Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-12

lesSSes lne borrower lDS Dallk was born OF
the worlds necessities, and is venerable with
the marks of thousands of years. Two hun
dred years before Christ the bank OF Ilium eN-
listed and paid its depositors 10 per cent. The
bank Of Venice was established in ll1l, and
was of such high credit that It's bills were at
premium above coins, which were fire.
quently clipped. Bank of Genoa, founded in
lS+5; bank Of Barcelona, ii0l; Bank Of Am
sterdam, 1899; Bank Of Hamburg, founded
1919, its circulation based on great silver bars
kept in the vaults; Bank of England.
started by William Patterson in 1872,
up to this day managing the stupendOus
debt of England; Bank of Scotland, founded
in 1886; Bank Of Ireland, l1S3; Bank OF
North America, planned by Robert Morris,
l11l, without whose financial help all the
bravery OF our grandfathers would not have
achieved American Independence. But now
we have banks in all our cities and towns
thousands and thousands. On their shoulders
are the interests Of private individuals and
great corporations. In them are the great
arteries through which run the currents of
the nations life They have been the 70
sources Of the thousands of financiers in days
Of business eIigency. They stand for ac-
II.
state and national relief At their head and
in their management there is rs much in
terest and moral worth as in any class Of
men-perhaps more. How nefarious, then,
the behavior % those who bring disrepute
upon this venerable, beuhgnant and God
honored institution.
We also deplore abuse Of trust funds, be-
cause they fy in the face of that divine good
Ness which SEEMS determined to bless this
land. We are having the eighth year of un-
e1amplcd national harvest. The wheat
gamblers get bold Of the wheat, and the corn
gamblers get hold of the corn. The full tide
of Gods mercy toward this land is put back
by those great dykes of dishonest resistance.
When God provides enough food and clothing
to feed and apparel this whole nation like
princes, the scramble Of dishonest men to get
moro than their share. and get it at all
hazards, keeps everything shaking with un-
certainty and everybody asking: What
next" Every week makes new revela-
tions. How many more oank presi-
dents and bank cashiers have been specu-
hitting with other peoples money. and
bow many more hank directors are in
imbeciie silence letting tine periidy go on, the
opinion is that we have got near the bottom.
The wind has been pricked from the great
bubble Of American speculation. The rnen
who thought that the Judgment day was at
least 5000 years off. found it in lSSS, 1887 and
1896: and this nation has been taught that
men must keep their hands out of other peo-
pies pockets. Great businesses built on bor-
rowed capital have been Obliterat..d, and men
who had nothing have lost all they had
believe we are started on higher career OF
prosperity than this land has ever seen, if,
and IL and IT,
II the first mon, and especially Christian
men, will learn never tospeculate upon bor-
rou'ed capital. II you have a mind to take
your own money and turn it all into kites, 10
fly them over every commons in the United
States, you do society no wrong, except when
you tumble your helpless children into the
poor house for the public to take care of
But you have no right to take the money of
others and turn it into kites There is one
word that has deluded more people into bank
ruptcy and state prison and perdition than
any other word in commercial life, and that
is the word borrow; that one word il respon-
sible for all the defalcations, and embezzle-
last twenty years. When executors conclude
to speculate with the funds OF an estate COM
mit,ed to their charge, they do not purloin,
they say they only borrow; when banker
makes an overdrausht upon his institution.
he does not commit theft, he only borrows.
When the officer OF a company, by flaming ad-
vertisement in some religious papers, and gilt
certificates Of stock, gets q multitude OF
country people To put their small earnings
into an enterprise for carrying on some un-
developed nothing, he does not fraudulently
take their money, he only borrows When q
young man with easy access to his employers
money drawer, or the confidential clerk by
close propinQuity to the account books, takes
q few dollars for q Waii street excursion, he
expects To put it back; he will put it all
back be will put it all back very soon. BE
only borrows. What is needed is some man
Of gigantic limbs to take his place at the
curbstone n front OF Trinity church, and
when that word borrow comes bounding
along kick i: clean through 70 Wall street
ferry boat, and il, striking on that, it bounds
clear over till it strikes Brooklyn heights or
hill, i. will be well for the City OF
Churches
Why, when you are going TO do wrong,
pronounce so long word as borrow, a word
Of six letters, when you can get shorter
word more descriptive OF the reality, word
Of only five letters, the word stesI'
There are times when We all borrow, and
borrow legltimately. and borrow with the
divine blessing, for Christ IN his sermon on
the mount enio.ns, From him that would
borrow Of thee turn not thou sway \
young man rightly borrows money to get
his education. Purchasing house and not
able 70 pay all down in cash, the purchaser
rightly bo-rows it on mortgage. Crises
nome In business when IL would be wrong
'of a man not 70 borrow. But roll this
warning through ali these aisles, over the
backs OF all tbeSe pews- never borrow to
speculate; not dollar, not a cent, not a
rarthing. Young men, young men, | warn
you by your worldly prospects and the value
NJ your immortal souis, do not do it. There
are breakers distinguished for their ship
wrcc5;s the Hanways, the Needles, the
Cask"ts, the Dcuvers, the Anderlos, the
Sker1 Ies-and many craft has gone to
piecee on those rocks bu; have to tell you
that all the Hanwsys, and the Needles, and
The CasketS, and tho Skerries arc as nothing
COMPARED Win the long llhn or breakers
which hound the ocean OF commercial life
porth, south, east and west with the white
foam Of their despair aud the dirge of their
breakers OF borrow.
II bad only a worldly weapon TO use on
this subject would give you the fact fresh
from the highest authority, that 20 per cent.
n those who go into speculation in Wall
street lose all, but l have better warning
than a worldly warning. From the place
~b-rs men have perished-body. mind and
or, stand off Abstract pulpit
discussion must aside on this question. Faith
and repentance are absolutely necessary, but
laith and reDenfanna ara no mora dncfrinaa