The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1875-10-21
MONEY.

The love of money is said to be "the
root of all evil, and no doubt is, but it is
a very sweet root to have, to hold forever
more, if we only could. The money in
itself has no evil, it is the use we make of
it that brings the evil consequences.
Arnold sold his country for gold. The
Saviour of the world was betrayed for
gold, yet the coin remained the same. Not
so with men. They work for it, fight for
it, steal for it, and commit murder for it,
turning deaf ear to the still small voice
within, that is continually pleading for
them to heed the words of "God and
Nature" "What shall it profit man, if
he gains the whole world, and looses his
own soul" This madness for money is the
strongest and lowest passion of the human
heart, before whose remorseless altar all the
finer feelings of humanity are sacrificed.
Health, strength, sleep, pleasure, honor, the
happiness of home, all these are as nothing,
compared to the love of gain.
Take for instance the gambler, whose
love for gold is more intense than was ever
the love for woman, or the love of doing
right more intoxicating, more fervld and
actually in it's deeds of self-sacrifce, more
heroic, with nothing more than the vile
end of gold for their reward. He con-
quors, or falls with the courage ofa stole !;
descending, in an hour from the highest
social position, to the lowest grades of socie-
ty, without change of features.
Still hanging over the green cloth, where
the demon of play enchains him, he exper-
fences in one night every vicissitude of our
life First king, then slave, he leaps over
in one bound with the throw of the dice,
the enormous space that separates these
two men, in the scale of human existence.
His home, wife, little ones, all sunk to the
level of beggards outcast. He knows not
what he will be, when he leaves the den,
whether weighed down with countless gold
or despoiled of the last poor gem, perhaps
a mothers gift, which glitters on his hand.
His peace of mind and happiness all gone,
the quiet and repose of every day life is
torture to him, whose delight it was to
make his own heart throb with agony, his
blood boil, his brain reel madly, who throws
his life, his honor, his fortune away at one
throw of the dice, or risk them piece by
piece, in slow exquisite torture. The
quiet of home is puerile and childish. The
ocean could as soon sink into eternal calm,
the eagle be happy without wings, as he re-
turn to the monotony of common existance
Money has much of real good and value
in its use. A we'll filled purse is God
send to the sick and suffering In the
hands of judicious person so much benefit
can be derived if properly used. 1t has
saved thousands of poor weak creatures
from wrong doing Ithas helped smooth the
pillow of the sick and dying. 1t is assoca-
ted in the childs heart with taffy, dolls,
tops, chewing gum, and the longer Gnger-
ing of the organ-grinder and his monkey
/ remember when five cents was a small
treasure and all the children in the neigh
borhood focked around me when | went to
spend it with the old woman at the candy
store. After while, so little was given for
five cents, quarter took its place-those
days vanished, then we wanted dollar
And so it is with the older ones, first hund-
reds, then thousands, and finally millions,
and still the secret cry is, ''more, more"
Morals are useful, so | will endeavor to
draw one from this precedent. Be satisfied
with the fact that we live, we see, speak,
hear, that there is blue sky and green
fields under it. Don't wait to be the
owners of these fields, Hold Content fast. F"
Once gone, it never returns Though
YOU are covered with diamonds and have
bags full Of gold. CECILIA.