The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-08-19

than three thousand dollars year
for 33 years to earn 100000 in a life.
time. take it for granted that nc
one will deny that it is possible for
one to earn this sum by rendering
service equal to it in value. What
shall we say to million dollars? Can
man earn that much! To do so he
must earn little more than $50 0OU
per year for 33 years. Is it possible foi
one to render so large service?
believe that it is. Well what shall we
say of ten millions? 10 earn that
much one must earn on an average
OF little more than 5000, 600 a year
for 33 years. Is 1t possible for one TO
render service so large as to earn so
| vast a sum? At the risk OF shocking
some of my radical friends | am going
to affirm that it is possible. But can
/ one earn a hundred million? Yes,
believe that 1t is even possible to
| serve society to such an extent as to
earn hundred million in the span
of human life, or an average of three
million year for 33 years. We have
one man in this country who is said
to be worth five hundred million. TO
earn five hundred million one must
/ earn on an average of fifteen million
a year for 33 years. Is this within
the range of human possibility? |
believe that it is. Now l have gone
as high as anyone has yet gone in col
lecting, but If there is any young man
with an ambition to render a larger
| service to the world, | will raise 1t
| another notch, IL necessary, to en-
| courage him. So almost limitless are
the possibilities of service in this age
that am not willing to fix a maximum
| to the sum man can honestly and
| legitimately earn. Not only do be-
| lieve that men can earn five hundred
| millions, but | believe that men earn
ed it. Jefferson earned it. The SER
vice that he rendered to the world was
| of such great value that had he COZ
| lected for it five hundred million he
| would not have been over paid. | be-
| lieve that Abraham Lincoln earned
more than five hundred millions, and
could go back through history anu
give you the name of man after man
who rendered a service so large as to-
! entitle him to collect more than I'VE
hundred millions from society, but II
| presented list containing the name
| Of every man, who, since time began,
earned such an enormous sum, one
thing would be true of all of them
| namely that not in single case dia
| the man collect the full amount. The
men who have earned five hundred
million dollars have been so busy
earning it that they have not had time
tc collect it; and the men who have
collected five hundred million dollars
have been so busy collecting it that
they have not had time to earn it.
jefferson did not collect all he earned;
in fact he began public life well to do
| for man at that period, and died
poor; impoverished by visits of those
who called to tell him how much they
| appreciated his work. Lincoln did not
collect the full amount; neither JET
| ferson nor Lincoln would have cared
| to collect five hundred million. what
| would either one have done with such
| a sum?Or what is more important,
| what would five hundred million dol
lars have done with Jefferson or Lin
coin?
SIN that wonderful parable of the
| sower, Christ speaks of the seeds that
fell where thorns sprang up and
choked them, and He Himse.4 explains
what He meant by the illustration,
namely:-that the cares of this world
and the deceitfullness of riches choke
of the race had been burdened with the
care of big fortunes, they could not
have devoted themselves to the nobler
things that gave them place in the
affections of their people and in his
tory.
1T seems, therefore, that while one
cannot rightfully collect more than
he honestly earns, he may earn more
than it would be wise for him to col
, lect. And that brings us to the next
question. How much should one de-
sire to collect from society! | answer
thoI ~ hidttCi ho" iui sc q oSi WV hN
may render or how much he may earn,
one should not desire to collect more
than he can wisely spend.
And how much can one wisely
; spend? Not as much as you might
think, and not nearly so much as
, some have tried to spend. No matter
, how honestly money may be acquired,
one Is not free to spend it at will. We
| are hedged about by certain restric-
| tons that we can neither remove nor
| ignore. God has written certain laws
| that no court can declare unconstitu-
tional, and these laws limit us in our
| expenditures.
Let us consider some of the things
for which we can properly spend mon
ey. We need food, and we need about
| the same amount; not exactly, but the
difference in amount is not great. The
range in expenditure is greater than
the range in quantity. for expenditure
covers the kind and quality as well
| as the quantity. But there is a limit
even to expenditure. If man eats
| h. hn