The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-04-19

/ Excuse me. Mr.. SlOcum, said fhe
| other; but your remark about being q
Christian leads me to say that I IN afraid
! Christianity hangs very lightly on the
conscience of a stock speculator.
Did you never speculate in stocks
SIR Cushing9'
The interrogation frowned a little. HI
/ felt the remark as rather personal.
Yes
! What ;bout the Christi unity of youl
/ conscience, ha
! 1t hung too lightly, sir-too lightly
I've gone in few times, on the rising
market. and won. But, for every dollar
1 gained, made loss in another direc-
| ton
.Ah, That was unfortunate.
! So felt it to be.
sYou had one consolation, Mr.. Cusli-
ing
.What?'
=. The stock speculations saved you
How so
'Of course. the misfortunes You speak
of had no connection with them; so what
YOU lost by one hand, You made up with
the other.
'On the contrary, Mr.. Slocum, they
were intimately connected, and the losses
were in consequences of the specula-
tions
That's little remarkable.
But no less true, sir.
w hat was the nature of these losses
There are two kinds of riches, Mr.
Slocum-earthly riches and heavenly
ri1hes-gold ri and good. l gained gold,
but lost good. In securing earthly
treasure, laid up just so much less of
treasure in heaven.
l can't understand why, Mr.. Gushing.
You didn't cheat any ybody. Speculation
is neither robbing nor stealing. The
article is in market, and you buy at cur
rent quotations. When a rise takes
place, you sell. 1t may happen. and of
ten does, that the price falls, and then
you lose. You have adverse as we'll as
favorable chances. The thing is all
open to the day.
Gambling, sir; mere gambling, an
swered Mr.. Gushing. a strife to gain
what others may lose; not a system of
reciprocal benefits. which is the Chris
tian law of social life. 1t is founded in
an intense and eager selfishness, that
will not wait for the slow returns of use
full work. It helps nobody, and gener-
ally hurts everybody whom it may hap
pen to reach Money, where it does not
come as gift or benefaction. should al
ways represent useful equivalent. 1t
is sign of value But when / would
possess my neighbor's money without
fair return, then. am l not covetous p
Do | desire his good ? Am l not
a divine commandment? The
agriculturist, the manufacturer, the mer-
chant, the artisan, and all who are en-
gagged in productive work or useful en-
serve the common good, and
become sharers, by virtue of this service,
in the commonwealth but the specula
tor, like tumor in the body, draws in
the rich blood, and gives back nothing,
but fever, unhealthy excitement, disturb
ance of the useful functions and pain
That tumor. sir, is no part of the true
body of society, and it will be eXtirpated
in the last time. 1t may grow, as other
evil things grow here, but its life is OPP
posite to heavenly life, and it will not be
found in heaven
on are too serious, altogether Mr..
Sfocum made answer. This is an eX-
treme and abstract view-more ethical
than practical.
Than practical! Why, my dear sir,
the evil consequences Of what am con-
demning. all right thinking men see and
deplore. The causes lie. as l have init
mated. in an intense and eager selfish
ness, that grasps for gold as the rohbcr
grasps for plunder Neither the specu-
Iator nor the robber cares for others, he
does not gain hv work. production or
benefit of any kind. and take his money
as the reward of things useful. but BY
the law of force or artifce. Is it not SO :
Think
Mr. Slocum was silent.
There is last time for us all. my
friend, said Mr.. Gushing, speaking
even more seriously than before: "a
asst time that is sure to come. You and
have stepped across the line of middle
lee. ! will he fifty in n month. and you
have already accomplished the half cen
.ury. Five. ten, fifteen. or twenty years
at most, and We shall be missed from
our places among men. Have you made
your will /?
The question, coming so unexpectedly, |
gave Mr.. Siocum start
Yes; of course, he answered I
am too systematic to neglect a thing of
so much importance Life is uncertain
And in making it. said Mr. Cush-
ing. YOU COuStueIcu we tue HdtuIe anu
value of your property, and disposed of
it with justice and Judgment AS no
past of your earthly possessions could |
be taken into the other life, you provi- |
led for their equitable distribution.
/ did.
As wise and prudent man. And |
then, Mr.. Slocum, did not your thought |
70 beyond, to that state of existence |
which succeeds +? To that real world, |
where we are to abide forever? Did |
you not think of the riches divine, which |
are spoken of in Cons Holy Word, as |
possessed by the righteous there? OIL
the treasure which our LORD enjoins up
On US to lay up in heaven? In leaving |
everything of the world behind US at |
death, our future becomes thing of |
consideration. The wealth |
Of this world is represented by gold and |
silver-that of the spiritual world, into |
which we rise at death, by goodness and |
truth. IF we do not possess spiritual |
riches at death-if we have no good in |
,ur hearts nor truth in our minds-we |