The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1888-04-21
DIR. TALMAGE'S sERM ON
The age OF Swindlc.


the world are the bee and the spider,
The one puts up sugar manufactOry,
and the other builds a. slaughter-hou
for flies. On q bright summer morn
ing, when the sun comes out and shines
upon the spiders web, bedecked 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 the day, ventures on it,
and IS caught and dungeoned and de-
stroyed. The fly was Informed that it
was a free bridge, and would cost moth
ing, but at the other end Of the bridge
the toll paid was. it's own life. The
next day there comes down o strong
wind, and away goes the web, and
THE MARAUDING SPIDER,
and the victimized fly. SO delicate are
the silken threads Of tho SPIDERS web
that many thousands of them are put
together before they become visible to
the human eye, and it takes four mill
+ lion of them to make thread as large
as the human hair. Most cruel as we'll
as most ingenious is the spider. A pri-
soner in the Bastille, France, had one
SO trained that at the sound Of q violin
it every day came for its meal Of flies.
JOB, the author my text, and the lead
ing, 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 de-
signing spiders and victimized fliesl
There has not been time when the
utter and black kirresponsibility Of many
men, having the financial interests Of
others in charge, has been more evident
thar in these last few years. The un-
roofing Of banks and disappearance OF
administrators with the funds Of large
estates, and the disorder amidst post
office accounts and deficits amid United
States officials, have made
a PEsTILENCE OF CRIME
That soiemnlzes every thoughtful man
anu woman, and leads every philan-
thropist and Christian to ask. What
shall he done to stay the plague? There
is monsoon abroad, q typhoon, a
slrocco. / sometimes ask myself If it
would not be better for men making
wills TO bequeath the property directly
to the executors and officers Of the
court, and appoint the widows and Or
phans a committee to see that the form
er 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 members
OF expensive club houses, and cOntroll-
Ing country-seats, who are not worth a
dollar II 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 nonastic life, when In two or three
years they blossom out again, having
compromised with their creditors; that
Is, paid them nothing but regrets, and
the only difference between the second
chapter OF prosperity and the first, is
that their pictures are Murillos instead
of Kensetts, and their horses 90 q mile
IN twenty seconds less than their pre-
decessors, and instead Of one country
seat they have three. I 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 be-
fore the failure. and in many of the
cases failure Is only q stratagem to es-
cape the payment Of honest debts and
put the world off the track while they
practice large swndle. There is
something woefuly wrong in the fact
that these things are possible.
First of all, charge the blame on
careless,
INDIFFERENT BANK DIRECTORS
and boards having in charge great fin
ancial Institutions It ought not to he
possible for a president or cashier or
prominent officer Of d banking institu-
tion to swindle it year after Year with
out detection. will undertake to say
that If these frauds are carried on for
two or three years without detection,
either the directors are partners in the
infamy and pocketed part Of the theft,
or they are guilty Of a culpable, neglect
OF duty, for which God will hold them
as responsible as He holds the acknow-
ledged 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 published al
rectors, are doing nothing for the safe
ty Of the institution? 1t is a case Of
deception most reprehensible.
Many people with surplus of money
not needed for immediate use, although
1t may be little further on indespensa-
bic, are without friends competent to
advise them, and they are guided solely
by the character of tho men whose
names are associated with the institu-
tion. When the crash came, and with
the overthrow 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 inquiry Of the frenzied
depositors and stockholders who had
lost their all, and to the arraignment of
an indignant public, had nothing to
say except: "We thought it was all
right. We did not know there was any
thing wrong going on.'' 1t was
mr., Y>ryy,xy r,r