The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-23
DR.. PEARsoNs' CASE,

The st. Louis Globe Democrat is not
strong admirer of the finish DR..
D. K. Pearsons Of Chicago has framed
up for himself. The Chicagoan is well
known in Fargo, where Fargo college
is one of the benef1ciaries of his phil
anthrophy. This is the view The Globe
Democrat takes of the situation:
Daniel K. Pearsons Of Chicago, the
millionaire who has announced that the
way to die poor is to give away all
your money, declares that by next
spring he will have disposed OF the last
of his balance now on hand and will
enter a sanitarium to remain there the
rest of his life. AS he is now so years
of age, 1t is plain that he does not ex-
pect to stay long in the sanitarium,
particularly as that announcement is
coupled with one that he is badly af-
fiicted with rheumatism. 1t is incon-
ceivable that a man in his normal mind
would enter any sort Of invalid's re-
treat or resort to remain a length of
time which he would have reason to
believe would be long.
This action of the Chicago million
aire is certain to be touted, as prev
ious actions of his have been, as put
ting Mr.. Rockefeller and Mr.. Carnegie,
and all of their professions, to shame.
They will be again advised that the
only way a rich man can make sure
of dying poor is to drop all his money.
1t may not be denied that if a man,
when pursued by wolves, would drop
in the trail everything he has at once
the wolves would reach him more
quickly, after one brief stop, than they
could after many stops he might force
them to make by feeding them on the
installment plan. The chance of es-
cape in such a case is to make the bal
last last as long and go as far as pos
sible in giving the pack frequent oc-
casion to stop, and utilizing the time
gained in that way to the best advan-
tage. OF course, traveller anxious to
cultivate a closer acquaintance with
the wolf could do so by at once throw
ing out all he had and himself along
with 1t. A man actually wanting the
wolf at his door might pursue such
tactics when chased. But so long as
there is no record Of such a thing, nei-
their Mr.. Rockefeller nor Mr.. Carnegie
need stand in fear of a motion made by
his heirs for the appointment of a con-
servator.
In fact, talk as we may about the
rage for wealth, and decry as much as
we will the lust of money accumula-
ton, there is something much more
admirable in the Carnegie and Rookie
Teller than in the Pearsons plan. There
is something uncanny in a man divest-
ing himself of all his goods and going
to sanitarium to die. We have pitted
the men who have forced themselves
into sanitariums through undue activ-
ity of mind and body in getting more.
But now we pity as much the man
who, in getting less, gets him to a san
itarium. What If he should change his
mind? Having gone broke in paying
the sanitarium In advance for the term
of his life, he would be unable to go
to hotel, such as healthy bodied and
healthy minded men patronize, where
there is the noise of clinking glasses. of
ice rafting in pitchers along corridors,
and of poker chips in the next room.
Mr.. Pearsons should think again be-
tween now and spring. A past grand
millionaire dying In a sanitarium may
be lean enough to get through the
needles eye easier, but, from the pure
ly human point of view 1t looks better
for man to die with his back up than
down