Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-24
A RICH MANS MONEY.
Light On the Question Of What Is the
Best Use to Put 1t To.
ISAIAH's OPINION ABOUT 1T.
There Will Be No Trouble When Men Ar
Valued More Than Gold.
MR.. CARNEGIES GOSPEL OF WEALTH
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATcH.1

M1es OdIsNGulHO UVDI ELI VI U1hAAh
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATCH.]
Here is the text of the sermon. 1t is
written in the thirteenth chapter of the
Book of Isaiah, in the twelfth verse: 'T
will make man more precious than fine
gold even man than the golden wedge of
Ophir'
That is written in the pages of Isaiah's s
book, but Isaiah never said it. The scholars
who translated that chapter in the year 1911
thought that that was what Isaiah said. But
the scholars who translated it over again in
the year 1884 say that what Isaiah really
wrote was this: 'I will make man more
rare than fine gold.
The preacher was promising day Of
trouble for great Babylon. "Behold," !" he
cried, "the day of the Lord cometh, cruel
both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay
the land desolate." And then he came to
the very abyss and extremity of their DESC
lation. Bad enough to have the land shorn
of its harvests, and all the standing grain
trampled under the feet of war horses; bad
enough to have the consuming fire lay hold
upon their houses; bad enough to see pride
turned into shame, and wealth into poverty,
and power into captivity. All that was bad
enough. But thus far hope was left, for men
were left. "Leave us men and we may
live. Leave us men, and you may do your
worst; the day will pass and tomorrow we
will repair the damages, and begin over
again, and get our revenge upon you
yet" But there shall be no men. The
widows and the fatherless children shall
search about the ruined streets, and a man
shall be as rare sight as purse of gold.
II will make man more rare than fne
gold, even man than the golden wedge Of
ophir." That was what Isaiah said.
Men Shall Love Their Brothers.
ST will make a man more precious than
fine gold" will so bring it about in the
hearts of men that q man shall be of more
value than bar of gold. will make men
love their brother men more than they love
their money. Isaiah never said that; but
God said it, and says it still This is SEN
tence out of the Word of God. Isaiah said
great many things in his day, and is dead.
But God is not dead. And God says this
to-day. In the Bible, or out of the Bible,
with all the truth of God Almighty.
On one side, man; ON the other side,
bar of gold. On one side, man; on the
other side, herd of swine. That, you re-
member, was at Gadara, beyond the Lake
of Galilee. Christ had healed poor man
there who had whole legion. Of devils in
possession of him, and, somehow, that heal
ing had involved the loss of large herd of
swine. Down they had rushed over steep
place into the sea, and that was the end of the
swine but it was the beginning of the man.
And then the owners. came. And when they
came they altogether overlooked the man.
They paid no. heed to this, their brother,
clothed and in his proper mind-made all
over new Their eyes were asearch for
swine. They had lost 1000 head of swine!
And they requested Jesus to depart out of
their coasts as speedily as possible.
Twill make man more precious than a
herd of swine, or than purse of gold, or
than the golden wedge of Ophir. There is
no question as to Christ's comparative valu-
alton of man and money. Men were not
for money, in His estimation, but money
for men.
The Recent Discussion of Money.
There is an interesting discussion going
on Just now as to the best uses of money
Mr.. Carnegie began it; Mr. Gladstone and
Cardinal Manning and Cardinal Gibbons have
L
Potter are the latest speakers. How to per-
way, and what precisely is the right way OF
spending money, are the main points under
consideration.
Don't you see how the text touches the
heart of that whole matter? saying to the
rich man, Your brother is more precious
than your bank account. Isn't it plain that
if man once gets that well into his heart
there need be no further fear about that
man? Henceforth his supreme interest is
in the men about him. Perhaps he has
great army of them in his mill, or regi-
ment of them in his store, or a company of
them in his Office. He wants to help those
men. He will spend his money. There is
no need to persuade man to spend money
for that which interests him. And he will
spend his money well. A man who is inter
ested is going to advance his interests. You
may trust him for that. This man can't
help spending his money. Spend it? Why,
he will spend it just as he eats his dinner.
The purpose of a dinner is to be eaten, and
the purpose of money is to be spent. He
will spend his money, and spend it in the
right way.
The text sets the emphasis not on the
money, but on men. And that Is Christian
The Good but Rich Young Man.
Remember how there came to Him that
rich young man, that good young man.
Good? He was an example for church men,
bers. All the commandments had he kept
from his youth up An estimable young
man, always at church, always we1l-con-
Quoted. What lacked he yet? AT once
Christ tested him. What did he think of
money and of men? On the one side money,
on the other side men. Come now, which
do you care for most, in which are you
really interested most? Take your money
and 60 spend it in helping men. But you
know that the young man did not do that
He made the great refusal. He went home
and added up his bank account. His fine
gold was more precious than man.
What we all need, whether we have great
possessions or small possessions, is to be in
terested in men. The part of a Christian
man or Christian woman in this town and
in this month of Nav, 1891, is to set about
making somebody's life better L believe
that preaching does some good Somebody
has compared it to dashing a lot of water
over q collection of narrow-necked vessels
a drop or two gets in. But 1 know that the
most good is done when the preacher goes
down out of the pulpit and talks quietly
and privately and personally to one man or
one woman. 1 believe, too, that some good
is done by the general distribution of char
ity, by putting money in church aims ba-
sins, and writing figures in subscription
lists. But 1 know the best good is got at
when one helps one; when man goes to his
neighbor and gets acquainted with him, and
becomes his personal friend, and sympa-
thizcs with him, and uplifts him. You
won't have to go far to find somebody who
is worse off than you are. Take that some
body up. Interest yourself in that unhappy