STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



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to my office at nine o'clock in the morning and find a small army of car- 

 penters, masons, painters and all kinds of mechanics waiting for orders 

 or instructions, or seeking employment or contracts. To these I must 

 give audience. Next come my collectors with the everlasting rent-rolls 

 and unceasing complaints about tenants unable or unwilling to pay, or of 

 such as have taken ' French leave' and cannot be found. After some hours 

 of figuring and giving orders these are dismissed. Fifteen or perhaps 

 twenty minutes are devoted to lunch ; correspondence, bank accounts 

 and other matters take up my time until five o'clock P. M., when I am 

 thoroughly tired out and go home to dinner. Now," said Mr. Astor, 

 " how would you like to do all this just for your board and clothing? 

 Well, that is all I get," and as far as the physical man is concerned he 

 was truthful. My hearers will please bear in mind that the great wealth 

 of the Astors was accumulated in the fur trade, but was very greatly 

 enhanced by being invested in leases of real estate running ninety and 

 nine years, and belonging to the Trinity (Episcopal) Church, New York. 

 By the way, these leases have all now expired, I believe. 



Wm. B. Astor in his life-time may have been a very happy man, but 

 if he was he found his happiness in the variety and multiplicity of labor 

 and hard brain-work, the latter being quite as exhausting as the use and 

 exercise of muscle. It is not denied that the Astors, in common with all 

 rich men, have almost unlimited opportunities to do good, to relieve 

 suffering and to encourage worthy industries; but history furnishes us 

 very few data of any great efforts in this direction ! 



Having considered riches as a fountain of happiness, let us look at 

 another and greatly-sought source, viz.: fame, ambition and power. Men 

 in public life may be happy; but how fickle is fame? To-day on the very 

 pinnacle of power, to-morrow scorned and forgotten. This has even 

 passed into a proverb, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." Posi- 

 tion, office and emoluments depending on the will of earthly monarchs, 

 or, as in our own country, on the good-will of the voters (not to mention 

 the power behind the throne), or upon the success of party, are very 

 insecure and uncertain ; certainly politicians have their ups and downs, 

 and among them there are the "ins and the outs." Very frequently 

 they have only Hobson's choice, "they will be damned if they do and 

 they wiU be damned if they don't !" Some men are never so happy as 

 when engaged in word-battle ; they are fond of cutting repartee, and 

 hesitate not to use the keen blades of sarcasm and philippics; all such 

 may feel and be happy, but if they are their peculiar kind of happiness 

 has no attraction for me. Has it for you, my hearers? "Man heapeth 

 to himself riches, and he knows not who shall gather them; they take 

 unto themselves wings and fly away." "And the glory of man is as the 

 flower of the field, the wind passeth over it and it is gone forever." 

 How wise and good is Providence in constituting us to differ in our 

 aspirations ; if we were all of the same mind in regard to our worldly 

 callings, perhaps none of us would be happy here. 



You, for instance, have come to Illinois to pursue happiness in 

 the beautiful and quiet scenes of country life. You have set your 



