world
and rubbing salt into the wounds.
Our rich people make regular do
nations to charity organization So
cieties which spend from 80 to so
per cent Of their incomes on Office
hire and rent, and then compla-
Gently say that they have done
their full duty toward those who
have not prospered as well as they
N the affairs of the world.
We are not attacking charity or
ganizatlon-only its evils, its pro-
fessionalism. To the extent that it
exposes and stops fraud it is of in
calculable benefit, but when it
stands between the rich and the