The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-05-17
THE CRIME OF USURY.

Ol ScFtuOuS Ou III j aIllC-ttS NiIuSc
and Cure preached sermon on
'rhe Primal Cause of the Panic"
Following IS the sermon in full.
The texts were from Ezekiel 1222
and 7-19 in connection with Jermiah
I'LL.
Thou hast taken usury and in
crease, and thou hast greedily gained
Of thy nclghbors by extoition and
has forgotten me, saith the Lord
God"
''As the partridge sitting on eggs
and hatcheth them not, so he that
gettctl riches and not by right shall
leave them in the midst of his days
and at the end shall be a focl'
They shall cast their silver into
the streets, and their gold shall he
removed; their silver and their gold
shall not be able to deliver them in
the day Of the wrath Of the Lord
The temptation of the enormous
ly itch to use the well nigh resistless
power of their riches to increase them
still further by wrong and oppression
is something appalling.
1t is hard for Il rich man to enter
into the kindom of God.
He is not condemned to hell by the
fact of his riches, but If he ever gets
to hcave:, It will be by the skin OF
his teeth.
Jesus Christ says it is easier for :
camel to 60 through the eye of the
needle than for rich man to enter
Tie does not say that 4 rich man can
not enter. lie does say that is it harder
for him to be 4 true man than for hi:
poorer brother.
| The only picture Of hell Jesus
| Christ ever drew was the hell of th'
rich man.
The present panic is Il possibilit,
because Of the selfish fear that OF
occasions will dominate and STAN
pedc Il nation. 1t is q groundlcss
ignublc fear and reduces men to tin
level of the animal herd.
The stamped is the immcdiat
cause of rum People are brutal
and uselcssly and senselessly tramp
| led to death. The moment you ca
t:llay this sensless fear and restor
reason the danger is practicall
over. While fear and the bases
seltishness are the immediate case
of panic they are never is prima
cause.
KNAVE OR FOOL.
| a panic always has Il first cause
Some knavc or fool must raise tn
crv of fire before the stampede
possible. A fool causes a panic fC
the lack of sense, 4 knave bee aus
he has All end to serve--generalI
that end is to pick the pockets Of til
herd as they trample on one auothe
Was the primal cause Of the prcsen
paul: folly or rascality?
The man or men who started it
fool or knave? 1t seems to me
perfectly patent fact that the prcsel
panic was produced primarily by
conspiracy of the great money husl
ers Of the worlds financial centcrs.
First - All the accompanyin
phenomena tends to establish th
fact.
1t certainly was the product {
arti;ice not nature. There ";
nothing natural about it. 1t was pr,
duced in the face of natures laude:
protest.
The fertile portion Of the earth
surface is estimated hy geographic;
experts at 2s,269,3oo square mile
Sun and cloud, dew and wind an
rain never kissed the fair face of tt
earth with more passionate love tha
in this present year Of our Lor
There is no war, no famine, no pc
thence to speak OF. Our fields a
, heavy with grain. Our harms gro;
with plenty In the midst of tn
real prosperity suddenly strikes fina
c;al ruin!
TRICKS AND CHiNEANERY.
We had not lost one dollar OF ii
r,al xyaalth nf the nation Va 81