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Show TSE SUFFERINGS OF THE RICH. "Vour ntwsp.ijers make a great fiit-, said one ofthe wealthiest men in New York to a World reporter, ' about the sufferings of the poor man during theau hard time?, but I don't t-co that any of them notice particularly par-ticularly the diabolical distress of the rich man." Tha repoiter wnsri't a war; that tho rich man miflerfcd at all. "That," (mid he of the wtahh, "w because you don't know anything about it. Why, sir, I undergo moro actual, absolute torture in an hour than any poor wretch in thia city. If I hadn't a cent in the world, I'd have some sympathy, some rest, some assistance. As it ia, I'm hounded to death. I'm despised, beset, annoyed, contemned, backbitten, waylaid. The I go church I am told that a camel can get through the eye of a needle slicker than I can get into heaven. If I didn't dreas my family in an extravagant manner I hear that I am i au old skinflint If I do, I am told that all I think of my money is to make a vulgar show with it. I supposed I worked is hard as any man for more than two-thirds of my life to accumulate a fortune, bull believe most people think I ought to give it away and commence over again. Inawiuter like this you've no idea of the hardships of tho rich. If I help all tlio people who apply to me I mbht as well go to the poor house, and yet all of them expect it, and mo3t of them, I dare say, are worthy. It's out of the question. So they curse mo, I suppose. All the benevolent societies, charities, public institutions, and chuicn organizations have their agents out. 1 nm waited upon by commit t-jes, runners, clergymen, secretaries. Tney eend mo half a bushel of letters a day. They drop upon me in the most unexpected places. They get into my privnto ofiice. They wait in my library before I am up. They sit on my front steps. Thry follow me into the horse-cars. What is a man to do? If I let them have their way my name will bo paraded as if I wanted to advertise my charities. If I don't tho pre-is will want to know what he has ever dona for New York. The other day a ropoittr came to see me about my will. He eaid the public would like to be informed as -to the proposed disposition of my property a my decease. I suppose if I wero to get a cold in mj head there'd bo a brigade of thiMn quartered under my windows. I begin to lel that a rich man is a disgrace to the community! that somehow I have cum milled a crime. I don't like to look a man squarely iu the face for fear his hatred of mo will show itself or ne will stop and ask mo to lend him SI, 000 to get his starving family some food to eat. I tell you, sir, this winter iB awful hard ou the rich man. He doesuVeven oat bis dinner in peace. now can he when there are 40,000 i who are diuucrle.-s! His money gets to bo a reproach to him, aud he feels as if he'd like to give tho whole of it away in one lump and try the luxury of being poor for awhile. But you needn't say anything about that or I'll havo a fresh battalion here tomorrow, to-morrow, and half the idlers in town will be writing me letters. In fact I wouldn't Bay anything about it if I were you, but it's a fact, tho rich man sutlers in a hard winter a good deal moro than the poor man. Yeu take my word for it. And tho poor don't pity him a bit." New York World. |