The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-03-29
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Weekly Discourse of the Great
B'ooklyn Preacher
Subject. "Thc Age Of Swim.
die"

TEXT: Whose trust shall DO q spiders
Ueb. job viii IA
The two most skilful architects In all the
world are the bee and the spider. The one
puts up a sugar mandatory and the other
builds a slaughter house for flies, On
bright summer morning, when the SUN comes
out and shines upon the spiders web, be-
decked with dew the gossamer structure
seems bright enough for suspension bridge
for supernatural beings to cross on. But
alas for the poor fly, which, in the latter
part OF that very day, ventures ON it, and IS
caught and dungeoned and destroyed. The
fly was informed that it was a free bridge,
and would cost nothing, but at the other end
of the bri ige the toll paid was its own life.
The next day there comes strong wind and
away goes the web, and the maraudins
spider and the victimized fly. So delicate
are the silken threads of the SPIDERS web
that many thousands of them are put to-
gether tefore they become visible to the
human eye and it takes 1000 900 Of them to
make thread as large as the human hair.
Most cruel as wei as most ingenious Is the
spider. A prisoner in the Bastile, France,
had one so trained that at the sound of a
violin it every day came for its meal OF flies.
job The author of my text, and the leading
scientist of his day, had no doubt watched
the voracious process of this one insect with
another, and saw spider and fly swept down
with the same broom, or scattered by the
same wind. Alas, that the world has so many
designing spiders and viCtimized flies.
There has not been a time when the utter
and black irresponsiblity of many men hav-
ing the financial interests of others in charge
has been more evident than IN these last few
| years.
The unroofing of banks and disappearance
| OF administrators with the funds of large
| estates, and the disorder amid postofce
an md Iattn &c fnI Sfafn
officials, have made a pestilence of crime
that solemnizes every thoughtful man and
| woman, and leads every phianthropist and
Christian to ask: What shall be done to stay
the plagues There is monsoon abroad q
typhoon, a sirocco. l sometimes ask myself
if it would not he better for men making
wills to bequeath the property directly to
the executors and officers of the court, and
appoint the widows and orphans a commit
tee to see that the former got all that did not
belong to them The simple fact is that
there are large number of men sailing
yachts and driving fast horses, and memi-
bers Of expensive club houses and controlling
country seats who are not worth a dollar
if they return to others their just rights.
Under some sudden reverse they fail
and with afflicted air seem to retire from
the world. and seem almost ready for
monastic life, when in two or three years
they blossom out again, having compromised
with their creditors, thatis paid them moth
| ing but regrets and the only difference be-
tween the second chapter of prosperity and
the first is that their pictures are Murillos in
stead of Kensetts and their horses 60 mile
in twenty seconds less than their predeces-
sors, and instead of one country seat they
have three. l have watched and have no.
ticed that nine out Of ten of those who fail
in what is called high life, have more means
after than before the failure, and in many OF
tie cases failure is only strategem to es
cape the payment of honest debts and put the
word off the track while they practice 6
large swindle There is something woefully
wrong in the fact that these things are pos
sibe.
First of all, charge the blame on careless
indifferent bank directors and boards having
in charge great financial institutions. L
ought not to be possible for president o.
cashier or prominent officer of banking in
stitution to swinile it year after year with
out detect on. will undertake to say tina
. if these frauds are carried on for two O.
, three years without detection, either tn,
directors are par ners in the infamy ant
pocketed part of the theft, or they are guilty
of a culpable neglect of duty, for which Goe
will hold them as responsible as he holds th
acknowledged defrauders. What right hav
prominent business men to allow their name
to be published as directors in financia
institution, so that unsophisticated peopl
|
in or buy the scrip thereof, when they, tn
] published directors, are doing nothing TO
the safety of the institution. 1t is case Of de
' ception most reprehensble. Many people wit
a surplus of money, not needed for lmmediat
use, although it may be little further o.
Indispensable, are without friends competen
to advise them, anG they are guided solely b.
y the character OF tie nen whose mes ar
associated with the institution. When tn
crash came, and with the overthrow of tn
banks went the small earnings and limite
fortunes OF widows and orphans, and th
hopelessly aged, the directors stood wit
idiotic stare, and to the inquiry OF tn
lost their ALL and to the arraignment of a
: indignant public had nothing to say excep
1--WE thought it was all right We did nj
know there vas anything wrong s.
ing on" 1t was their duty to knov
They stood in position which d.
! luded the people with the idea thu
they were carefully observant Calm
themselves directors, they did not direc
They had opportunity of auditing accoun
and inspecting the books. No time to do 81
Then they had no business to accept the pos
tion. It seems to be the pride Of some moneye
men to be directors in great many institl
y tions, and all they know is whether or n
they get their div iirn Is regularly, and tke'
= names are used as decoy ducks to bring othe
uedT oIOuSu w DoInduo game OF. w ndU Ill
Of all, is needed is that five thousand bank
rectors and insurance company directors
sign or attend to their business as director
The business world will be full of fraud ju
as long as fraud is SO easy. When you ARE
the president and secretary of bank for
embezzlement carried on for many yeal
have plenty of sheriffs out the same day
arrest all the directors. They are gull
either of neglect or completely.
We must especially deplore the misfortu
OF banks in various parts OF this country
:. that they damage the banking institute
which is the great convenience of the ct
turtles, and indispensable to commerce a
the advance Of nations. With one hand
blesses the lender, and with the other
blesses the borrower The bank was born
the worlds necess ties, and is venerable wi
the marks of thous .nls of years.
We also deplore abuse of trust funds,
cause they fly in the face of that divine GOO
ness which seems determined to bless t
e land. We are having the eighth year of
exxmpled national harvest. The VIII
gamblers get hol Of the wheat, and tho &C
gamblers get holi oe the corn. The full t
- of Gods mer y toward this land is put ba
by those great dykes of dishonest resistan
When God provides enough food and cloth
e. to feed and apparel this whole nation
more than their sh IRE, and get it at
hazards, keeps every thing shaking with
certainty and everybody asking: "Wl
- next," Every week makes new reve
tions How many more bank Pr
dents and bank cashiers have been sDa
Iatlng with other peoples money, a
how many more bank directors are
" imbecile silence letting the perfidy go on,
old great and patient God only knowsl
oss opinion is that we have got near the bottc
The wind has been pricke1 from the gr
ot' bubble of American speculation. The n
ore who thought that the Judgment day was
least 5000 years off, found it in 1888, 1887
1856; and this nation has been taught I
men must keep their hands out OF other I
lN pies pockets. Great businesses built on
"a rowed capital have been obiterated, and I
~ who had nothing have lost all they had
w believe we are started on higher caree
,.s CO prosperity than this land has ever seen
We and if, and if.
a.. There is one word that has deluded m
q. people into bankrupcy and State prison 4
70 periition than any other word in c
ass mercial life, and that is the word
~. row; that one word is responsible
as. all the defalcations, and embez
xs,. ments, and financial considerations of
as. last twenty years. When executors concl
~. to speculate with the funds of an estate C
M mitted to their charge, they do not purl
they say they only borrow; when bar
makes an overiraught upon his institut
] H. l,rrt L.. ,ix- I<~