Evening journal., 1911-09-30
THE SPELL OF MORE
BY The REV. R. L. JACKSON

One of the largest grain commission
houses in the world recently went into
the hands of a receiver. The specula-
tion in wheat of one Of it's members is
the explanation of its insolvency. He
was man of more than ample means,
able to crafty every desire and in
dulge every fancy; he was honored
and trusted by everyone in the COM
munity in which he lived; but he came
under the fateful spell of the inexor~
able. Unsuitable more" and went
down, carrying with him his col
leagues in business. Here we have the
madness of the modern man, possess
ing wealth far in excess of his needs
and yet risking and running both for
tune and reputation in reaching out
after more.
Recently one of our biggest trusts
was convicted of defrauding the gov
ernment out Of millions OF dollars
Did the men who we're party to this
dishonesty need the money they gained
thereby? Judging by their stock hold
ings, their city and country houses,
their yachts, their stables and auto
mobiles, their need of the money was
not urgent. 1t was simply the spell of
I the more.
But we do not need to go to the
money magnates for instances of the
hypnotic power of more. People Of
every walk in life furnish them. Nor
/ is it always money that is made the
/ object of their inordinate, irrational
ambition. A certain English don had
| a mania for books. In despair Of find
/ ing a place in which 10 put a new lot,
he said TO a friend, What shall ] do
with so many books?" His friend per-
tinently answered. Read them"
What boots it to have the whole hori-
zon lined with books if they never get
read The spell of more is on ike
average American tourist gaIlopinE
through the art galleries, Of Eur5pe.
doing Raphael, Michael Angelo, Titan,
and the rest Of the great masters in a
few DAYS or perhaps a few hours. The
first thing such people will do When
they get 10 heaven will be 20 hire an
angel TO take them around and point
cut the places of interest. and after he
has gotten through, from force OF
habit they will exclaim, is this sll7"
How many people 60 through life
! crying, more, more" neglecting all
/ tue ilUlt 70 USE Mudl iutg dlTtduP
possess. They clamor for more society
when there are plenty Of interesting
people in their circle of acquaintances
They want TO go abroad, 70 see the
Alps Of Switzerland, when they have
not begun to appreciate the beauties
along the banks of our own little
Brandywine.
The way TO escape the hypnotic spell
Of more is to live what is modernly
called, intensively Instead of skim.
ming the surface of a wide area OF
life, take a small area and stick to il
until you have exhausted II A few good
books well read are better than many
poorly read. One great canvas gazet
az long and steadily will do more fol
you than a hundred. One man ol
woman who has lived deeply. and read
and thought discriminatingly. can dc
more TO inspire and guide you than !
score Of people who know only th'
surface Of things. All this Is not 4
discourage you from being properl,
ambitious and enterprising. You are II
1 duty bound to be this, but IL is TO pl
) you in the way OF getting more out O
what you already have, and therefor
] OF being more contented with your LOT