Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-01-20

audience with unfagging interest. The lecture
was the second in the course Of the Augusta Ii
brary. The lecturer was introduced by Gen. Selden
Conner, who announced that the next lecture
would be given on Tuesday evening next, by
James Steele Mackaye.
In beginning his lecture, Mr.. Murray said that
be might well confess that he was not orthodox
on the question Of poverty. lThe people would
man is orthodox, except, perhaps, on the subject
of horses) 1t was something worth having, and
did not help man toward heaven anything else
that was good. Like the bee, man was made to
hoard, accumulate and amass. Man, the generic
man the typical man of the nce like nature, hated
vacuum. Therefore poverty was curse. 1t
was not intended that man should devote himself
from sun to sun with mere bread gathering, with
no time or room to exercise bis higher faculties
Leisure, case and quiet were as essential TO the
physical health, as the calm intervals were es-
sentia to nature. What was true of the body was
true ofth mind. This was just what poverty de-
MED. The poor mans work was never ended. In
conversation with poor woman Of Boston the
speaker once asked what was her highest ambition.
She replied that it was to pay for her next bag OF
flour. He thought then of the words, Come I'M
to me and will give you rest" and of the leisure
ly life which wealth made possible on Common
wealth avenue and Beacon hill. lie spoke here
for few minutes Of the governmental relations
Of poverty. The benefits Of government should
go forth to the many rather than to the poor. SO
far possible with the law making power, power
ty should be legislaed cut of existence. The
property accumulated in a business should be
equtaby divided as far as possible among all the
partners shares in that business. The Com
monwealth should not be ambitious to enrich by
her statutes corporations and individual men, She
should favor in her statutes the weakest and the
lowest, if any were to be favored Poverty was
species of slavery, and excessive wealth species
of slaveholdng. In poverty man became slave,
an ignorant slave, and being this he became EN-
Uttered. Mr.. Murray went ON to say that any
man in perfect physical condition was rich. a
dangerous thing was that our children were being
taught to measure things by money value alone.
We were teaching them monstrous heresy.
Once let the monetary standard be adopted in
small things and it will be transferred and adopt
ed in larger things. One of the finest things in
the divine economy was that God had so arranged
it that the best and sweetest things in it could not
be bought. These composed that general wealth
unearned by any, but provided for all. This was
the divine estimate Of the value of things. twas
Gods protest against our mercenary valuations.
Money could purchase for tlatterv, but lot
friendship or love, all the money ever inherited or
ever earned could never buy. In our age, no man
had a right to work for himself alone. Seltshne-s
without condemnation had become impossible. If
one was rich, he was to give not because 1t was
demanded of him, but because it was becoming in
him to give. The New England thrift and econ
omy that distinguished our ancestors could never
be appreciated unless we considered the crcum-
stances that formed its back ground. They saved
that they might give to their children a better OPP
portunity for living. These were the choicest
gifts that had been handed down to us. God be
praised Sat this hatred Of poverty, this love of
work, was handed down to US. He knew not
which was the more dispcable thing, laziness in
rags and 10 the gutter, or lazness in wealth and
broadc!oth that one had not earned. The worst
feature Of poverty was that it made people unhap
py, and that it introduced vice into the world.
Like his lecture on "Deacons," Mr.. Murray closed
with tender and touching story, showing how
herocally poverty can be borne. Although eN.
trayagant and oveidrawn, the story contained
many beautiful and true passages.