The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1888-03-22
1ALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Pointed Discourse on "The Age
OF Swindle."
The Careless Direction OF Banks and
other Fiscal Institutions Response
BILE for the Many Dsfaleaiions
Lessons 70 be Learned.

following sermon st Brooklyn Tabsrns-
Gle, taking for his subject -Ths Age OF
Swtndle-H His text wss:
whose trust shall be SPIDERS wss---Joe
VIII "a
Or. Talmsge said. The two most skill
ful arch itscts IN ell the world are the bee
and the spider. The one puts mp g sugar
uanufsctory aud the other builds e
slsughtsr-hoase for flies. On = bright
summer morning, when the sun comes out
and shines upon the SPIDERS web, bedsck-
ed with dew, the gossAmer strueturs
seems bright snouzI for e suspension
bridge for supernatural beings to cross
On. But alas for the poor fy which, In
tbs latter part Of that very day, ventures
on L and 10 caught and dung eonsd and
DESTROYED The ~ was Informed that IL
was free fridge and would cost moth
ing. but ct the other end OF the bridge
the toll paid was its own life. The next
there comes down g strong wind. and
away goes the web and the marsnding
spider and the victimiEed fly. So delicate
are the sfiksn threads OF the SPIDERS
wed that many thousands Of them
are put together bstors they
become visible TO the human eye, and 1t
takes 4.390, 900 Of them 70 make q thread as
large as the human hair. Most cruel as well
as most ingenious Is tbs spider. a prisoner
the Rastile, Francs, had one so trained
that a. the sound OF 8 violin II every day
came for its meal Of dies Job, the author
Of my text and the leading scientist OF
his day, had no doubt watched the vorso-
ious process OF this one insect with an
other, and saw spider and AZ swept down
with the same broom or scattered by tie
same wind. Alas, that the world has 90
many designing spiders and yictimixed
flea
There has not been 8 time when the
utter and black responsibility Of many
rasa having the financial interests OF
others In charge, has Dssn more evident
than Ia these last few years
The uaroofng Of banks and disappear
ancs Of admins traitors with the funds OF
large estates, and the disorder amid post
office accounts and deficits amid United
States officials, have made pestii ence Of
crime that solemnizes every thoughtful
man and woman, and leads every phiian-
thropist and Christian 20 ask: What
shall be done 70 stay the plague: There
is g monsoon abroad, q typhoon, g sirocco.
Isomstimes ask myself IL it would not be
better for men making Wills to bequesth
the property directly to the executors
sud officers q the court, and appoint the
widows and orphans a Committee 70 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 mem
bers Of expe nsive club houses and con-
troll ing country seats who are not worth q
dollar II they return TO others their Just
rights. Under some sudden reverse
they fall, 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. hsv-
ing com promised with their creditors, that
IL. paid them nothing butregrets, and the
oniy q ference between the second chap
ter OF Prosperity and the first ~ that
their ptturss are Murillos instead OF Ken
sets, and their horses 90 s mile in twenty
seconds less than their predecessors, and
instead of one country seat they have
three. l have watched and have noticed
that nine out Of ten Of those who fail In
what is called hign life have more means
after than before the failure, and in many
Of the cases failure IS only a strstagsm to
escape the pay msnt Of honest debts, and
put the world Of the track while they
practice large swiudle. There Is some
thing woefully wrong in the fact that
these things are possible.
First Of al, ! charge the blame on care
less, indifferent bank directors aud boards
having in charge great financial institr-
tons. X ought not to be possible for
president, or q cashier, or prominent Of
fcer Of a banking institution 70 swiEdls
ityear after year without detection.
will undertake to say that Il these fra ids
are carried on for tx or three years v tn
out detection, either tho directors ars
tv rhs f.fafvw a,T yaarkatai mart
Of the theft, or they are guilty of cul-
pable neglect Of duty. for which God viii
hold them as responsible as he holds the
acknowledged defrauders. What right
have prominent business men 10 allow
their names to be published as directors
in financial institution, so that unso-
phisticRted people are thereby induced
10 deposit their money in or buy the
scrip thereof, when they, the pub
lisked directors are doing nothing
for the safety OF the institution Ii
is a case of deception most reprehensible-
Many people with surplus Of money,
not needed for immediate use, although it
may be a 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 overt brow
OF the banks went tae small earnings and
limited fortunes Of widows and orphans,
and the helplessly aged, the directors
stood with idiotic stare, and 20 ths in
curry Of the frenzied dspositors and
stockholders who had lost their all. and
TO the arraignment Of an indignant pub
bic had nothing 70 say except:
~We thought Il was all right We did
inc
ing on"
1t wss tne II duty TO know. They stood
in position which deludsd the people
with the idea that they were carefully
observant. Ceiling themselves directors,
they did not direct They had opportuni-
~ Of auditing accounts and inspecting
the books. No time 10 do soi Then they
had no business 10 accept the position.
IL seems to be the pride Of some monied
men 10 be directors in q great many in
stitutions, and all they know is whether
or not they get their dividends regularly,
and their names are used as decoy-dueks
70 bring Others near enough 70 be made
game Of. What first OF all Is needed is
that Eve thousand bank directors and in
suranee company directors resign or at.
tend 20 their busine as directors The
business world will he full Of fraud just
as long as fraud IL easy. When YOU ar
rest the pres dent and secretary OF q bank
for an smbezzlsment carried on for many
years, have plenty Of sherifs out the same
day 70 arrest all the directors. They are
guilty either OF neglect or completely.
''Oh" some one will say, ''bettsr preach
The Gospel and Jet business matters
alone" reply: If your Gospel does not
inspire common honesty in the dealings
OF men, the sooner you close up your
Gospel and pitch It into the depths OF the
Atlantic ocean the better An orthodox
swindler is worse than heterodox
swindler The recitation Of all the cate
chisuas and crseds ever written, and
drinking from all the communion chslices
that ever glistened ia the churches OF
Christendom will never save your soul
unless your business character corre-
IA --...... 49, -.---.