Anybody who really wishes to talk simple truth about money at the
present time is confronted by a very serious practical difficulty. He
must put himself in opposition to the overwhelming body of public
opinion, and resign himself to being regarded either as a _poseur_, a
crank, or a fool. The public is in search of happiness now, as it was a
million years ago. Money is not the principal factor in happiness. It
may be argued whether, as a factor in happiness, money is of
twentieth-rate importance or fiftieth-rate importance. But it cannot be
argued whether money, in point of fact, does or does not of itself bring
happiness. There can be no doubt whatever that money does not bring
happiness. Yet, in face of this incontrovertible and universal truth,
the whole public behaves exactly as if money were the sole or the
principal preliminary to happiness. The public does not reason, and it
will not listen to reason; its blood is up in the money-hunt, and the
philosopher might as well expostulate with an earthquake as try to take
that public by the button-hole and explain. If a man sacrifices his
interest under the will of some dead social tyrant in order to marry
whom he wishes, if an English minister of religion declines twenty-five
thousand dollars a year to go into exile and preach to New York
millionaires, the phenomenon is genuinely held to be so astounding that
it at once flies right round the world in the form of exclamatory
newspaper articles! In an age when such an attitude towards money is
sincere, it is positively dangerous--I doubt if it may not be
harmful--to persist with loud obstinacy that money, instead of being
the greatest, is the least thing in the world. In times of high military
excitement a man may be ostracised if not lynched for uttering opinions
which everybody will accept as truisms a couple of years later, and thus
the wise philosopher holds his tongue--lest it should be cut out. So at
the zenith of a period when the possession of money in absurd masses is
an infallible means to the general respect, I have no intention either