Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-13
THE CURSE OF POVERTY.
BY DR.. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright. 1913, by Frank Crsne.)

There is but one calamfty-poverty.
There is but one thing TO be desired
riches.
Any kind of poverty is bad: material
Intellectual. emotional. spiritual
Bvery bodily disease is due to bodily
poverty: of the blood, Of nutrition, of
elimination, of coordination.
Malignant germs abound everywhere.
But they are snobs. They do not attack
the rich-blooded. the richly functioned;
they pounce upon the anaemic. A health
rich boy can have million pneumonia
microbes in his mouth and not be hurt.
Money poverty is bad. You do not have
to be a money worshiper to believe that
you cannot lead a decent life without in
come enough to get you comfortable
clothing, wholesome food. a sanitary hab-
itation and the saving bits of culture and
leisure.
1t is perfectly right for us to want
money enough to secure a reasonable In
dependence. Any one who is not invest
ing regularly portion of his earnings is
a fool. Thrift Is just as sterling yir-
tue now as 1t was in the days of Ben
Franklin. Any child not trained to save
Is wronged
The newspapers are full of the news of
love, and poverty Of character.
The richest rich people on earth are they
who have plenty of love.
And how terrible and far-reaching are
the effects of mind poverty.
The people are like dumb. driven cat
tle," herded by shrewd political bosses.
Their children are stunted, their homes
are cramped, their rights are denied them,
their food is poisoned. they are insulted,
despised, pillaged and swindled. simply
because they are ignorant, they are vic
tins Of intellectual poverty. they don't
know what to do.
Duly train just one generation of chill
dren and see what a tremendous silent
revolution would 'ensue!
1t Is the great army of the ignorant
who stir up violence follow fatuous en-
thusiasms and bring defeat in the battles
of the people.
1t Ii the moral poverty of the money
rich that renders them pests.
1t Is the spiritual poverty of the church
that makes it ineffective.
It is the artistic poverty of the people
that gives US ugly cities, dreary streets.
stuffy nats. hideous advertising plastered
over street cars and billboards.
II Is artistic poverty that produces poor
theatrical shows, wretched, musically
poverty-stricken comic operas, idea-pov-
erty-stricken plays.
1t Is moral impotence that causes the
Yet reformers hawk preventive reme-
dies. Prohibit this, stop that, curb the
other. Humanity needs the bit, the brake
and the restraint of it's too powerful
forces.
stun and nonsense. The one thing
mankind needs is more force, more fire,
more steam. more riches.
Never more than now. Democracy needs
q thousand-fold more money than royalty.
Freedom needs more brains than serfdon.
Virtue needs more energy than vice. Love
is aseptic in proportion as it is potent.
Real religion is only in surcharged souls
watery and timid souls can have
Pharisaism.
Give us riches! Rich hearts to love
nightly, rich brains to think boldly, rich
hands to work skilfully. rich bodies to
live wholesomely, riches of culture to
keep US out of the bogs of barbarisnl,
riches Of music, of sculpture, of archi-
lecture, riches of spirit to grasp the mai
esty of moral laws, and riches of money
to secure our personal independence.
The great man is the man Of full life.
And he shall be like tree planted by
the rivers of water, that bringeth forth
fruit: his leaf also shall not wither; and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper