FILLIONAIRES AND THEIR WEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81848, 17 September 1906, Page 4

FILLIONAIRES AND THEIR WEALTH.

Late English papers to hand contain many interesting incidents in the career of the late Mr. Russell Sage, the well known capiatlist, who died recently. Unlike must men fab ulouslv rich. Russeli Sage lived a comparatively quiet life. The late Cornelius Vanderbilt, who died ißqq worth £20,000,000, said once; "The care of 200,000,000d0l is t<,o great a load for any brain or back to bear; it is enough to kill a man. There is no pleasure to be got out of it as an offset—no good of any kind • Ihave no real enjoyment of any sort more than my neighbour who is worth half a million.'' When Jay Gould came to die, leaving £15,000.000, his doctor reported that his system had given way '"under the strain of his great wealth: he was always weighed down with anxiety and the excitement of protecting his properties." Very different was the case of Russell Sage. To an English visitor he confessed that he had one object in life—"to make money. The pleasure is in the making the deal, the risk, and then the delight of winning. And then—well, I just put the money in the bank and look forward to the next deal" Summing up his career, he said: "everything I have tried for I have fjot; all my ideals I have realised; lam perfectly satisfied. Some one asked Russell Sage what was the secret of growing rich. He answered. "Let every man lay down the rule for himself that he will invariably spend less than he makes. Then he is safe." Russell Sage used to boast that he had never failed to keep a promise r an engagement, and never borrowed a penny. According to him "no man of health and sense need be poor I ' in America.