The Riches That Bring Sorrow

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER ni. THE BENEFACTOR OP THE BLIND?THE REV. WILLIAM HETHERINGTON. In the life of the celebrated Cecil, there is an incident recorded characteristic of the courage of the man and the fidelity of the minister. Having made his a'ppearance one morning at the dwelling of one of his flock, and having gained access to its master, he commenced the conversation by saying, very gravely, I have called on you, sir, because I hear you are in great danger. The party thus addressed replied, somewhat coldly, that he was happy to see Mr. Cecil, but was not aware of any peril that menaced him from any quarter. It does, was the rejoinder; and not the less certainly from your being unconscious of its presence: I hear you are become extremely rich. The million covet wealth, but how few dream of its perils! Few are aware of the extent to which it ministers to the baser passions of our nature, the selfishness which it engenders, the arrogance which it feeds, the self-security which it inspires, the damage which it does to all the nobler feelings and holier aspirations of the heart. Common life presents us hourly with instances where, under its influence, the whole man appears utterly changed. He who, in humble circumstances, was kind, considerate, forbearing, and compassionate, becomes?when raisedto opulence?haughty, ohdurate, inaccessible, unmerciful. None must dare to censure, but all must learn to flatter. Nor, in estimating the perils of wealth, must we omit its responsibility, ?a responsibility that ceases only with the rich man's last sigh. Nothing, says an able writer, can sever from wealth its duties and its responsibilities; nor can it buy off its obligations to active and prudent service by its large and profuse donations. All that these can buy, is popularity. The...