The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-23
HIS MOST TrREsoME JOB.
A Capitalists Complaint Because He
Has to Clip His Coupons.

"The most tiresome job have to do,
said a certain wealthy gentleman, on
his way downtown, yesterday, to clip
his January coupons. He actually re.
scented few hours toll with the scis-
sorsl --or don't htye clip coupons with
the scissors 2--and yet his father laid
the foundation OF this mans welding
for ten hours q day an instrument very
much more wearying than a coupon
clipping scissors,
In Justice to our complaining friend
It should be said that his distaste for
task that 10 most Of US would seem
quite detachable was not due to physi-
cal laziness for he is really very active
and energetic, especially in chasing the
peryerse golf ball or the elusive fox or
IN following for many weary hours the
scent Of game, and he has also indeed
added materially TO the treasures OF
his safety vault BY business enterprise
Of his own; but what made cutting
coupons a tiresome and dreaded task to
him was the meaninglessness OF it ALL
He and his treasure had become things
apart, there was no human relation be-
tween them. He probably could not
even recall the names OF his bonds
they were merely so much engraved pa
per TO him.
Coupon clipping ennui is more common
than many realize Men who do not
want to be annoyed with watching their
investments, who are unwilling to have
any personal utilization with their own
wealth in active operation as working
capital, who do not care to own factories
or houses. or farms. or help build up
enterprises, or to lend their money and
their personal experience to Others who
could use both, are pretty sure to live
off coupons. In time this inertia OF
wealth without responsibility even be-
comes so strong that they hate the an
noyance of owning and running a house
and prefer colorless inanity of a hotel
or at best an apartment.
This Sinking Of responsibility and re-.
garding wealth as a mere coupon abb
straction has bad effect both on the IN
diyidual and on the community Only
n few generations ago the wealthy man
was the serviceable man; his property
was held and administered BY him or
his personal stewards or by his family;
to-day large part Of the actual owner.
ship OF wealth is in people who feel
no sense of responsibility as 70 the
actual labor that earns the coupon and
who feel and recognize no duties con-
nected with their wealth as part Of
the capital OF society. This effect OF
our tremendous corporate development,
with IFS wide diffusion OF ownership and
the character Of that ownership as re-
Elected in coupons and dividends, is a
phase Of The corporation problem that
seems to have escaped most students.
and vet in its larger aspects it may well
be the most important feature OF the
problem.
The idle rich is one class, but the
coupon cutting class is very much larg-
er, for almost everyone who has ac-
cumulated a few dollars belongs TO &c,
even our savings banks being for the
most part little more than instrument
talities for the conversion of the saw
ings of their depostors into coupon
bonds Prior to the last century the
only private property OF consequence
consisted OF lands and improvements
thereon including equipment, serfs, live,
stock, etc All such property was held
and administered by personal contact,
direct or indirect. OF the owner. The
laws Of inheritance, primogeniture, etc.
grew out OF this early character OF propt
erty and the property relation. socially
considered quite as much as out OF any
sense of family affect ION
Only a few years ago the young man
who Inherited fortune found il in
vested in mills or lnnds or enterprises
which his father had built up and which
It was necessary TO hold intact. The
son stepped at once into the responsible
tiles and human relations Of the wealth
Ne inherited To-day he inherits Q safe
deposit box Baltimore Evening sun.