The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-03-23
TALMAGFS SERMON.
4 Pointed Discourse on s'The Age
of Swindle.

Oh 0W10Q10s
The Careless Direction OF Tanks and
Other Fiscal Institutions Responsi.
BILE for the MANY 1Defalcati0ns
Lessons to he Learned.
Rev. +. Dewitt Talma-e preached the
following sermon at Brooklyn Taberna-
Gle, taking for his subject "The Age Of
Bwindle." His text was:
Whose trust shall be spiders web.-Job
viii. IL
DIR. Talmage said: The two most skill
full architects in all the world are the bee
and the spider. The one puts up a sugar
mandatory and the other builds q
slaughter-house for flies. On q bright
summer morning, when the sun comes out
and shines upon the spiders web, bedeck-
ed with dew, the gossamer structure
seems bright enough for a 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 dun geoned and
destroyed. The fly was informed that il
was a free bridge and would cost moth
ing, but at the other end of the bridge
the toll paid was its own life. The next
there comes down a strong wind, and
away goes the web and the marauding
spider and the victimizsd fly. So delicate
are the silken threads of the spiders
wed that many thousands Of them
are put together before they
become visible to the human eve, and it
takes 1000, 900 OF them to make a thread as
L., q hi Hfo,k ,al~ eli
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 vorac-
ious process of this one insect with ar
other, 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 responsibility of many
men having the financial interests Of
others in charge, has been more evident
than in these last few years.
The unroofing of banks and disappear
ance of admins traitors with the funds of
large estates, and the disorder amid post
office accounts and deficits amid United
States officials, have made a pestile nce Of
crime that solemnizes every thoughtful
man and woman. and leads every philan-
thropist and Christian to ask: What
shall be done to stay the plague: There
is monsoon abroad, a typhoon, sirOcco.
Isometimes ask myself il it would not be
better for men making wills to bequsath
the property directly to the executors
and officers Of the court. and appoint the
widows and orphans a committee to see
that the former got all that did not be-
long to them. The simple fact is that
there are large number of men sailing
yachts and driving fast horses, and men,
bers of expe nsive club houses and con.
troll ing 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, hav-
ing compromised with their creditors, that
is. paid them nothing butregrets, and the
only difference between the second chap
ter of prosperity and the first, is that
their pictures are Murillos instead Of Ken.
sets, and their horses go mile in twenty
seconds less than their predecessors, and
instead Of one country seat they have
three. have watched and have noticed
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 the cases failure is only a stratagem to
escape the payment Of honest debts, and
put the world of the track while they
practice a large swindle. There is some
thing woefully wrong in the fact that
these things are possible.
First of all, l charge the blame on care.
less. Indifferent bank directors and boards
having in charge great financial institu-
tons. 1t ought not to be possible for q
president, or q cashier, or prominent Of.
ficer Of banking institution to swindle
it year after year without detection.
will undertake to say that il these frauds
are carried OH for two or three years with.
out detection, either the directors are
partners in the infamy and pocketed part
Of the theft, or they are guilty OF . cul-
pablo neglect Of duty, for which God will
hold them as responsible as he holds the
acknowledged defrauders. What right
have prominent business men to allow
their names to be published as directors
in a financial institution, so that unso.
phisticated people are thereby induced
to deposit their money in or buy the
scrip thereof, when they, the pub.
lished directors are doing nothing
for the safety of the institution? 1t
is a case Of deception most reprehensible.
Many people with surplus Of money,
not needed for immediate use, although it
may be little further on indispensable,
are without friends competent to advise
them, and they are guided solely by the
character OF the men whose names are
associated with the institution. When
the crash came, and with the overthro
of the banks went the small earnings and
limited fortunes of widows and orphans,
and the helplessly aged, the directors
stood with idiotic stare, and to the in.
quiry of the frenzied depositors and
stockholders who had lost their all, and
to the arraignment Of an indignant pub
lie had nothing to say except:
1--WE thought it was all right We did
not know there was any thing wrong GO
ing on"
1t was their duty to know. They stood
in q position which deluded the .peopls
with the idea that they were carefully
observant Calling themselves directors,
they did not direct They had opportuni.
ty Of auditing accounts and inspecting
the books. No time to do so? Then they
had no business to accept the position.
It seems to be the pride Ct some monied
men to be directors in . great many in
situations, and all they know is whether
or not they get their dividends regularly,
and their names are used as decoy ducks
to bring others near enough to be made
game of. What first of all is needed is
that Eve thousand bank directors and in.
surance company directors resign or at.
tend to their business as directors The