The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-09-29
Sitting at the Sacramental Table
The Shame and Disgrace of the
Christian Church.
Sharpers in Trade, ShylOcks in
Their Business.
Unchaste in Speech, Cruel in Their
Daily Intercourse,
Using the Cloak of the Church to Gov
er Up Their Devilish Deeds.
Sermon Preached in Brooklyn Tabernacle
on Sunday, Sept. 10, 1881, by Rev.
7. Dewitt TaImage,

BROOKLYN, September 18-The SER
mon at the tabernacle this morning
was called forth by the recent disclOs-
ures of malfeasance in the Brooklyn
Board of Education, and was as follows:
SUBJECT ABUSE OF TRUST FUNDS"
Text-Exodus Xxx. Is: "ThOu shalt not
steal"
am glad that on the morning of the
afternoon in which we are to sit at the
holy Sacrament am to discuss a great
question of public morals. 1t is high
time that the Lords table be no longer
a hiding-place for men who are recreant
in their lives, and that they should
learn that while the communion table
is the place for all sincere penitents ac-
cOrding to the old Reformed Dutch
Church liturgy-the church in which |
was born, all thieves, adultnrers, drunk
ards, whOre-mOngers, usurers and game
sters eat and drink damnatiOn to them
selves. The only argument against
Christianity that has ever been any
damage is the inconsistency of some of
its professors, and we must all admit it
is very depressing thing for men of
the world to look over on communion
Sabbaths and see at the Lords table
those who are known to be sharpers in
trade, ShyIOcks in a bargain, unchaste
of speech or practice, thumb-screws of
cruelty and every way untruStwOrthy.
One of the crying evils of to-day is the
abuse of trust funds. Almost every one,
on larger or smaller scale, during the
course of his life, is intrusted with
moneys belonging to others. For time
he becomes the safety deposit. He is al
administrator and has in his hands the
interests of the family of deceased
friend, or he is an attorney, and through
his custody goes the payment from
debtor to creditor; or he is financial
agent and collector for a house who
compensate him for the responsibility
taken; or he is the treasurer Of a char.
table institution, and holds the
amounts contributed for it; or he is an
official of city, State or Nation, and
taxes, or subsidies, or salaries, or sup
plies are IN his keeping, They hold the
concentrated andmultiplied condolences
of others. Upon the faithfulness of
such holders of trust funds rests the
support of bereayed households or the
morals of dependents, or the right mOy-
ing of a thousand wheels of useful
mechanism. A man may do what he
will with his own, but he who abuses
trust funds commits in that one act
theft, falsehood, perjury, and becomes
in all the Intensity of that word mis-
creant. There are widows and orphans
innumerabl0, with nothing between
them and starvation, but a sewing ma
chine, OF held at the vortex of destruc-
tiOn by nothing but the thread of a
needle red with their own hearts blood
who were left at the death of the hus-
band and father with a competency
What became of it? The administra-
tors or executors sacrificed it, Iunning
risks with it which they would not have
dared to encounter in their own affairs
Some man by the sweat of his brow gets
enough to support his family, then dies
and in six months all is gone down in
the stock speculating rapids of Wall
street 1t is so safe to gamble with
other peoples money If unsuccessful
you have put nothing in of your own
and you can go round and apologize to
the innOcents who know nothing about
business affairs; while if you gain you
can pocket all or most of the result, 1C
per cent, 20 per cent, 80 per cent, 75
per cent, and they will be satisfied with
6 per cent, the lawful interest of the
State of New York.
Again and again administrators have
withdrawn money from Savings Banks
and Trust Companies and have disposed
of the homestead so that all might be put
into the vortex of Wall street There is
not city in the United States which
has not suffered from the abuse of trust
funds. Where is the Court House or the
Hospital or the Post-oflice or the City
Hall or the Jail in which there has not
been what is called a Job Long be.
fore the new Court House Of New York
had been completed it had cost S22,000,.
600, Five million six hundred ant
thirty-three thousand dollars for. furni
ture, For orplumbingand gas-wOrks, ST.,
231S17. For awnings, $23553 The
bill fer three months amounted to the
little sum Of $l3,15l,l9S, There wa,
not an honest brick or stone or lath Oh
nail or plumbing orinch of plastering
or chair or ink-stand in the whole es
tablshment. Such a set of thieves were
a discouragement to all other cities as
piring to Wilainy. BroOklynsat modest
and 0yershadoWed, But we are coming
up at last. Only give us time and op.
portunity; we will steal as well as New
York. We have just acquitted ourselves
of theft which shows vast capacity Of
crime. Two hundred thousand dollars,
at least, ON their way to EDUCATE theris.
ing generatIon. diverted into prlyatl