The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-05-15

luG lOllO" ih6 - SAS
fore The State Federation OF Wo-
mems clubs Tuesday evening. II was
awarded first prize in the State Lit
.rary contest, and is well worth your
sareful perusal.
The Paper
Ii it were possible to count all the
.oid and silver in the United States
.o-day, we could not say that Il
shole amount no matter how great,
.cnresents the wealth of the Union.
Wealth consists, not in dollars ana
sents, but in anything that a be
.sed in exchange for the various com
.aodities that the worlds great mar
xet offers for sale. We speak oil mon
~ az wealth because it is the medium
Of exchange adopted by our country.
But if we eliminate what money Will
buy. we make it worthless. Hence,
giving wealth it's economic, meaning,
that is, anything that is useful 10
nan-his wealth of physical strength
his health of worldly goods-his
wealth Of influence-his wealth OF
mind to create-and We readily see
that a nations wealth consists not
only in the amount of money in its
golfers, but in the number OF Eien anu
women who create those things
which are of far more value il Sill
yer or gold. And we cannot by tax
ing thought estimate the value Of a'-
en- one individual. Each man is worth
lust what the world will give LOT
[him-his value varying in proportion
TO the usefulness of and demand LOT
the articles he is able to produce.
FSome men must be "hewers Of wood
and drawers Of water" while others
create great works of art, and stag
ger the world with the wonder OF
their brain. Each class must bring ms
offering and in an open market,where
the Law of Supply and Demand de-
cides the true value, he must dispose
Of his products as best he may. And
these are they who constitute a ma
tons wealth.
But there are others, among both
rich and poor-who are ldlers-con-
suming day after day wealth they nc
aot create-depending on some one
else for their support-they are the
drones, the parasites, a burden to So
ciety as we'll as a source OF constant
danger. They decrease supply and IN
crease demand. And these are they
who diminish a nations wealth.
This fact the world is fast begin
aing to realize, and we find, coming
from the ranks Of the idle rlch'
young men, sons of our great money
| kings, entering the very tread-mllis
| of industry, beginning on the lowest
|rung of the ladder of their profess
sion. with a mere %pittance as a wage
49,
| toiline slowly along, side by side
| with the laborers of the very poorest
and lowest type-thus fitting them-
| selves to be useful in the economical
| world, by becoming producers IN
| stead of consumers of wealth. Ana
II is education that is bringing 'his
| change of sentiment about. These
men studied causes and condltlons'ahd
by becoming informed, saw their
great obligation to their fellows ana
realized that the tendency Of idle
ness is to raise up a race OF puppets
| rather than men fitted to assume the
| responsibility of the future OF their
country.
And it is through educaIlcn alone
that the idler will ever be converted
from a Notwithstanding to a wealth.
producing agent. 1t is due to educa-
ton that the wonderful advancement
has been made in the great scientific
1 world-Where men are using their