Morning journal and courier., 1888-04-05
WORDS OF WISDONE.
Immortality fin the Higher Ranks ol
 Business Life.

Immortality fin the Higher Ranks of Business Life.
 A former well-known New Haven lady writes from Brooklyn to the COURIER the following report she made of a recent sermon by her pastor, Rev. Dr. Talmage. The ser- mon was about delinquent bank directors and other men living high, but on crooked lines.
 The words of the text are found in the 14th verse of the 8th chapter of Job i; "Whose trust shall be a spiders web." The doctor said {: There has not been time in the commercial history of our country when the utter and black impossibility of many men having the affairs of others in charge has been so evident as at the present. The unroofng of banks and disappearance of men in charge of the funds of large estates, and again the deficit among United States officials, have made a pestilence of crime in eur midst that solemnizes every thoughtful man and woman, and leads every Christian man and woman to ask the question, ''What shall be done with this plague ?' There is monsoon abroad, typhoon, sirocco. I sometimes ask the question, Would it not be better for men making wills to bequeath the property direct to the executor and officers of the court, and make the widows and or phans committee to see that the former gets what does not belong to them ?" The
 simple fact is that there are large number of men who own yachts and drive fast horses and are members of expensive clubs, who
 are not worth one solitary dollar did they
 pay others what is due to them I have
 watched and noticed that nine out of ten of
 those who fall in with what is called
 s'high" life have more means, after
 what they call making a failure than what
 they had before, and in such cases what is
 called failure" is simply stratagem to
 avoid paying just debts. In other words,
 such people execute big swindle, and there
 is something woefully wrong in system of
 law which permits of such things being pos-
 sible. First of all. place the blame on
 careless, indifferent bank directors and boards
 having in their charge great financial institu-
 tions. It ought not to be possible for pres
 ident or cashier or prominent officer of a
 without detection. will undertake to say
 that if these frauds are carried on for long
 period without their being found out, either
 the directors or the partners are a party
 to the fraud and pocket part of the
 guilty money, or they are guilty of culpable
 neglect of duty for which God will hold them
 responsible as he holds the actual thief re.
 sponsible. What right, ask. have promi-
 nsnt business men to have their names pub
 lished as directors in a financial institution
 so that unsophisticated people are thereby
 induced to deposit their money or to buy the
 ScTlp Ln6TeO1, WnSA they, the directors ID
 question, are doing nothing for the safety of
 the institution! It is a case of deception of
 most scandalous nature. When the crash
 comes and with the overthrow of the bank
 go the small earnings of widows and
 orphans and the melting of the small for
 tunes of the helpless and the aged the direc-
 tors stand with an idiotic stare on
 their faces and to the inquiry
 of frenzieds depositors and stockholders, and
 to the questions of an indignant public they
 say: i've thought it was all light We did
 not know that there was anything wrong go-
 ing on." Did no. know, forsooth! It was
 their duty to know. They stood in posi-.
 they were carefully observant. Calling them
 selves directors, they did not direct. It
 seems to be the pride of some men to be the
 directors in great many banks and finan-
 cial institutions. And let me tell you, if
 they know nothing else about these institu.
 tions, they know whether they get
 their own dividends regularly, and
 whether they are decoy ducks or mo-
 And deplore this kind of fraud as long as
 we may, it will go on just as long as law per
 mits such fraud to be practiced and the
 church permits such men to hide their ras-
 cality under cloak of religion. The business
 world will be full of frauds just long as fraud is so easy. When you arrest the presi-
 dent and secretary of bank for an embez- clement carried on for many years have plen-
 ty of sheriffs out the same day to arrest all the directors. They are guilty of neglect or complicity. The reverend doctor closed with Q beautiful eulogy to those gray haired sires of his congregation who had for go many years fought the tempter successfully and overcome his fiery darts, and he warn- ed the young men who had many responsibilities resting upon their shoulders in the financial world to be strong in their determination to do right and to be satisfied with what God had given them as he had made up his mind long ago how many or how few dollars it would be best for you to have. Trust to his appointment and you will one day drop anchor in the calm and inn penetrable waters of Gods harbor, where the wicked cease from troubling and the wicked are at rest.
 The Easter decorations at Dr. Talmage's tabernacle were exceedingly elaborate and composed of the most exquisite flowers to be obtained. In front of the platform was large floral gate across which read, "Easter Opened Heavens Door," Near by was massive pillow arranged on a towering ped- estal.
 A large arch spanned the top of the organ, which is in rear of the platform. The arch was one mass of choice roses, lilies, Sc. Studded in purple immortelles were these words, "Our Risen Lord" Suspended from the high ceiling above was mammoth star I Hgbted by numerous gas jets. Near the | speakers desk was massive open bible com posed of the most rare. flowers, surmounted \ with these words, "He is Risen" This was I the offering of the Sabbath school children. | The music for the occasion was most elabor. ate, the organ being accompanied with a cor net. At the evening service Dr. Talmage l delivered an eloquent discourse from words I found in Luke, 18th chapter and 18th verse. ! And the tabernacle contained an audience of | several thousand. Multitudes had to 20 | away, being unable to gain admission. MT. ! Talmage delivered an address to the mem-
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