Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-11-21
DENIED ONE PLEASURE
HANDICAP THAT is THE ACCOM-.
PANIMENT OF RICHES.
Possessors Of Great Wealth Debarred
From Owning Anything That Is
Difficult to Acqulre-Joy He
Is Doomed to Miss.

Great wealth takes away as many
things from man as 1t brings him, as
serts William Frederick Dix in the
New York Independent. The man OF
many millions loses one of the great
est pleasures in life-the zest of own.
iership, that sense of satisfaction which
comes with the possession of some
thing which has been longed for and
finally acquired with difficulty.
II something that one possesses can,
Ii lost or broken, be at once replaced
without the expenditure Of anything
that can be missed, 1t necessarily has
no value, because whether 1t Is lost or
not Is immaterial.
This is perfectly simple law Of hu-
.man nature working automatically and
universally. The value of a possession
depends upon the sacrifice required to
obtain it and the difficulty Of replacing
1t. The only exceptions to this are the
things of no intrinsic worth, such as
heirlooms, tokens Of love, or souvenirs
with sentimental associations. Those
are precious but not valuable. The
countless tempting, material things OF
life that lure the unwealthy-clothes,
toys, books, furniture, pictures, mo-
tors, yachts and SO on-cannot bring
with them the full Joy of possession to
the man who has but to stretch out his
hand to take them.
The fascination Of the jewelers. win
dow are not for him. He can select
anything and everything in the shop
which he fancies and tuck 1t into his
pocket without pricing 1t. His secre-
tary will draw check for the bill. He
may fancy these jewels, but he cannot
prize them, they have no endowment
Of charm, because they have been ac-
uuired without effort and could be re-
placed without the slightest inconveni-
ence. The rich boy has never known
the ecstasy of owning a pushmobile
made out Of soap box. The Joy Of
saving and planning for, and finally
selecting a certain long coveted fish
ting rod, or canoe, or set of books, can
never come to him.
One might say that the pleasure OF
ownership is only one of degree after
all-that the poor man finds pleasure
tn owning his cottage and the rich
man In owning his railroad. Poets
have for ages sung Of the joys Of home
The sweetness of the hearthside ant
the happiness found at the vine clat
cottage door, but have any poets evel
sung the hallowed delights of owning
4 chain of rolling mills, or extolled tht
Joys of the financier as he acquires the
voting control Of railroad system?
How can man of many millions
sonceive Of the delights Of digging ant
planting little suburban garden
planning for it winter evenings will
his wife's eager help, buying the seed
and coaxing them during the radian
summer days into fruitage, when tn,
only garden he knows Is the vast, for
nal one on his country estate. planned
and built by the landscape architect
cultivated by foreign gardeners ant
visited by himself for an occasiona
after dinner promenade?
1t Is not his, he merely transferred
few thousand for the title to 1t. TIL,
patting lovingly into place Of the seeds
the wedding and watering and watch
Ing and welcoming Of the first sh!
shoots are not for him. He does no
see the timid thrusting out of tende
green things in the spring. the dawl
sf fragrant color as the buds open tt
the sunshine. and, finally, the full flow
Or and fruit, nor feel the pride of ia
therhood, Of ownership, Of possession
ls he looks over his garden. Tony O.
Mike or Sam have attended to all thos,
ietails! And what world Of Joy, o
beauty and fragrance, what peace ant
content, what feeling of triumph
have his millions robbed him OF in tn,
unfolding of that garden!