The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-09-12
SELPISHNESS AND POLITICS.

Rev. 7. B. GREGORY, pastor of the
Universalist Church of the Redeemer,
Warren avenue and Robey street,
preached last Sunday morning on "a
Forgotten Phase of the Money Cues
tion," and presented some striking
thoughts on the present condition
of the country from a non partisan
standpoint. Among other things he
declared that the present hard times
are the result of selfishness rather
than the product of legislation, and
that the people of this country were
becoming superlatively mercenary
and giasping, and instanced the sue
cessful monopolies of the day and
increase of wealth in $4,000 families
to the extent of one half of the riches
of the country, while 100000 Of
people owned the other half.
"Politics" he remarked, sis not a
new institution. Greece and Rome
were once mighty nations; Athens
had an abundance of politics, and in
the eternal city on the banks of the
Tiber, politicians disputed and
wrangled with all the acrimony and
vehemence of the present day, but
they have passed away now, not only
the politics, but the nations, and
only a memory is left to mark their
course. Where politics once reigned
in Rome the owl boots and the wild
dog barks. You may be. sure that
our present politics is no more certain
and stable; it may seem very real to
us; it may seem very real to the men
who are running for office, but by
and by it will pass away like a sum-
mer cloud; but Christ is eternal. Ma
tions and politics come and go, but
Christ survives them all.
1--WE speak of the hard times. The
liquor bill of this country is ST. ,OOO,-
100000, as much as we pay for bread.
The amount of money spent for
liquor annually in this country is in
conceivable. Are we living right7
Have We the right spirit' My judg-
ment is that the real trouble with us
tod 4y is that we lack the spirit OF
Christ. The spirit of Christ makes
us live and let live. 1t is the spirit
of brotherliness which manifests it
self in the greatest good to the great
est number and good to everybody
when possible"
Again the speaker declared selfish
ness to be at the bottom of all our
money troubles. Politics has nothing
to do with it.
"What is the trouble7 Selfshness.
IL it were not for the intense spirit of
selfishness in this country it would
make very little difference what adj
ministration was in CONTROL. The
remedy lies not in gold or SILVER, pro-
lection or free trade, but in the spirit
of Christ. We need in this country
a great revival of true religion-not
a revival of sectionalism or ritualism,
but religion, the love of man for man
and mar to God. We need a new
conceptions of life and the softening
up of petuifed hearts and hardened
souls. We are on the wrong track.
We are the busiest people on earth,
but what are we busy about? That is
frank question. We call ourselves
hustlers. What are we hustling af-
ter? Money, money, money! We are
too mercenary. For money we live
and move and have our being. For
money we sell our sons and daugh-
tiers, our honor, our manhood and
womanhood."
The speaker closed as follows:
81 am proud Of our telegraphs and
telephones, our railways, our high
bridges, grand boulevards and brown
stone fronts, but these things are
wretched substitutes for loving hearts
and enlightened souls. What we
need more than any theological
scheme is the stimulus of lofty
ideal, the ozone of great inspire
ton. The man. who sells his vote
lacks the power of a great idea. We
need to feel that we are sons and
daughters of great king and that
something royal is expected of US.
We need to look upon the Narcissus
of life and cease to crafty our pride
and foolish passions. We need char-
acter to make life tolerable and worth
the living"