Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-10-07
Grant, Mark Twain and Scott
Made Financial Mistakes.
Leaders and Thinkers Easy Victims Of
Friends md Chnrlntnns because
They Have Little Understand-
ing Of business Affairs.

heart of grace, says the New YORK Ilfnes
Magazine.
His dramatic story Of his luckless spec
ulations IN western timber lands, told from
the stored pulpit of Plymouth Church,
still rings in the public ear.
And yet how like repeat OF history 1t
seems. The very mention of 1t brings
before the minds eye visions OF scores OF
the worlds great who fell into the Same
error and retrieved 1t by unremitting toll.
just as DR. Hills proposes to do.
The Clergyman is peculiarly subject to
the advice OF wel-moaning friends and
the artince of the charlatan. for although
he has breadth Of vision his mind hnS'so
little to do with the things OF earth that
he has !lttlo real understanding of tho
trend of affairs.
Il was careless Of my temperatures"
you remember the impecunious Cold
smith makes DR.. Primrose say in The
Vicar OF Wakefield" Turning all his
money to the merchant in the neighbor-
ing town, the vicar distributed aims to
tho poor and dispensed hospitality with
open hands. When disaster cano upon
him he did tie best that he could, with
drew from his associations. and faced
the world with high courage and firm
resolve until again fortune smiled anew.
MANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS.
Although the minister is more liable
to financial error than other classes Of
professional men. the history of modern
times Is filed with instances of leaders
of thought who have fallen into the same
pitfalls
The homely wisdom which Samuel l..
Nor ipA int ba
terances of his hero. "Puddenhead Will
son." are hard-earned axioms coming
from his own financial reverses.
He warns us in one Of the inimitable
paragraphs to beware of putting ones
eggs in different baskets. for better it is
to put them all in the same place and
watch the basket
There are few men who can attend TO
one thing we'll The minister the writer
and the teacher are less likely than those
In any other vocations to win material
success.
In the days when get-rich-quick con-
Germs hourished especial attention was
given to the ministry, and alluring cir
culars were sent to them giving them
special rates on the consideration that
they would recommend stocks to the
| members of their focks. Occasionally one
fell into the trap. to his great sorrow
and to that of those who had accepted
his counsel.
In these days 1t is the nudge" and
the whisper which so often leaves the
clergyman with little save his library
Some friend who knows or thinks he does
| bestows the kindly hint upon the man of
the cloth. who takes all that is said as
gospel and gives over his savings.
MINISTER'S ANXIOUS TO PROVIDE
The anxiety of the minister to provide
for the future of his family is as intense
as Is that of men in other professions.
| and he has little opportunity for MAX
ing those sudden coups which so often
| lead others to fortune.
Those who are familiar with the in
ventoriesT of estates are impressed with
the wide variety of worthless stocks and
bonds which find their way into the
strong boxes of ministers, Of physicians
| and even lawyers. These professions are
noted for their accommodations of cats
and dogs" Even in the appraisal of the
property of the greatest finanCers are
found many securities purchased often
on account OF personal friendship which
!
are printed. The business man makes
losses and retrieves them. the profess
sional man intent on his own affairs Is
likely to drop the game, to sell house and
goods and become slave to debt. The
Rev DIR. Dwight Hills Is following in
the footsteps of Sir Walter Scott of Mark
Twain, of General Hrant. and of host
of others who found themselves at mid
die age in much the same predicament.
The great historic instance is that If
! Sir Walter Scott He saw himself the
head of a great publishing house. pro-
ducing costly books and rare editions, and
Issuing scholarly reviews from the ever
busy press. The fall of the house of
Ballantyne & Co., OF which he was the
secret partner for years. was one OF the
great failures In the publishing trade.
SCOTT LOST s65o,On
His commercial advisers. so confident
wcre they in his genius. followed his
directions without question. Finally came
the crash under cl3O,00o of debt, for
which the novelist assumed the RESPONSE
bility. Despite his advancing age and his
growing inhrmities he evolved poems and
novels from his fertile brain and repaid
In the course of two years the earnings
OF his pen contributed 10000 to his cred.
itors.
Mari; Twain had for many years re.
ceived large royalties. Through the ad-
vice Of friends he was induced 20 invest
in the firm Of Charles l.. Webster & Co
OF this city. When disaster came ne
pledged himself to pay off the full
amount BY writing INCREASINGLY, and
lecturing around the world. he did 1t.
The erroneous impression prevails to
this day that the late ii. II. Rogers
Standard OH millionaire and long his
friend. contributed money to tide tho
author over his period Of misfortune AS
a matter of fact. Mr.. Rogers never gave
n cent. He constituted himself general
manager for Mark Twain, and gave the
business of authorship the benefit of that
acumen and common sense which 1t so
often lacks. The Indebtedness was dis
charged. and the name of Samuel L.,
Clemens will always he connected with an
honorable and courageous life.
The last days of the life of General
Ulysses s. Grant were also couded by his
financial troubles Although successful
leader OF men, he was never able to make
a success as the captain of his financial
destiny AS a business man he had been
a failure in civil life. He returned to the
army, became the leader of thousands OF
| embattled fields gained the presidency,
and In his old age wandered into Wall
Street Through the failure of Grant &
Ward he was involved in financial ruin.
|