The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-12-14

When the apostle said, ''The love
of money is the rOot-of all evil" he
certainly did not mean that the mere
desire for money is the source of all
the sins committed by men. Thie
view carries its own refutation. There
are numberlesss sins that have no
connection whatever with money.
Is not this the sense of the text:
That there is no crime, all the way
from the quibbling lie Of the mer-
chant over his goods, to the murder
of the gambler over his dice, but
that you can find some one to do it
for pay? Count out your thirty
pieces of silver, and you can find a
Judas in any community.
But there are two sides to this
money question-the abusive and
useful. Shamefully abused, money
can be made the source of any or all
of the crimes in the whole catalogue
of iniquities. Lawfully used, it can
be made the means of all good.
There is great need of more clearly
defined views, among all classes, on
this question.
Many good people have greatly
mistaken the relations of money to
men and morals. Assuming that the
apostle pronounced money the root
of all evil, they have poured whole>
sale, indiscriminate denunciation up
on money, money-getting, and mon,
eyed men. With such people, to be
rich is to be rascally; and a large
fortune is invariably joined to large
iniquitles.
In honest natures, a wrong con-
science has been put in conflict with
legitimate desires for gain. Con-
Zcience goes under, and stays there,
even when in the right. Men of
morals have put themselves out of
sympathy with men of money by
their unwisdom. Thus, many a
man, who in the outset would have
listened to wise counsel, plunges
mind, soul and body into the one
work of getting and keeping money.
The pulpit has not always taken
the right position on this question.
DictatOrial reproofs and unwise
declarations have taken the place of
calm reasoning together" and ju-
dicious counsel; on this account,
many refuse to listen to any counsel
from the pulpit, on the relations
of money, be they ever so wisely
put. The conclusion is, that min>
listers not having much money to ham
die (which is awfully true), know
nothing about its relations. True,
ministers may not know much about
money in its relations to the laws of
gain, yet their Office peculiarly fits
them to know the relations of money
to the Jaw of right and wrong.
Wherever money touches question
of morals, there are few who can
give better counsel than a discreet
minister of Christ. When money
tramps on morals, no men have a
better right to come to the rescue
than those who are specially set for
the defense of morals. Let us have
taen, from the pulpit, wise and ju-
dicious teaching on this all-absorbing
topic.
Money is good in its way. None
of us can get on without it. We
need it for large business enter
prises, for the Improvement and de-
velopment of society, for building
schools, academies, and colleges.
We need it for the support of the
government, for building and sus-
tanning churches, for carrying the
gospel to the ends of the earth, and
for vitalizing countless enterprises Of
love and benevolence.
But who shall devote themselves
to money making? Certainly all Of
US cannot. Some are called to the
higher spheres of thought and re-
ligion; in these, because of their en-
dowments, they can make the mos
of themselves for God and humanity
Such men have no moral right to de
vote themselves to money-getting
Now, there are men who have {
marvellous skill for making money
They know where to plant dollars t.
make them grow, just as we'll as {
wise farmer knows where to plan
seeds. They have a prodigious fac