[00:00.67]Passage 51. Sorrow of the Millionaire
[00:09.63]The unfortunate millionaire has the responsibility of tremendous wealth
[00:16.41]without the possibility of enjoying himself more than any ordinary rich man.
[00:21.34]Indeed, in many things he cannot enjoy himself more than many poor men do,
[00:26.59]nor even so much, for a drum major is better dressed,
[00:30.75]a trainer’s stable lad often rides a better horse;
[00:33.70]the first-class carriage is shared by office boys taking their young ladies out for the evening;
[00:40.16]everybody who goes down to Brighton for Sunday rides in the Pullman car;
[00:44.31]and for what use is it to be able to pay for a peacock’s brain sandwich
[00:49.02]when there is nothing to be had but ham or beef?
[00:52.19]The injustice of this state of things has not been sufficiently considered.
[00:57.33]A man with an income of ￡25 a year can multiply his comfort beyond all calculation
[01:04.06]by doubling his income.
[01:05.93]A man with ￡50 a year can at least quadruple his comfort by doubling his income.
[01:11.73]Probably up to even ￡250 a year doubled income means doubled comfort.
[01:18.29]After that the increment of comfort grows less in proportion to the increment of income
[01:23.33]until a point is reached at which the victim is satiated and even surfeited with everything that money can purchase.
[01:29.67]To expect him to enjoy another hundred thousand pounds because men like money,
[01:34.81]is exactly as if you were to expect a confectioner’s shopboy
[01:38.86]to enjoy two hours more work a day because boys are fond of sweets.
[01:43.13]What can the wretched millionaire do that needs a million?
[01:45.65]Does he want a fleet of yachts, a Rotten Row full of carriages, an army of servants,
[01:52.10]a whole city of town houses, or a continent for a game preserve?
[01:57.24]Can he attend more than one theatre in one-evening,
[02:01.18]or wear more than one suit at a time, or digest more meals than his butler?
[02:06.55]And yet there is no sympathy for this hidden sorrow of plutocracy.
[02:10.59]The poor alone are pitied.
[02:12.45]Societies spring up in all directions to relieve all sorts of comparatively happy people,
[02:17.59]but no hand is stretched out to the millionaire,except to beg.
[02:21.09]In all our dealings with him lies implicit,
[02:24.04]the delusion that he has nothing to complain of,
[02:26.46]and that he ought to be ashamed of rolling in wealth
[02:29.41]whilst others are starving.
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