Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-09-27
THE RECENT DEFALCAT1ONs.
Lessons Drawn From Them by Rev.
DIR. j. O. Peck-Lecture at Trinity M.

At Trinity NJ E. church last evening the
pastor, Rev. DIR. j. o. Peck, delivered the
third in his course of lectures to young men,
his subject being Blossoms from recent ex-
posures in Hartford and Portland" The ba-
sis of the lecture was from Matthew xii, II,
IL, 10: "And when the king came in to see
the guests he saw there man which had not
on wedding garment, and he said: Friend,
how earnest thou in hither not having we'd
ding garmenta and he was speechless. Then
said the king to the servants, bind him hand
and foot and take him away and cast him in
to outer darkness; there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth
In his opening remarks the doctor eluci-
dated the teachings embodied in the para
BILE of "the marriage of the kings son." and
then said: ''The special cause of this SER
mon was an incident of the week (Septem-
Der 81, 1885, Mr.. Gould, cashier of the
First National bank of Portland, Maine, was
found defaulter of $137, 900 or more of the
banks funds. He had been trusted be-
longed to honorable family and was a
member of a Congregational church, active
nschurch work and sometimes preaching.
Yet for years he had been using the
banks money in Wall street in
his greed to become rich. He lost
and for years concealed his guilt, but the
day came when his sin found him out, and
he is ruined. He stole money and as thief
is now prisoner. The king came in and he
had not on the wedding garment. He won a
robe of righteousness at church, but not in
the bank. The king came in the bank to
look on the man. He had not on the we'd
ding garment. This fact, and PIunkett of
Hartford, and Gray of Boston, and the
Mayor of Philadelphia and many others this
fall, discovered in misappropriation of
monies forced on me the conviction taat the
pulpit must preach louder the moralities of
righteousness. And since writing the above
comes the defalcation of Bartholomew, presi-
dent of the Charter Oak Life Insurance COM
pany, that prominent Episcopalian for $127,-
900 or more. God is the God of honesty.
He requires men to wear the garment of
honesty in business He is coming into
garment. He inspects men in the
common affairs of life to see if
they have the righteousness that will admit
them to the marriage supper of the lamb. If
they have put on the Lord Jesus Christ as
their righteousness they must wear his hon
esty, his truthfulness, his faithfulness, his
justice to others, his generous mindedness
toward employees and his transparent fair
ness toward all, or the king will come in and
demand, Friend how came you in here
without the wedding garments" And they
will be speechless. Let me enforce this truth
in few pictures. found the following in
a paper: And the king came in-where?
Well, into some savings bank or national
bank in which men deposited not only the
money of business men, but the scanty saw
ings of the poor, the legacies of orphans and
the mites of widows. And the king saw
there a man in charge who had not ON we'd
ding garment; man whose books were not
balanced; whose vaults were empty; whose
trusts had been betrayed whose position
bod hoo tod TO aal
to fraud corruption and robbery. And the
God of accounts, the king of balanced ledg-
ers, the judge of entrusted talents, came in
and said, Friend, how came you in hither!
What do you here with vaults and safes and
other peoples money, without a wedding
garment on? without conscience in your
management; without hands that are clean;
without integrity in your soul, or honesty in
the discharge of know and accepted duty.
And the man in the bank without wedding
garment on shivered like nalzedness in a win
try blast. He looked up, but the stars were
pitiiess; he looked down, but the earth was
silent; he looked around and there was none
to help; he looked at the king, and his mouth
was stopped; he became as one who was
self convicted, self con-
demned. Then the God of square accounts,
the king of clean books, the judge
of entrusted talents said, ''Seize him,
bind him and cast him out into outer dark
hess -G0S HAL W1UnOuC d W6QulQR garment
on: the man who knew his duty, but did it
not; the man who accepted solemn trusts
only to betray them for private gain;
And his soul from out that darkness
Shall be lifted nevermore;
the man in bank who had not on a wedding
garment when the king came in.
This picture is not for the man who was in
the bank but is now in the penitentiary, but
for those in any position of trust over other
peoples money or property, that they may
be quickened ever to keep on the wedding
garment. The God of honest bookkeeping,
the king of fduciary trusts, the judge of
square business will come in your place some
day with eyes that see everything.
And the king came in. Wherea Well into
store, where the poor laboring masses, the
widow and the orphan, exchanged their
small earnings out of sweat and blood and
bone for the necessities of life. q make
many stores one) And the king saw there
a man, who, through his clerks, was selling
paper-soled shoes for leather, shoddy cloth
ing for wooden garments, 1900 instead of
Z, $40 pounds of coal for ton, butterine for
genuine butter, adulterated foods and gro
ceries to those whose exhausting toll de- |
mands the best food; and the man in the |
store was making gain and living sumptu- |
" out of his business of fraud. |
And the God of fair dealing, the king of |
good fabrics and pure food, the Judge of !
honest weights and measures, came in and |
said: "Friend, how earnest thou in hither? |
Why are you here in trade, which is an hon
est exchange of equivalents, without gar
nent, without a quickened conscience in |
without clean hands in dealing |
With fellow men, without the golden rule in |
your dealings?" And the man in |
he store-without a wedding garment |
his countenance was changed |
md his knees smote together like Belshazzar. |
He looked on the wall of his Office, but there |
1lazed the words, ''Thou art weighed in the |
balances and found wanting" He looked on |
lis gains of dishonest business, but they con- |
victed him; he looked on the king of right |
'ousness and his tongue clave to the roof of |
lis mouth. He speechless. Then the |
ring said, "Cast him into the outer darkness
the man in the store without a wedding |
garment on; the man of tricks in trade; the /
nan who took good money from his fellows |
md gave inferior goods in exchange" And
IL good angels and pure men said, "Amen!
lust and true are thy ways thou King of
'aints!" And this lesson is for the tradesmen
Who are to-day, and for the young men of to-
morrow, that when temptations of gain by
dishonesty, by exchange of inferior goods for |
God money assail, you may be found having
n the wedding garment of righteousness
Ehen the king comes in.
And again the king came in-wherea Well,
nto a large establishment where men with
arge families to support, young men and
7omen of poverty, are seeking by hard toll
he means of honest livelihood. And the
ing saw there man in possession, we'll
lad, well-fed, but without a wedding gar
lent on. He had money, and was making |
honey; he had good seat in church, and
aen called him shrewd and prosperous. But
he king saw that he was consumed with a |
reed for riches. He was living in luxury, |
lille many of his employees who made his
rofits were existing in wretched poverty.
lie squeezed wages down and kept them
own to the verge of starvation, as the pale,
loodless, thin faces of half fed people attest
d; to the verge of virtual murder, as the
rsaking health of hard worked, underfed, |
nder rested help witnessed;ss to the
erge of immortal ruin of souls, as
he miserable wages would not provide home
nd food, such even as he would not live in
nd eat, and then provide decent clothes in
,hich his employees could attend church and
ave the comforts of religion.
And the God of the laboring poor, the
ing who is without respect of persons, the
ndOa of fair UaOes and I1roD1rtionata ra- |