Evening journal., 1891-03-09
InAr LITTLs I'm BOX.


COttQ Nnunka OF Nt-Qun ~ hNNr - -
Bairett's sermon.
The Empty Tin Box" was the subject
chosen by Rev. l. E Barrett IN his ser
mon at st. Pauls M +. Church last
night. His text was: after long
time the lord OF these servants cometh
and reckoneJh with them" Matthew
20 10 He said In part: When the
citizens Of Delaware read the news-
papers last week OF the dOings at
the State Capitol they thought IL
was time to pray, aud they asked.
whittier ara we tending and what does
IL meant What Is the matter with our
state tIessurers2' In Mary land one is in
prison and 10 many other states treasur..
ers have suddenly removed their resi-
Cences to Canada Here In Delaware our
late treasurer Is short In his accounts
When he turned over the assets of his
office he handed over the tin box. When
1t was opened by his SUCCESSOR neither the
bank stock and railroad securities were
in IL. The question Of their whereabouts
is as hard TO solve as tie authorship Of
the letters of Junnis or the place of the
ten lost tribes of India. Inquiry has
ELECTED that for twenty years state
treasurers have failed to Investigate the
box Without eXsming It's contents / do
not charge dishonesty. but is poor
laundering and poor politics to take a
TN box without looking iusice.
1t is time the people we're
locking into the d6ings Of their officials
do not mention this case for the pur
pose OF entering into discussion Of the
merits or dement's of the transaction /
leave that for the Legislature and
the newspapers. believe it 70
be the province of the pulpit.
however, to treat public ques-
tiOus and transactions az TO draw from
them important moral lessons. and to
bring the great law Of God to bear upon
the heart and conscience
We are trustees of the talents given
US by God, and we are responsible to him
for our use of them An official is the
peoples trustee. One OF the noblest DO
hhcal sentences sver spoken is A Public
Office is Public Trust. and IL should b.
inscribed over every public Office
in the land. II it's spirit
was observed we would seldom see men
Clothed In q little brief authority,
Cutting such tricks before high heaven
As 70 ma &c the angels weep
God has given us taienfs and il we do
not find them out we are as bad as The
state treasurers who have not looked into
the tin box. The state requires faithful
ness from its officials The treasurer
cannot be faithful n he is
ignorant Of the contents Of the box. IL
shows that the state treasurers did not
have much curiosity when they did rot
investigate the tin box It Is about time
for go en- suffrage Then the contents
OF the box would be known We are
interested In the boX's contents. We are
not told to be successful, bat we are told
TO be faithful In the parable. the two
men used their talents to get other
talents. and sncce sded How can we
expect our state to keep up with the
oth'r states If our officials are not thrifty,
active, wide awake, moral Our state
has a grand history. and It's fair es
cutcheon should not be smirched by in
com petent officials. People have a right
to demand this. They will have their
demand when men Of character, morality
and ability arc elected to Office, when the
saloons shall not control elections AS
long as the saloon. wickedness and
iniquity control our affairs there will be
no change for the better.
The man who hid his one talent away
in the earth was very much like the
state treasurers wonder II they took
their cue from him. Instead Of using his
talent he hid it away. There the analogy
stops, for the man knew where
bis talent was but the treasurers cannot
for the life OF them tell where the securt
ties are. They come to the state and say
Here's the box, ana that is all the state
has The day Of reckoning has come. The
Legislature is investigating the mystery
Of the little tin box Il is hard and
difficult work, but the day of reckoning
has come, and hereafter you viii not
hear so mneh about an empty tin box It
will have good effect Let the light be
turned on with good strong glare. so
that the people may get the satisfaction
which they need "