Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-11-24
THE RAGE FOR GOLD.
DR.. TALMAeE FINDS MANY LESSONS
IN AARoN's GOLDEN CALF.

The Israelites Suffered bat for Short
Tinae, bat Millions Have Suffered Since
and kInIons Are Suffering Now by
Their Nad Worship of Geld.
BROOKLYN, Nov. l3.-The subject Of dis
course chosen by Rev. DIR. TalmRgO for his
first sermon after the national election was
one peculiarly appropriate to the money
making spirit Of the times. 1t was "Ths
Golden Calf" the text selected being Exc
dus xxi, 20, "And he took the calf which
they had made and burnt it in the Gre, and
ground IL to powder and strewed 1t upon
the water and made the children Of Israel
drink OF it."
People will have god of some kind, and
they prefer one of their own making. Here
come the Israelites, breaking OF their
golden earrings, the men as well as thewo-
men, for in those times there were mascu-
line as well as feminine decorations. Where
did they get these beautiful gold earrings,
coming up as they did from the deserti
Oh, they borrowed" them from the Egyp-
tians when they left Egypt. These ear
rings are piled up into pyramid Of gilt
tering beauty. ANY more earrings to
bringf" says Aaron. None. Fire is kin
died, the earrings are melted and poured
into a mold, not Of an eagle or a war
charger, but of calf; the gold cools of,
the mold is taken away, and the idol is set
upon its four legs.
An altar is built in front of the shining
calf. Then the people throw up their arms
and gyrate and shrek and dance nightly
and worship Moses has been six weeks
on Mount Sinai, and he comes back and
hears the bowling and sees the dancing of
these golden calf fanatics, and he loses his
patience and he takes the two plates OF
stone on which were written the Ten Com
mandments and filings them so hard against
a rock that they split all to pieces. When
a man gets mad he is very apt to break all
the Ten Commandments.
| Moses rushes in, and he takes this calf
god and throws 1t into hot fire until it is
melted all out Of shape, and then pulverizes
it-not by the modern appliance of nitro
muriatic acid, but by the ancient appliance
of inter, or by the old fashioned file. He
makes for the people most nauseating
draft. He takes this pulverized golden
calf and throws it in the only brook which
is accessible, and the people are compelled
to drink Of that brook or not drink at all.
But they did not drink all the glittering
stuff thrown on the surface. Some of it
flows on down the surface of the brook
to ths river, and then flows on down the
river to the sea, and the sea takes it
up and bears it to the mouth of all
the rivers, and when the tides set back
the remains of this golden calf are car
ried up into the Hudson, and the East
river, and the Thames, and the Clyde, and
the Tiber, and men go out and they skim
the glittering surface, and they bring it
ashore, and they make another golden calf,
and California and Australia break of
their golden earrings to augment the pile,
and in the fires of financial excitement and
struggle all these things are melted to-
gether, and while we stand looking and
wondering what will come of it, lol we
find that the golden calf of Israelitish wor-
ship has become the golden calf of Eu-
Iropean and American worship.
THE MODERN IDoLATRY.
shall describe to you the god spoken Of
in the text, his temple, his altar of sacri-
fee, the music that is made in his temple,
and then the final breaking up of the
whole congregation Of idolaters.
Put aside this curtain, and you see the
golden calf Of modern idolatry. 1t is not
like other idols, made out of stocks or
stones, but 1t has an ear SO sensitive that
it can hear the whispers on Wall street
and Third street and State street, and
the footballs in the bank of England, and
the futter of Frenchman's heart on
the Bourse. 1t has an eye SO keen that it
can see the rust on the farm of Michigan
wheat, and the insect in the Maryland
peach orchard, and the trampled grain
under the hoof of the Russian war
charger.
It is SO mighty that it swings any way 1t
will the worlds shipping. 1t has its foot
on all the merchantmen and the steamers.
It started the American civil war, and un-
der God stopped it, and it decided the
Turko-Russian contest. One broker in
September, 1869, in New York, shouted,
"One hundred and sixty for millionp'
and the whole continent shivered. This
golden calf of the text has its right front
foot in New York, its left front foot in Chi
cago, its right back foot in Charleston, it's
it shakes itself it shakes the world. Oh,
this is mighty god-the golden calf of the
worlds worshipl
; But every god must have its temple,
and this golden calf of the text is no ex.
ception. Its temple is vaster than St.
Paul's Of the English, and st. Peters Of
the Italians, and the Alhambra of the
Spaniards, and the Parthenon of the
Greeks, and the Tai Mahal of the Hin.
docs, and all the other cathedrals put to
gether. Its pillars are grooved and futed
with gold, and its ribbed arches are hover.
ing gold, and its chandeliers are descend
ing gold, and It's floors are tessellated gold
and its vaults are crowded heaps of gold
and it's spires and domes are soaring gold
and its organ pipes are resounding gold
; and its pedals are tramping gold, and its
stops pulled out are flashing gold, while
standing at the head of the temple, as the
: presiding deity. are the hoofs and shoul
ders and eyes and ears and nostrils of the
calf Of gold.
THE CRUELTY OF AvARIcE.
Further, every god must have not only
its temple, but its altar of sacrifice, and
this golden calf of the text is no exception
Its altar is not made out of stone, as Other
altars, but out of counting room desks anG
flreproof safes, and it is broad, long, 6
high altar. The victims sacrificed on it arr
} innumerabls. What does this god cars
, about the groans and struggles of the vic
Tins before It'll With cold, metallic eye II
. looks on and yet let's them suffer- Oh
heaven and earth, what an altar Wha
sacrifice of body. mind and soul! Th'
physical health of great multitude il
} flung on this sacrifcial altar They can
not sleep, and they take chloral and NOR
phine and intoxicants.
Some Of them struggle in nightmar,
Of stocks, and at one o'clock in the morning
suddenly rise up shouting, "a Thousand
shares Of railroad stock-one hundred ant
eight and half; take itr' until the Who'll,
family is affrighted, and the speculation
fall back on their pillows and sleep unit