St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-11-19
The Modern Prodigal Son.
From New York Tribune. I

FROM New York Tribune.
But it seems to us, that here in Amer
lea that Prodigal Son and the Eide
Brother have lately changed characters
and play different role from that il
the divine story. Our Prodigal Son, i
is true, wastes his substance in riotou
living, but he does not in consequence
begin to be in want, or become a herd
er of cattle. He is much more likely tC
own million or two, made by water.
ing stock, or by other tricky dealings
If the trick amounts to crime, he doe.
not need to ask aid of any citizen ol
the country, but goes to Europe until
the thing blows over, and becomes 6
companion, not of swine, but of baron,
and princes at Baden. Nobody would
insult him by calling him a ''lostn OIL
"dead" outcast. On the contrary, ev-
erybOdy treats him with respect. He
and his doings fill the public eve. II
successful, he is a Fisk, q Tweed-tIi-
umphant, resplendent. Solomon, fa-
vored of God, was not in all his glory
arrayed like one of these. The mild,
slow-gOing, Godfearing Elder Brother
has his small successes, too, but they
lift him only, as a rule, to a fiat in a
back street. He has to work hard even
to bring up his children into the same
class and kind as himself, slow going,
economical, decent. 1t is not he who
is publicly virtuous, who shudders at
crime and wraps his religion like pur-
pie robe about him. 1t is too often his
Prodigal Brother who has stepped be-
fore him into the high places of the
church; who, instead of swilling with
swine, banquets with bishops. He
chatters of divine names and the most
awful mysteries with glib familiarity ;
he wears as in the parable, the best
robe and ring as token of forgiveness,
but he puts them on himself. Even in
his worst aspects he is a popular favor
lite, coddled and tenderly cared for.
He is the hero of the newspapers as
thief, adulterer or murderer, while his
modest, honest brother is left in obscu-
rity. We have outstripped the mean
ing of the parable. Our sympathy for
the Prodigal who drags back his riot
GUS living with him unto his home and
his Fathers house is absolutely maud
lin and vicious.
The Elder Brother, too, has complete
ly changed his position. The plodding,
beast of burden to carry this idle fellow
all the way through. Take any family
in which is one of these brilliant, Iowa
ble scapegraces, and you will inevitably
find half dozen other members ready
to sacrifice themselves for him that he
may lounge through life without work
or discomfort. The washerwoman in
your back alley drudges her life out to
keep things comfortable for her boy
when he shall get out of Jail and come
back to thrash her. How many poor
homes are kept open and ready by
these Shaving, loving, hopeful creatures
for the dear Prodigal when he shall see
fit to grow tired of the harlots and the
swine! How many feasts do they set
for him, and watch him eat, thanking
God the while! When he has done he
goes back to his vile swill again, leav-
ing them to watch and hope and make
ready fresh feasts. This wretched
tragedy has gone on with players of
white and black and yellow skins since
time began. Surely we have spent
enough of sympathy on the Prodigal
let US spare little now for the elder
Brother.
The humane teachings of Christiani-
ty in our modern life have gone far to
make of society itself an Elder Brother,
mere donkey Oh which the vicious
dangerous, idle class ride at ease. Il
has gone, perhaps, little too far. The
hard working, law-abiding citizen accu-
mulates competency only to be taxed
foI the support of his drunken, lazy
kinsman. He not only works to pay
for shelter and food for his children
but for almshOuses and prisons, in
which the convict and pauper who will
not work live at his expense. The
curse of labor, oddly enough, falls now
adays on the obedient sou of Adam
not on the one whom the devil ha
tempted. The good easy man tries tt
persuade himself that labor is not /;
curse, but blessing. Sometimes h,
does not succeed. The gist of the Who'll,
matter is that, while the Father in tn,
parable ran with forgiveness to his re
pentant son, we run with it to PrOdi
gal who is not repentant, and who i
not reformed. There is little point il
the wonderful old story which we ar
apt to overlook. The Prodigal wa
brought to his senses by Il period o
hard work, of driving swine, of neglec
and starvation. Nothing is needed b.
the Prodigals of to-day SO much as
wholesome dose of the same cure.
Of course, we know that there is
world where he will get his deserts, an
with hard measure; but that is no rea
son why he should be the spoiled chill
, of this world. Of course, too, the e.
der Brother will there have the loa
taken off his shoulders, and be free t
make merry at last with his friend
But taste of the fatted calf here no
and then would do him no harm.