But he still goes to his office every day, and toils as if he had to work
for a living. Being told that he should discontinue his drudgery,
as at his death he would have to leave his large fortune to relatives
who would probably squander it, he gave an answer which is characteristic
of the man. "I love," he said, "accumulating dollars and bank notes,
and my enjoyment is in counting them; if my relatives
who will inherit my fortune, take as much pleasure in spending it
as I have had in making it, they will be quite welcome to their joy."
Not many people, I fancy, will agree with the old bachelor's view of life.
I once suggested to a multi-millionaire of New York that it was time for him
to retire from active work, leaving his sons to carry on his business.
He told me that he would be unhappy without work and that he enjoyed
the demands his business made on him each day.

Many a man's life has been shortened by his retiring from business.
It is the mind rather than the body that lives, and apart from their business
these men have no thoughts and therefore no life. A man's idea of happiness
is greatly governed by his personal tastes, and is influenced
by his environment, his education and the climate.
The form which it is to assume may vary with persons
of different tastes and positions, but it should not be carried out
for his own benefit solely and it should not be injurious to his health
or to his intellectual and spiritual improvement, nor should it be detrimental
to the interests of other people.




Chapter 7. American Freedom and Equality