How to Get Rich

Another story comes to mind, this one from a high school teacher of mine, Mr. Hood. He said once he went from house to house asking for contributions for his church’s building fund. He came to a grand house owned by a rich man and anticipated a sizable donation. Just before his finger would have pressed the doorbell button, he heard the man inside scolding another man, a servant perhaps, for lighting a match for absolutely no reason.

Mr. Hood did not ring, turned around, and started hurrying away. The rich man opened the door and called his would-be visitor back, and invited him into the house. Then he asked him why he tried running away.

Mr. Hood said something like, “I heard you fussing at someone for striking a match unnecessarily. Thought you might be . . .”

“Stingy?” the rich man said.

“Well, yes.”

“Young man, to have money, you have to save money. One way to do that is not to waste matches.”

The rich man wrote the church a generous check.

I don’t know why Mr. Hood told us this story. Perhaps we were wasting our time.

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