Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-09-19
geadiug fur tile Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
THE GREED OF GOLD.


ness circles, social circles, and even church
circles are uneasy with the inquiry, "Who
will 60 nextf" There is consciousness' that
forces of disaster underrun society, and no
one can tell where the earthquake will strike
up tomorrow. 1t is under this building,
bringing it down to-day. Amid the dust of
the falling ruins We cry, (Which building
next"
There is a reason for all this. 1t is no
blind force at work. 1t is no evil creature
with eyes put out that goes striking wildly
here and there. 1t is not like the earthquake,
a movement Of forces that science does not
to-day fully understand. No; it. is some
thing ineligible, and something intelligent
also. Under the misappropriation of trust
funds, the forging of notes, the manipulating
Of accounts, the various and protean mani
festations of the fraud principle, is a mans
greed of gold. Men crave money. Gold
gives power The old Macedonian king un-
derstood this who claimed that be could take
any city in spite of its strong walls, provided
he could find crack big enough to send in
an ass laden with gold. Money will control
emergencies, because controlling resources.
Money will surround one with houses, facto.
ries, stores, ships, forests, and initiate him with
that very comfortable, selfsatsfed feeling Of
possession Of power. Gold gives place in So
ciety. The man whose elegant parlors are
crowded, whose dinner-parties are thronged
the turn Of whose carriage-wheels in Central
Park, like the wave of wand would bring
bow from all the other fashions there on
wheals-ha understands all this
Gold gives influence in politics. 1t was
true before and has been true ever since the
days Of. Themistocles, who in an emergency is
recorded as having accomplished "by money
what he had failed to do by argument" The
man who died lately in Ludlow street Jail,
lying in the shadow Of great disgrace, knew
as we'll as any one what money could do
among men.
In every direction men are drawn towards
the round golden coin that shines as a sun
aud compels as a sun. Therefore men crave
money. Hence this greed of gold, sharp, ex-
acting, merciless, never satisfied. And it
brings its own punishment. 1t is fire that
RACES, that, as it RACES, burns away all. the
nice distinctions between right and wrong, be-
tween what is ours and what is our neigh.
boris The will goes in this greed, and con-
science also: Hence the evasions and cheats
and prsyarications and twists and turns, the
open shame as we'll as the secret mismanage-
ment.
Let a man watch for this greed. It grows
like drunkard's appetite 1t gathers power
like an avalanche. 1t sweeps all before it
like food. Aristagoras, the Milesian, at
tempted to bribe Cleomenes, the Spartan
king, into compliance with certain project.
Gorge, the little daughter of Cleomenes,
chanced to be present, and called out, ely,
father, or this stranger will corrupt you" 1t
is good motto for all. Fly, business man,
mechanic, farmer, fly from this danger, the
greed Of gold. Christian, especially, fly.
Here is one of Christians finest opportuni-
ties. Let him show that the religion of Christ
is power stronger than the worlds strong
est, gold. Let him show that the fear of God
and the love of our neighbor are mightier
forces than that of the dollar. We must live
above this greed of gold. There is need of
action. Here is a cancer eating out our ma.
tional strength. 1t is vortex raging near
the very walls of the church, and would suck
them in if it could. 1t is the he'll whose
shadows are shrouding to-day many Of the
fairest individual hopes.
PLAIN BUT TruE.-Until society appre-
ciates the fact that the man is thief who bor-
rows another's money and then wlfully and
extravagaiMy spends it, and puts it out of
his power to return it, and brands him with
the mark of its contempt, improvement will
be tardy; and until she ceases to 60 down
on her knees and worship the gold stolen un-
der guise of friendship, she will never see stay
ed the curse which is as dire as that which
fell upon SHINING Israel at Sinai.
1t is useless to refine. The man who main
tans large establishment, obtains credit by
his ostensble wealth, lives in afHuence, and
clears his balance-sheet by forcing his credi-
tors to compromise at ten or thirty per cent
on the dollar, though he may continue to live
upon fashionable street and praise God for
his goodness in a cushioned pew, is as much
thief as the pickpoclset who covers in the
criminal pens of the police court. His daugh-
ters may simmer in satin and jewels, and
his sons may smoke en- the fashionable club
porticoes, fine ladies and high-toned gentle
men may offer incense in his daintily carpet.
ed paror, but for all that, before God and man,
he is thief-Richmond Transcript.
WHO ARE OUR NE1GHBoRs 2-The ques-
ton is of great practical Importance, and our
young people should have clear and definite
ideas on the subject l. They are not neces-
sarily and only those living next door or near
to us. 2. Not alone our kindred or our per-
sonal friends These may have paramount
claims on us, but not to the exclusion of all
others. 8. Not alone those of our own sect,
race or country. 4. Not such only as are
able and willing to return in kind our neigh.
borly kindness, and 81 have no imperative
need of sympathy and help 5. According
to the evident tenor of our Savicurs teaching,
our neighbors may be aliens and enemies.
They may even belong to hated and despic-
able race. The Samaritans were mixed race.
They worshipped they knew not what The
Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.
6. Our Lord evidently taught the universal
brotherhood of man. Wherever we find a
fellow-man in sin and suffering and need,
whatever his name or race or condition, he is
our neighbor, and to him we owe all the obli-
cations which the relation imposes.
LITTLE TH1NGs.-This remark of the Rev.
John Newton deserves to be written on the
tablet of every heart: IL see in this world"
he observes, "two heaps-one of human hap
piness and one of misery. Now, if 1 take but
the smallest bit from the second heap and add
to the first, I carry point. If, as l 60 home,
a child has dropped half penny, and if by
giving it another I can wipe away its tears,
I feel that have done something. I should
be glad, indeed, to do great things, but I will
not neglect such little ones as this" These