Year: 1875

New York Correspondence Cincinnati Gazette.


The worship of wealth has been one of
the striking features of our race through
out all ages, and it never was more appar-
ent than at present. The names Of our
capitalists are in such frequent use
as to show how they are canonized as the
true saints in the calender. There is Saint
Vanderbilt, and Saint Stewart, and the
holy family of Astors. / have sometimes
thought that it would be well if the inside
life of all these imaginary celestials copld
be portrayed. We should then see a pic
ture of social ulcer such as would make one
shudder. 1t would be we'll for our clergy
to handle this theme in bold aud trans
parant manner. Let them show the truth
of the poets words:


Nature is frugal and her wants few


MtsFoRTUNEs OF OUR RICH MEN.


During this half insane idolatry OF wealth,
it is well to refer, however briefly, to the
real condition, as the poet says:


Can wea'th give happiness Look around snd see
What gag distress, what splendid misery
have lived in this city of New York
long enough to be able to recall instances
in which money proved q terrible curse |
can remember old John Jacob Astor in his
latter ears suffering intensely from the fear
of poverty. The care of his immense es-
tate, and the fear of approaching want,
wrought a frame of miud which was dis.
tress akin to madness. All his conversa.
tion was about his Investments and the ex
penses of living, which were of threaten
iDg nature, and grew worse and worse
until the scene was closed by death. An
other case was that of old Nathaniel Prime.
founder of the house of Prime, Ward & Co.
He retired to a country seat, in possession
of much envied wealth, but became 30 in
tensely miserable that he finished by cut
ting his throat. Another capitalist hanged
himself because of the loss of five hundred
dollars. He had sold a house, which the par-
chaser resold at profit of the above -men-
toned amount, aud tue consequent vexa-
ton drove him to suicide. Charles NJ. .
Leup. once one of the leading leather deal
ers of the swamp. finished his career in the
same manner. He had spent many years
in the accumulation of great wealth, and
when his desire had been gratifed. it
brought such wreichedness that suicide
appeared the best mode of relief. Van
Aukep, the butter merchant, after maxim 8
half q million cut his throat in a Fifth Av-
enue palace. Iu fact there have been more
suicides in Fifth Avenue relative to its
population, than among the population of
our tenement houses.


WEALTH AND INSANITY.


1t is melancholy to observe how closely
insanity tracks our successful business
men. Madness, indeed, is the great aven-
ger Of those laws of health which are
orokeh ny nearly ali VINO seek wealth. j
have noticed long list of painful illustra,
tions of this truth. One of the most strik-
ing was that of the late Thomas Andrews.
He was we'll known as one of the most
brilliant business men of his day, and the
house which he founded is still in success.
fnl operation. Iknew him when he started
trade without dollar. His energy and
skill made up for lack of capital, and the
result was that before he was forty, he
was estimated at half a million. This
grand success was only accomplised by in
tense application to business, and his
mind sank under the tremendous effort.
He died at Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum,
aged forty-fye. I can add to this large
number of similar cases of startling char
acter which shows at how great expense
some men make money.