Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/328



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sweets of  death. Let him  beware  who  takes  to  him- self more than  his  share  of  good,  for  upon  him  the gods will  lay  a  corresponding  quota  of  evil.

To a  gold-laden  ass  all  doors  open. But the  wealth- winners of  California  were  not  asses,  whatever  may prove to  be  some  of  their  descendants,  who  like  an oyster  have  much  mouth  but  no  head. Their lives, it is  true,  were  too  much  like  the  life  of  an  ass,  enticed to drag  its  load  by  the  fodder  held  before  it,  and  which sees nothing  but  the  fodder. They worked  for  money as if  they  had  a  wolf  in  their  stomachs. Some were made wealthy  by  their  avarice ;  others  were  made  ava- ricious by their  wealth. There were  men  among  them of whom  it  might  be  said,  as  it  was  of  Jeremy  Taylor, "His very  dust  is  gold";  there  were  others  of  whom we are  compelled  to  admit,  "His  very  gold  is dust."

Wealth does  not  accumulate  in  the  hands  of  a  com- munity by accident,  nor  by  divine  interposition,  neither does literature,  art,  nor  science. Because men  will so and  so  is  not  a  sufficient  reason  for  their  doings ; all human  actions  are  the  result  of  cause,  and  individ- uals will to  act,  or  they  act,  because  of  that  cause. It was the  application  of  the  principles  of  political  economy to social  philosophy,  though  carried  not  quite  so  far as at  the  present  time,  that  made  the  Wealth  of  Nations of Adam  Smith  so  long  the  popular  and  powerful  ex- })onent of  economic  principles.

Early in  the  sixties  there  arose  a  race  of  bonanza kings with  silver  souls ;  silver  were  their  friends,  and silver were  their  enemies,  for  to  be  worthy  their  con- sideration at all,  they  must  be  of  silver;  silver  was their meat  and  meditations ;  their  doors  were  barred with silver,  and  silver  paved  their  way  to  the  final abode of  souls. There was  a  whiskey  demon  and  a silver  demon,  and  these  two  demons  fought;  the  silver demon caught  the  whiskey  demon,  but  the  whiskey demon gnawed  out  the  vitals  of  the  silver  demon. Great is  whiskey,  and  great  is  silver,  but  the