Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-03-23
DREAMS AND REALITIES.
Do Not Dream That the National Uni
Co. IL a PhlLsnthropic Society.


Do Not Dream That the National Union
Co is a PhIL,nthropic Society.
Last night in meditation wrapt." :"
my memory wandered back to the days
OF my childhood and the tight little
sic" whereon | was born-Old En-
gland Amid other memories that
flooded my mind was that of a somber
and stately looking building bearing
the sign or legend in bas relief, Royal
Ph1lanthropic society" And then 1
thought of the fearful misery and
want wretchedness and despair exist
ing In the capital city of the world, al
though surrounded upon all sides with
scenes of inconceivable opulence and
luxurious wealth. And l thought of
the grand and noble work being
wrought by the members of the Phil
anthropic society. who freely give of
their substance and time In an effort
to alleviate the sufferings of the poor
and smooth the path of poverty stricken
humanity. And then. in dreams of
agony, | wondered how long a long
suffering God would permit the opu-
lent few to live in luxury and idleness
upon the gains extracted from the
bloody sweat and drudging toll of the
many, and why it was that He allowed
the daughters of fortune to wear deli
cately wrought garments, in which
every stitch is tear, and of which the
price is the dishonor and degradation
of their less favored 'daugh-
ters of the Heavenly King"
And then | saw, in words of fire:
"Oh, jerusalem! Jerusalem! thou t1at
killest the prophets and stonest them
that are sent unto thee. How often
would have gathered thy children to-
gether, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and We
would not" Aud II wonder if the
church of the living God' was not
fully as obdurate and obstinate in these
days As in those days when Christ de-
clared that they had made void the
word of God with their traditions And
then thought of the meek and lowly
Jesus, the carpenters son, and con-
trasted His life and teachings with the
pomp and vanity, arrogance and selfish
ness of aristocracy (?) in Gods church,
and the utter contempt in which
they held carpenters sons, or,
indeed, those who followed any
other laboriHus calling. And 1
remember that now, as then.
the church (Jerusalem) wrested the
word of God to their own destruction.
and used the gospel of q common
brotherhood to justify usury, specula-
ton, extortion. malice and all manner
OF uncharitableness. And l saw, in
vision, the grand procession Of prophets
and teachers, killed and stoned, reviled
and cursed, ridiculed and made sport
Of But this dark picture was relieved
ny CLINT of light in which 1 read that
the cranks of one generation were
generally worshiped as saints by the
generation following. And then saw
an innumerable coDcourse whose per-
sonages seemed to be of high and
inighty mien. But, oh! the agony and
Despair, remorse and disappointment
2iScernible on their features And /
sss-ccived that thew were the great
statesmen and prominent politicians of
he past, political economists and
college professors, law givers and
mighty men And a scroll appea ared
bearing the legend, "Woe unto you,
slso lawyers, for ye lade inch with
burdens grievous to be borne, and We
yourselves touch not the burdens with
one of your own fingers Ye have
taken away the key of KNOWLEDGE; We
entered not in yourselves, and them
that were entering in We hindered. :"
And ] was glad in my heart because of
the fact that ''things were evened up"
in the clear judgment of the future
when the mists have cleared away."
And then again | felt sorry from the
fact that the priests, prelates and lay
men, philosophers, princes and
potentates, statesmen. fnauciers, and
office holders, lawyers, politicians and
professors, all, or nearly all, upheld
the righteousness of private owner
ship of Gods gracious gift and mans
common heritage, the earth, VI hi G
the extol and fortify financial system
which forces the great mass of human
ity to toll and slave from birth to
death to pay the interest upon five
times as much as there is in existence
of useless metals wrought into legal
shaclles called money.
And then my thoughts reverted to
the Philanthropic society, and I said.
Here is a chance to perpetuafe the
name on this side of the Atlantic ;,
And thought of the five noble Inen of
New York incorporated under the
laws of New Jersey, and their disio-
terested assistants and helpers, the
various state alliance exchanges and
state agents, who propose to put upon
foot grand and pnilanthropie plan to
give to the American farmer goods at
first cost and expense of handling.
And when l remem bered that more
than $4,000 business enterpriseA whole
sale and retail, failed during the wear
1891, while almost $50 business rep
and firms went t. the wall in the first
week OF this year 1892 gloried in the
philanthropic spirit displayed by these
noble men, that they should risk their
fortunes in an eff >rt to aid the farmer
and proposed to change the name of
this aggregation of disinterested phil.
anthropy from tho National Union Co
to the National Philanthropic society.
And then "a change came DER the
spirit of my dreams" The whole at
nosphere seemed t. become fll I'd with
an inconceivable number of rnats or
mosquitoes. which tormented me very
grievously and distracted my thoughts.
Observing these flying pests intently l
noticed that they all seemed to bear
some sign or hieroglyphic. Catching
one of them and examining it ol1sely |
found the legend to be ''eight per cent"
About this time the tiny little insects
hid entirely from view the legend Ma
tional Philanthropic Society" and in
its stead appeared the words an tional
Mercantile Trust" At tho same time
a messenger appeared who said: This
vast trust organized with s21, COZ, 900
capital has SO formulated its prospe tus
as to guarantee eight per cent upon its
capital stock" And then awo.1e and
knew that had simply been troubled
with dreams, as q result of too hearty
q supper and perusal of the Advocate
just before going to bed.