The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-09-21
CAUSE OF THE PANIC.
REV THOS. DIXON'S ANALY-
SIS OF THE BUSINESS DE-
PRESTON.

REV. THOS. DlAON = ANAL
SIS OF THE BUSINESS DE-
PRESTON.
He Opens His Fall Work on the
Immediate Cause Of the Hard
Times and Shows the Absurdity
Of the Scare---Faith In the Ma
ton.
Having concluded the summer series
OF sermons on the" The Money Problem,
Rev. ThOs Dixon, Jr., OF New Ork, has
begun series OF morning sermons at
Association Hall on "The Panic-lts
Causes and Cure These sermons we
are sure will prove as entertaining ana
instructive as the first ones, being OF a
kindred nature. In the following sermon
Mr.. DIXON discusses the Immediate
Cause" of the panic, giving many points
toshow the utter ab5urdlty OF the present
scare. The text chosen was from Mat
thew XIV, %, And was afraid and
went and hid thy talent.
1t is Il pitiable sight-a strong man
stricken with fear. The husky breath,
the tottering knees and weak cry place
man, the king, in 81 sorry plight before
Int ulllIlIdIS tildU IlluSl Iooh VII WIN ~
smile. Fear is an ignoble passion.
1t never lifts up. 1t always degrades.
To see IL whole community, a whole ma
ton, quake with pusilanimOus fear in
the hour OF national prosperity is sight
as much more ignoble as the nation Is
greater than the man.
But the ignOmny Of panic IS the
smaller part of its disgrace. 1t is the
hour in which the brute asserts itself.
Man at once returns to the original herd
principle He becomes an animal pure
and simple.
4 great theatre building was packed
one night with people. i TOOL raised the
cry of fire 1t was a false alarm. There
was no fire. There was no danger OF
fire. There was not even the smell OF
fire about the building.
But panic ensued That is to say,
rational men and women suddenly went
mad with animal fear. Strong men
knocked weak women down and tram
pied them to death Shrieks, groans aad
curses, like the growl and snarl and howl
of q cage of enraged apes, rent the air.
Great broad shOudered brutes lcaped
upon the heads and shoulders OF the
surging mob and crawled and fJu"ht
their way to the pavement. One wretch
drew his knife and cut his way through
the struggling mass of men, women and
children. Hell reigned supreme.
Panic had reduced all to the level OF
the brute, and with his superior ntr'Ii-
gence man outdid the brute, for to his
claws he added the Use OF steel.
A sorry spectacle for humanity, And
yet this is precisely the case in our
panic in the business world. That
scene in the theater is just as sane, Just
as humane as the scene III the world :
exchanges in the hour of Il money panic.
4 hundred such theater panics are as
nothing in their results as compared
with one week of commercial ruin. Let
a Christian nation understand it.
A panic is relapse TO bdrbdrism. Ii IS more
II is relapse to the forrest clements of barbara
life.
COWARDICE.
First-It is the yielding to cowardice
Man was created king.
Man is savage in proportion to the
dominion of fear over him.
The savage fears everything and every
body. His condition is one of pure ag-
Mysticism.
He does not know. He does not know
anything. Hence he fears everything.
Some people are proud of agnosticism
They spell it with big 4 and bow down
and worship at its altar. We are just
now afflicted commercially with pure
agnOsticism. Let our agnostic friends
take note. The simple trouble with
every man is, he says he don't know. 1t
is a case of 81 don't know" What is
the matter he don't know What he is
afraid of he don't know. Ii pure aGnos
ticism ruled the world, we would be in
hell already.
1t is the hour of the coward.
No coward can inherit the kingdom
either the kingdom of heaven or earth.
The children of Israel went over tC
spy out the promised land. They brought
back marvellous reports of its beauty
They said it flowed with milk and honey
They described its luscious fruits anC
bore back on their shoulders marvellous
specimens from its vineyards But the
spies declared that the land was inhabited
by giants. They were fond of grapes
and mix and honey, but if there was 90
ing to be fight they preferred onions
and garlic plain. And they cried for on
ions. They said they were grasshoppers
compared to men who owned these mag
niticent vineyards. And they were. They
were afraid. They were stricken with 6
panic. And the only use God could fine
of them was to use their bones to fertilizt
the soil OF the wilderness while he raised
up q new generatin of men who knew not
fear.
Banks boast of their high use to tn,
community-and vet in this hour OF ;
riOtous need they have been the first te
sneak under cover.
With pusillanimous whine Ofself preser
walton, they have been among the frs
to crawl into their vaults and tell theil
patrons and creators to look out for them
selves.
FARMER AND HIS CORN.
On the eastern shore of Virginia Their
stands to-day one of the few beautiful
old homesteads OF the past. It's fences
are IN repair. Its beautiful lawn, shaded
by magnificent trees, is in perfect order
1t bears still the name given by it's foun
der. Its broad acres remain intact il
the hands OF the same family to-day thai
held 1T In the past century. The neigh
bors are proud of its name and beauty
and they love to tell the story of it,
founder. They say he was man O
noted character in his day. On Ger
tain year there was a great famine in thu
whole country. Corn sold at So and s
bushel and was difficult to get at tina
price. The great barns of this farm
groaned beneath the burden of an unu
sually large crop from the previous
year.
What did the owner of these grea
barns and broad acres do in this crisi
OF the people? Did he put his men t.
work, dig vaults, hide his grain and thel
stand at the gate with sad smile an,
swear by heaven and earth that he didn
have nubbin? No! He placed his mel
at the doors OF his barns with this in
struction: III a rich man comes TO bu,
my corn with money, do not sell him ;
grain, no motter what price he may offer
When poor man comes who has NJ
money, let him have as much as he need
at last years price and take his promis,
to payr'