Avarice and Generosity.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7, 14 August 1912, Page 51

Avarice and Generosity.

MR. DOOLEYS OPINION. “ I nover blame a man f’r bein' avaricyous in his ol’ age. Whin a fellow gits so he has nawthin’ else to injye, whin ivrybody calls him ‘sir’ or 'mister,’ an’ young people dodge him an' he sleeps afther dinner, an’ folks say he’s an ol’ fool if he wears a buttonhole bokay, an’ Iris teeth is only tinants at will an’ not permanent, fixtures, ’tis no more thin naeh’ral that he shad begin to look around f’r a way iv keepin’ a grip on human s’eiety. It don't take him long to see that the on’y tiring that's vin'rable in age is money, an’ he proceeds to acquire anything that happens to be in sight, takin’ it where he can lind it. not where he wants it, which is th’ way to aeeumylate a fortune. .“Money won't prolong life, but a few m’dlyons judieyously placed in good banks an’ oeeas’nally worn on the person will rayjooce age. Poor of men are always older thin poor rich men. In th’ almhouse a man is decrepit an’ mournful looking at 60, but a millyoimire at 00 is jus’ hi th’ prime iv life to a friendly eye, an’ there are no others. “ It’s aisier to th' ol’ to grow rich thin it is to th’ young. At making money a man iv 00 is miles ahead iv a hi’iid iv 25. Pollytics and bankin’is th’ "on'y two games where age has the best ,jv it. Youth has bettlier things to attui to, an’ more iv thim. I don’t blame a man f’r bein’ stingy anny more thin I blame him f’r havin’ a bad leg. 5 e know th doctors say that if ye don't use wan iv ye’er limbs f’r a year or so ye ran niver use it again. So it is with gin rosily. A man starts arly in life not bein’ gin’rous. lie says to hinisilf. ' 1 wurruKesl f’r this thing, an’ if I give it away I lose it.’ lie ties up his gin'rosity ill bandages so that th’ blood can’t cireylate in it. It gets to be a superst itioh with hint that he’ll have bad luck if Im iver does annything f’r annybody. Au’ so he rakes in an’ puts his private mark with hi» teeth on all th’ movable money in th’ wurruld. But th’ day comes w’liin he sees people around him gettin' a good dale iv injyemint out iv gin'rosity, an’ somewan says: 'Why don’t ye, too, be gin’rous? Come, ol’ green goods, unbelt. lo«sen up, be gin’rous.' ‘Gin'rous?’ saap he. ‘What’s that ?’■ ‘ It’s th - best spoort in th’ wurruld. It’s givin' things io people.’ ‘But I can t-,’ he says. I haven’t annything to do it with,' he says. ‘ I don’t know th’ game. 1 haven’t anny gin’rosity,’ he says. ' But ye have, says they. 'Ye have as much gin'rosity as anny wan if ye'll only use it,’ says they. • Take it out iv th’ plaster cast ye put it in an’ ’twill look as good as new,’ says they. An’ he does it. lie thries to use his gin’rosity, but all h* life is out iv itIt .rives way undher him, an' he falls dovvn. He can't raise it fr’m th’ ground. It’s ossylied an’ useless. I’ve seen manny a fellow that suffered fr’m ossylied gin' rosity. “ Whin :> man begins makin' money in bis youth at anything but games iv chance he niver can become gin'rous la jo in life. He may make a bluff at it. Some men are gin’rous with a crutch. Sonm men get the use of their gin'rosity back suddenly whin they ar’re in danger. Winn Claney, the miser, was caught in a lire in th’ Daisied Sthreet Palace Hotel ho bowled fr’m a window: 'l'll give twinty dollars to anny man that'll take mo down.’ Cap’n Minehan put up a laddher an’ climbed to.him an* carried-him to th, sthreet. Half-way down th' ladder th’ brave rayscooer was seen to be chokiit his helpless burdhen.’ \Ve discovered aftherward that Clancy had thried to begin negotyations to rayjooce th rewaid to live dollars, llis gin'rosity had !>«•- come suddenly par'lysed ngtwn. “So if ye'd stay gin’rous to th' mid. niver lave ye'er gm rosity idle too long. Don’t run at ivry hour at th' top oy its speed, but fr’m day to day give it a little gintie exercise to keep it supple an', hearty, an’ in due time ye may iiijie it.’