The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-05-02
Hard Times.

are suffering tor bread, and the rich
are sorely distressed because they
are not getting richer as fast as they
would LIKE. Everybody is specula-
ting about the cause of all this de-
preston and consequent misery.
Meanwhile it seems to us that not
many of us are willing te see the
real troubles that bring about such
conditions or learn from them the
lessons God would teach us.
The misery comes of our intense
materialism. We are worshipers Of
Mammon. We estimate the value of
everything in coin. "What is John
Smith WORTH" means "How many
stocks, mortgages and title deeds
does he hold!" If the figures foot
up a good round sum, he is a sue
cessful and highly esteemed citizen,
even if his character and business
methods will not bear close inspec-
ton. A successful man among US
is shrewd money-getter; all oshers
are pitied or despised as unfortu-
mates or failures. The leading desire
and purpose of almost every ambi-
tious young man is to get rich. It
seems to him the only thing to do
that is really worth while. Being q
man is a secondary consideration, If
it is a consideration at all. Our pub
lie speakers tell us of the vast wealth
and the immense material progress
of this 'tgrandest and most glorious
nation in all the world"
The fact is, however, that it yet re-
mains to be determined whether we
are to turn this machinery and ma
terial development into a blessing or
curse; whether we are going to use
these new resources to bring within
the reach Of millions larger freedom
and opportunity, or turn them into
new instruments of oppression, with
the result which Mathew Arnold had
already discovered in England before
his death, slower classes beastial-
lied, upper classes materialized."
What is the use of all these things
if they do not help to fill the earth
with pure, noble type of manhood
God intended the world, with all its
manifold resources, to produce men;
and other things are valuable only as
they contribute to this end. If our
labor-saving machinery does not
bring to the toiling millions more
leisure and opportunity for personal
development, it might as well not be.
If it is used by the shrewd and the
strong for reducing the masses to q
state of servile dependence and heap
ing up immense private fortunes,
then it is positive curse. It is
time we had quit Boosting about our
material resources, until we learn to
make wiser use of them. Nations
can get along without steam engines,
palace cars and millionaires; but they
die when manhood fails.
Let US frankly own that we have
held up this material ideal until our
people are mad with avarice. Men
must have money at any cost. Goa
ded by this craze for wealth, we are
fast becoming nation Of gamblers.
We have doomed our real estate, in
flated our stocks, and gambled on
our produce until all values are de-
ranged and public confidence, the
very foundation of healthful bust
ness, is well nigh gone. Competi-
ton is SO sharp that business is
downright warfare, often of the most
cruel and dishonorable kind. Op-
preston is almost necessary to sue
cess, and many Of our large transac-
tions are but legalized robbery.
God means to teach US by such
disasters as we are suffering, that
material things have only relative