Father Johann Rudolf Meyer, Citizen of Aarau: A Memorial

consists more in the hinting at, than in the wasting of, a great fortune. He was in every respect too rich to need the appearance of wealth. As always, his clothing and lifestyle proclaimed the old-Swiss simplicity of his inner self. He rose early at five o'clock and dressed himself completely at once so as not to lose time, which he valued above all else, by changing clothes. The coat, without a standing collar, the long waistcoat, and the short breeches were all of gray cloth, not very fine, as a memento of the color of that fabric with whose profitable sale his commercial success had begun; the shirt and the narrow, neatly folded necktie were all the finer. For "the shirt," he used to say, "is for me, the coat only for the sake of appearances for the people." On his head, he wore a short crop, well-powdered, and a small triangular hat. Simple order and cleanliness were spread over his entire person. He refreshed himself from his work at eleven o'clock at the table in intimate, lively conversation with his family. "All worries," he said, "I leave down in the