West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-02-17

hold on to his stolen shell house
Like the nauplius, he has become a
backslider and must pay the penalty
of his backsliding in the loss of nis
crabhood.
Now, if you have followed me thus
far, clearly getting this thought that
a parasite is a being which starts
with a very respectable personality
and organism, but by being willing
to get it's living without working for
it, by sucking from the storehouse
of some industrial animal or plant
for there are vegetable as well as
animal parasites-it sinks in the
scale of being until it becomes the
most despicable and disgusting OF
creatures, without arms, legs, eyes,
ears or stomach-a mere sack OF
oag-aud if you will add to this
that it becomes very dangerous
guest, working great injury and oft
entimes death to its host, as in the
case of the we'll known trichina, you
are prepared to follow me in what ]
have to say by way of calculating
my text, which is an exhortation
against social, intellectual and spir-
itual parasitism.
Then turning to the consideration
of the parasites that infest society,
the lecturer went on:
Thieves, gamblers, ,swindlers, every
sort of criminal who seeks to wrong
fully get the property of others, are
parasites. 1t is estimated that there
are 100000 of them in this country
$4,000 who prey upon the COM
munity at large, $4,000 of whom are
supported in penal institutions from
the products of industry. There
are many persons who cannot see
the evil of "honest" gambling. 1t
is in that the winner gets what he
does nothing to produce.
Idlers, beggars, tramps, are social
parasites. The tramp is typical
parasite, exhibiting all the marks of
degradation.
These cases of parasitism are so
fragrant that every one recognizes
them upon simply having attention
called to them; but there are others
Just as real which are not so easily
recognized because the marks of de-
generation are chiefly within the
man, and so do not catch the eye, as
in the case of the tramp, whose
greasy clothing-patched or ragged
and filthy, ill smelling body are
external fac SMILES of his degraded
soul.
The elegantly dressed young swell
who lives on his fathers income, or
on his inheritance is as much So
cial parasite as a tramp. He IS
supported in idleness by the labor
of others. He is not beggar. He
is in the more fortunate position of
being allowed by the laws of the
land to compel others to give him
their hard earned wealth. He is a
robber recognized, beloved and ap-
proved by society because he has
taken advantage of the conditions
which society graciously accords
him of practicing his thefts in per-
fectly legal manner. He escapes the
penalty which the judge ievies upon
the unapproved criminal, but he
cannot escape the law of nature
which visits degeneration upon a
parasite. He is not manly man.
His mind is empty or vicious; his
soul is shriveled or contemplate.
Despite his elegant clothing, hous-
ing and manners he is known by
right thinking men and women to be
a scandalmpon the human race. Any
person, rich or poor, who at maturi-
ty is wholly a consumer of other
peoples productions is contempti-
BILE creature, unworthy of respect and
unfit to live-a parasite?
Mr.. Pentecost pointed out that
there are such things as semi-para-
sites in the social as well as in the
animal world-men who really work
for what they consume, and in so
far are self-respecting and respecta-
BILE; but who do not-disdain to sup
ply a portion of their wants by
wrongfully appropriating the earn
ings Of others. Such men, he said,
are no more worthy OF respect than
would be a farmer who should spend
his days in honest toll and his
nights in garroting belated travel
erS.
There are also intellectual para
sites-persons who allow others to
do part or all of their thinking for
them. There are men who think for
themselves in the conduct Of their
business but who never know what
they believe about the presidents
message or the labor question till
they read the editorials in their fa-
vorite newspaper-political para
sites who always vote with the same
party because it is easier to vote
than think.
The lecturer next gave vivid
description of the religious parasite,
who consents to receive his doctrine
and dogma ready made and digest
ed; and then in a few pointed SEN
tences recurred to the inevitable,
self-inhicted penalty of parasitism.