National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-05-03
THE CHURCHES YESTERDAY
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poll cy and the outbreaking OF q mean disposition.
RF men have their weaknesses and sas, and
e. rs as we'll as tongues, have their rights. The
suppositlon that rich men when mean are mean
because rich, is %
A ooNTENPTIBLR soPHIsTRY.
Are there no mean poor men in the circle Of your
RicheS possessed are not seldom the index of
great personal merit. They indicate foresight,
economy, great paiDsta ring, honorable conduct
and trustful VentuIe-nobIe qualities OF head and
tend successfniiy with low cram and mean fraud.
with fierce wickedness and battling competitions,
and maintain, at the same time, honor, honesty
and sterling integrity inyiolate, is task for
which only heroes are equal. r..
Wealth Is Q great power IN this world; and
when acquired by injustice, by oyerreaching
cruelty, by organized fraud and Individual mean
ness, at the price of conscience, virtue and man
hoods when It is obtained and used tor selfish and
sy canSsInS and Deadly surse ~ NJ
and to the community. Blessings which minister
to the wise and good are to the foolish and wicked
creases his talent and happiness but the unfaith-
full loses at the last what ne had, and sinks into
DARKNESS AND MISERY.
Riches and their pursuit, On the conditions
blessings. The Improvement Of mankind implies
the increase Of riches. Society Is capable Of q
perfection which the possession of wealth alone
will enable 1t to attain. Therefore the Bible never
condemns wealth per Sc, nor praises poverty.
Society in its earliest stages and in its divine or
ganiZatlon, esteemed wealth Tor It's usefulness
and the precious metals for ornament. "a river
went out Of Eden to water the garden and parted
thence into four streams. The name Of the first
is Pison; that is 1t which compAsseth the whole
land Of Hayilah, where there is gold, and the
gold Of that land is good; there is bedellium and
the onyx stone" Mans Eden and the land Of
much gold are never far apart save in the dreams
of the fanatic.
The desire for wealth is wonderful motive. It
has ubiquitous and undying potency. lttouches
every faculty and stimulates the energies of all
men. 1t is the appetiZing provocative that leases
the business nerve Of more than half the world.
Its possession is
THE sINEw OF ART,
Of science, of literature and OF government as
we'll as Of war. Under its influence men rear the
flock and cultivate the field. 1t encourages them
to make useful fabrics Of every sort. 1t Whitens
the waters with ships, and commissions the plon-
Ger. 1t builds colleges and libraries and even
churches Scholars, statesmen and preachers are
not insensible to its gentle charms. 1t prints
newspapers and sermons, and hires soldiers and
missionaries. 1t buys harness for the winds and
waves; is doubtless the ruin OF some people, but
The pursuit Of wealth is honorable whom taste
seeks IL that 1t may also obtain the beautiful
when the student seeks IL that he may also buy
the TRUTH when love seeks it that II may provide
justice for the wronged and bread for the needy;
when religion seeks It that 1t may also hnd the
hitting and the helpful, the path to goodness and
Money is a tireIess motive, and money getting
a fever in the veins OF all men who capable OF
high hope ambition and manhood. And so men
are digging in the mines, sweltering at the forge
WASTING BEFORE THE LAMP,
skyerlDg in lands Of perpetual ice, painting under
the fury OF tToplc suns, dying by inches at the
fallen in the strife, whole nations have persisted
their glory surviving emily In their example and |
monuments. The race, however, continues and |
has made progress, wisdom increases, barbarism
declines nations and races are rising in intelIi-
gence and morals and are advancing in the ele- |
ments Of q true and permanent ciViliz Ition. The
money crusade has not, therefore, declined, but,
necessarily, increased.
The Bible names no sum beyond which acduisi- |
tion Incurs guilt. The inuOcency Of wealth de- |
ponds not upon the amount amassed but upon the |
methods and motives of its acquisition and use |
Large amounts Of wealth may not be absolutely |
Indispensable either to the Individual or to So
ciety, and yet the possession Of riches and their
pursuit have in them such possibilities Of blessing
that neither must be spoken against unqualf- |
fedly. There have been in all ages noble and |
useful men who have gotten on without wealth. |
They we're grand men, however, and performed |
grand work. not because Of their poverty, but in |
spite Of II. The praises Of poverty are sophIs- |
tries. Poor people have no business to beflttle |
religion that never was intended for them only,
and so mako It disgusting. There have been |
good people who were poor, but their poverty /
was not the cause Of their goodness. Wealth is |
not the cause Of all
THE EVILS IN THE WORLD.
We must not deal falsely even in discussion. |
1t is Q sin to be untrue. |
hear much said in worthy praise Of the |
simple times Of our fathers, and / hear much |
nonsense. Without great centres OF wealth four |
heterogeneous civilization would be impossible. |
The communism Of the Christian Church at |
AS man rises in the scale Of being his needs null
tiply. The Indian squaw may be content with |
her moecasin and blanket, but . Parepa Rosa |
needs, and should have, her laces, silks and |
diamonds. Mary things not necessary to man, |
the savage, feeding on roots and raw flesh, be- |
come quite necessary to man, the civilized and |
cultivated, with his new world unfolding within |
and building around him. Let Diogenes have |
his tub, If he wants It, and Sumner his costly |
books and pictures. Railroads and ships OF the |
line mean wealth, that they NAV exist Paul |
and Julius Caesar managed without the telegraph |
and printing press, but what would modern |
breakfast be without shaking hands with the /
great world through the morning paper2 Dorcas |
had no sewing machine, and Abrahams wife had |
NO COOKING RANGE;
neither would we have machinery and.commeree |
and communion of nations If he had no wealth.
Poverty means barbarism. God wants nobody |
self or TO have his children poor. Poverty in this
country at least is very often Gin. 1t is right to
earn and hold property, and it is bad to preach
good and equally bad 70 call good evil. Wealth
is liable TO peryersion as all good blessings are
Let the perYersion be denounced, not the posses
this country It must be both intelligent and hon.
est. II must stand on facts and tell the whole
and the unexaggerated truth-the truth for all
men and fer every phase Of society.
Wealth was never so mighty as now. The des-
TIMES Of the world seem to be passing into the
hands Of those who are welding its money power.
The intelligent Christian will think 1t better that
some Of the worlds business and money and
power should be in Christian hands and uses,
rather than that, through some mistaken notion
Of the piety Of poverty the control Of these great
forces should be given over to the selfish the base
and wicked. He will not be easily convinced that
cunning greed ought to do all the worlds work,
manage all its institutions. Money means power, |
and good men should get 1t. He that can and
does not make his five pounds ten, sins against
humanity and his own soul.