From the South Bend News Times, July 25, 1913. By Berton Braley.
He passed Love up for money and got the cash he sought,
For gold he gave up Friendship—which can’t be sold or bought,
He bade good-bye to pleasure, he said farewell to fun,
He only wanted cash in hand—and cash was what he won.
He had no heart for laughter, no time to dream or dance,
Adventure had no charms for him, he scoffed at fair Romance,
The Joy of Living called to him, but ah, he wouldn’t hear,
What did he care if grass were green and skies were blue and clear?
He knew that profits mounted up, that interest was high,
But gold of dawn or sunset seemed worthless to his eye,
For all the fun and frolic, the sorrow or the pain,
The wonder of the busy world, its struggle, stress and strain,
Were nothing much but noise to him, and so he toiled along
And never knew the face of joy or listened to her song.
For all his greed of heart and hand, his trail of wrong and fraud,
What punishment shall come to him whose money was his god?
Behold, he hath his punishment and more he needeth not.
He gave his very soul for Gold—and Gold is All he got!