ry riches, when the vessel went down.

"Who is the richest of men," asked Socrates? "He who is content with
the least, for contentment is nature's riches."

In More's "Utopia" gold was despised. Criminals were forced to wear
heavy chains of it, and to have rings of it in their ears; it was put
to the vilest uses to keep up the scorn of it. Bad characters were
compelled to wear gold head-bands. Diamonds and pearls were used to
decorate infants, so that the youth would discard and despise them.

"Ah, if the rich were as rich as the poor fancy riches!" exclaims
Emerson.

Many a rich man has died in the poorhouse.

In excavating Pompeii a skeleton was found with the fingers clenched
round a quantity of gold. A man of business in the town of Hull,
England, when dying, pulled a bag of money from under his pillow, which
he held between his clenched fingers with a grasp so firm as scarcely
to relax under the agonies of death.

Oh! blind and wanting wit to choose,
Who house the chaff and burn the grain;
Who hug the wealth ye cannot use,
And lack the riches all may gain.
WILLIAM WATSON.

Poverty is the want of much, avarice the want of everything.

A poor man was met by a stranger while scoffing at the wealthy for not
enjoying themselves. The stranger gave him a purse, in which he was
always to find a ducat. As fast as he took one out another was to drop
in, but he was not to begin to spend his fortune until he had thrown
away the purse. He takes ducat after ducat out, but continually
procrastinates and puts off the hour of enjoyment until he has got "a
little more," and dies at last counting his millions.

A beggar was once met by Fortune, who promised to fill his wallet with
gold, as much as he might please, on condition that whatever touched
the ground should turn at once to dust. The beggar opens his wallet,
asks for more and yet more, until the bag bursts. The gold falls to
the ground, and all is lost.

When the steamer Central America was about to sink, the stewardess,
having collected all the gold she could from the staterooms, and tied
it in her apron, jumped for the last boat leaving the steamer. She
missed her aim and fell into the water, the gold carrying her down head
first.

In the year 1843 a rich miser lived in Padua, who was so mean and
sordid that he would never give a cent to any person or object, and he
was so afraid of the banks that he would not deposit with them, b