Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-07-06

THE LOVE OF MONEY.-'The love
of money is the root of all evils
sweeping declaration, but not more
sweeping than true. 1t is often mis-
quoted, made to read, Money is the
root of all evir-a huge mistake
Scarcely any material thing plays Sc
important and useful part in the so
cial economy as money. Without it.
we should at once plunge back to bar
barism. With it, as an agent, we feed
and clothe ourselves, shelter our fami
lies, educate and elevate society, pro
mote benevolence, and support the
Chur,h, with its affiliated interests and
institutions. 1t is natural that an in.
strument of so much good to the hu
for its own sake, as well as loved and
coveted for the advantages it confers
The strength of the acquisitiVe passion
may be inferred from the fact that it
required for counteractive special
precept of the Decalogue. Thou shalt
not cOvet,' heads long list of precepts
and hortations by the sacred writers,
including the warnings of our Saviour
himself, in reference to the prevalence
uf worldiness and selfish desire and
qualification. Passion for money leads
to thefts, robbings, cheating, forgery,
and all manner of swindlings; all the
forms of force and fraud put in opera
ton by individuals and nations to pos
sess themselves of the effects of others.
While they have coveted money, and
the delights and luXuries which money
will purchase, many Christians and
Christian ministers have erred from
the faith, and pierced themselves
through with many Sorrows The
young clerk who robbed his employers
till; the young man who uttered forged
checks; the cashier who squandered the
funds committed to his trust, and COW
cred up his tracks with false entries for
a season; the adventurer who entered
the seductive paths and corners of
stock speculatiOns; the city politician
who created gigantic systems of swim
die, and legalized them by buying
voters and corrupting legislators and
Judges; the govern ment official who
perverted his high Office to mercenary
purposes, and supported woman's ex-
travagance by taking bribes-all these
have fallen into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and hurt
full lusts, the passion for display, fine
houses, fine horses, fine dresses, fine
dinners, luxurious elegancies; all too
dearly purchased by the ultimate sac
rifice of position, lifelong reputation,
honor, liberty, and the exchange OF
name, fame, and country, for prison or
exile. Surely such ARE doomed to de-
struction and perdition.' What a
slaughter of fair regulations followed
the exposure of the whisky frauds!
What set of scattered skulkers are
the members of the once prosperous
Tammany ring! What suspicious clus-
ter about every man that has had any
thing to do with recommendation
sale, or purchase of bogus mines, lucra-
tive offices, post traderships, cadet
ships, congressional pageships, and
other ingenious stealings, filchings
from dereived people or the treasury
Of burdened taxpayers! Bad is it for
men of the world when caught in
frauds and compelled to eat the bitter
fruit of their doings. Worse is 1t when
the blow falls on the Christian ranks,
and the cause of God is brought into
ill-repute by the results of covetousness
in minister or member. Thou, o man
of God, flee these things.s = Tamper not
with them; resist the devil but fly
from vice. From secret vices fly to So
ciety; from social sins fly to privicy.