The Latest Viewpoints of Men Worth While.
The Presidents of Harvard, Columbia, and Cornell Discuss Questions Bearing on the Practical Training of the Young Men of America—Maeterlinck Calls New York a City of Money, Bustle, and Noise—John Morley Offers Some Valuable Suggestions on the Reading of Books—Edward S. Martin Praises City Life—Ex-President Cleveland Speaks of the Relation of Doctor and Patient—And Other Notable People Express Themselves on Matters of Current Interest.
Compiled and edited for The Scrap Book.
IS THE RICH YOUNG MAN HANDICAPPED?
President Eliot, of Harvard, Tells of
the Blessings of Poverty and the
Penalties of Great Wealth.
Is wealth a hindrance to a young man starting out in life? Men who have built their own fortunes are almost unanimous in answering yes. To have nothing to begin with means, they say, illimitable opportunity, and opportunity is the great developing factor; poverty means the stimulus of real need, which impels men to take advantage of opportunity. To quote the present Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Walter V. Morgan:
The best thing that can happen to a young man is to be poor. Extreme poverty may sometimes hamper a youth's progress, but, in my opinion, he is far more likely to make his way in the world if he starts with the proverbial half-a-crown in his pocket than with a thousand-pound note.
Riches carry their own penalty. President Eliot, in a recent address before the student body at Harvard, said:
The very rich are by no means the healthiest members of the community, and to escape the perils of luxurious living requires unusual will-power and prudence.
Great capital at the disposal of a single individual confers on its possessor great power over the course of industrial development, over his fellow men and sometimes over the course of great public events, like peace or war between nations. It enables a man to do good or harm, to give joy or pain, and places him in a position to be feared or looked up to.