The Washington herald., 1917-04-27

am sure that no one ever enjoys the
to whom it comes Unexpectedly The peo-
pie who inherit 1t seem to think it is
theirs by divine right and those who
have to labor hard to accumulate It lose
the zest to enjoy It. But to the person
who Jogs along life's highroad as a hap
py-go-lucky wsyfarer, and suddenly has
the golden apples OF the Hesperides drop
at his feet, there comes an unlimited
chance for real fun in the spending.
! have Just had such a comical letter
Z from a young man in the East He says
| he has been a clerk at some big factory
where they make flags and bunting. How
much nicer to work In a place like that
than a munition factory. and still feel
you were providing your country with
| necessities.
He has been working in this place since
he was sixteen. and all at once right out
Of blue sky. he received word a for
tune had been left him. through the
death Of an uncle in Argentina, South
| America He did not know that this un-
Gle ever knew his name. He had heard
Of him always as the black sheep of
the family, who had left home years
before as the result Of a youthful scrape.
The odd part is, that the boy Is worried
over his sudden riches.
I've been saving what little I could
from week to week for over a year, so
could lay on and take a special course at
Cornell in civil engineering. can't tell
you how good 1t was for me to have a
hope and definite aim ahead. No matter
how hard l had to work, l didn't care
just thinking Of the day that was sure to
come when I could lay on and go up to
Ithaca Now that I've got plenty and
can do as want, somehow the punch
seems to have gone out of It. What's the
use Of success when you can buy It?
Here I am at p with too much money
and no goal to race for"
wonder II he has never thought at all
Of the thousands of other boys left in the
world, plugging along at the daily grind
for few dollars a week to live on, who
may be cherishing Just as high hopes as
he ever did7 Do you know what I would
do IL 1 were in his place? I think 1t
would be corking good fun to take that
money and put 1t into scholarships for
boys; not only at our big universities
but at the small town colleges that seem
to reach the class of boys and girls that
can't anord the expenses that are abso-
lutely necessary II you try to take a
course at a n)ace like Vassar or Harvard
OF course, you might say he ought to
consider his possible marriage in the fu-
tnre and the obligation to his family.
Well, couldn't he put aside a sort Of re-
serve fund. and let It alone to accumu-
late, while he buckled out into the world
just as IL he had never inherited a for
tuner
I suppose every one has his pet ideas
| of charity. The very word charity" Z"
so tender In itself. has been so pitifuIly
VaNa ytA1 g.
funds, that one hates to use 1t now. I
| always think OF the poor little kiddie in
Daddy Long Legs" and the girl In the
Bishops Carriage" who called the Chill
dren's Society Shelter the Cruelty" I
cannot see how any one who is troubled
by too much money could remember the
little ones Of the world left friendless
and alone, with only the cloak of charity
to cover them. and have any doubt as to
| its disposal
After all, what Is money! II gold were
as plentiful as sand, we would supplant
II with something rare-anythinE from
wampum to the tears of Maia. Some
where remember reading that pearls
were called the tears OF Maia, and were
used In place OF money in the Poly
nesian Isles.
Why should we hoard these queer things
that We call dollars when, there are hu-
, man lives whitening in youth for lack
Of means to study and exist while doing
so? So have told this boy to remem-
Der the old story of the young rich man
who came seeking the key to the king
dom Of heaven.
I wonder what he will do, don't you?
VIII he throw my letter into his scrap
basket and go straight down to Argen-
tina to gather UP '"The Millions of Har-
leQuins," or will be stand at the cross
roads. and choose the path that leads to
peace Of mind In bringing happiness to
others.