The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-09-26
The Greed of Gold.

It is a time when defalcation follows
defalcation, says the Christian Weekly
when business circles, social circles, and
even church circles are uneasy with the
inquiry, "Who will 60 next?" There is
q consciousness that forces Of disaster un.
derrun society, and no one can tell where
the earthquake will strike up tomorrow
1t is under this building, bringing il
down to-day. Amid the dust of the fall.
ing ruins We cry, (which building
nextW
There is a reason for all this. 1t is nc
blind force at work. 1t is no evil crea-
ture with eyes put out that goes striking
wildly here and there. 1t is not like the
earthquake, movement of forces that
science does not to-day fully understand
No; it is something Ineligible, and some.
thing intelligent also. Under the misap-
preparation of trust funds, the forging Of
notes, the manipulating of accounts, the
various and protean manifestations of the
fraud principle, is mans greed of gold
Men crave money. Gold gives power
The old Macedonian king understood
this who claimed that he could take any
city in spite of its strong walls, provided
be could find a crack big enough to send
in au ass laden with gold. Money will
control emergencies, because controlling
resources. Money will surround one
with houses, factories, stores, ships,
forests, and initiate him with that very
comfortable, self-sa:isfed feeling of pos
session Of power. Gold gives place in
society. The man whose elegant parlors
are crowded, whose dinner-parties are
thronged, the turn of whose carriage.
wheels in Central Park, like the wave oi
wand, would bring bow from all the
other fashions there on whcels-he uu-
derstands 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 &C:
complished "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 well as any one what money
could do among men.
In every direction men are drawn to.
wards the round golden coin that shines
as a sun and compels as sun. There
fore men crave money. Hence this
greed of gold, sharp, exacting, merciless
never satisfied. And it brings its own
punishment. 1t is fire that RACES, that
as it RACES, burns away all the nice dis
tinctions between right and wrong, be-
tween what is ours and what is our
neighbor's. The will goes in this greed,
and conscience also. Hence the eva
sions and cheats and prevarications and
twists and turns, the open shame as well
as the secret mismanagement.
Let man watch forsthis greed. II
grows like a drunkard's appetite. II
gathers power like an avalanche. II
sweeps all before it like food. Arista-
goras, the Milesian, attempted to bribe
Cleomenes, the Spartan king, into COM
pliance with certain project. Gorgo,
the little daughter of Cleomeues, chanced
to be present, and called out, ''Fly,
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 a Chris
tian's finest opportunities. Let him
show that the religion of Christ is q
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 q
cancer eating out our national strength.
1t is a vortex raging near the very walls
of the church, and would suck them in
if it could. 1t is the hell whose shadows
are shrouding to-day many of the fairest
individual hopes.