The Portland daily press., 1896-04-15
REV. NORWOOD EXPLAINS.
Defends His Position Taken at the Metho-
dist Conference at Auburn.

South Portland, April If.
10 the Editor of the PRESS:
My attention has been called to your
editorial in this mornings PRESS en-
Titled "The Methodists and Brewers" In
which you refer to certain brother, !"
| who was way off in his ethics" when
he made some declarations referred to in
your paper. No newspaper has reported
the statement with which the brother be-
gan his startling speech. An "ethio" is
Alright when his position is Endorsed. AS
| chance to be that "brother, take the
liberty, by your permission, of making
my defence from the standpoint hold,
as widely disseminated as your editorial.
began that speech by stating my in
terest in tho institution in question
While student there spent four years
In the family of the man who more than
any other, perhaps, has made the school
what it is. And / know that the we'll
meant resolution of pious man or of %
body of piOus men does not go as far in
setullng the honest demands Of business
men against the school as the cold, hard
cash OF the Eaen who may have no piety
at all. have entered into sympathy
with the men who bear the responsible
ties of that school. did not say word
about the appointee to trusteeship. That
was question with which our conference
has no business legally, and was not In
my thoughts. If | read the scriptures
right the silver and the gold is the Lords
Il. Kings, 20.3) the power to get wealth
is from God (Deut. s, 1877 the cattle on
the hills are Gods and all beasts of the
forests FPS. SO, p. The possessions of
kind are Gods possessions by absolute
right. and their abuse by those classes
does not change their ownership, it may
defile it. AS a Methodist minister l look
on the man who is sinner, not as The
DEVILS property, but rs Gods own
possession, with his own image and
superscription upon it, used or controlled
by mans arch enemy. Am I of my
ethics? | look on wealth in the same
way. 1t is as much the duty of Christian
men and of Christian institutions, II they
can honorably possess the unjust gains Of
wicked mon, to disabuse 1T by using it
for some public good as it is to rescue a
poor victim from the clutches of Satan,
and by Christian sympathy and assist
anoe and the grace of God attempt to
make good citizens of him. IL may be
bad ethics but it is Bible ethics, and
there I stand though stand alone. 1t is
impossible for large accommodations
from million sources, even by a persis-
tent robber to be restored to The persons
from whence they came, hence if Gods
possessions, squandered by million and
accumulated by one are even used as
they ought to be used it will be according
to the ethics Of Proverbs % and s.: "He
that by usury and unjust gain increaseth
his substance, he shall gather it for him
that will pity the poor" The penitent
bank thief might restore his unjust gain
| to the bank, and the bank to the deposit
tor, but the money gotten in the way
justly restored. The question is, what
ought to be done with it? Scatter it
among bad persons for bad purposes, a a
an lncaloulable amount of harm is
wrought. We face conditions not their
causes; we have to do with stubborn con-
ditions and not the forces thar brought
them about. Good ethics suggests to me
that a noble use made of every i'll 40
quired gain that can never be restored to
the poor from whence they came is a
much wiser thing from any standpoint,
political. ethical. or spiritual than any
other disposition of them whatever. An
educational institution of high grade
and excellent promise receiving such
funds seems to me the best way imagln-
able to turn curse into a blessing. II it
is bad ethics to try and regain for God
the men and means which have been,
alas, too long under the dominion
of evil purposes then I must subscribe
myself as one who is not only "way off
on his ethics" but intends so to remain
With my present view of Gods world and
Gods word I can do no other way. AL
though Methodist in my ancestry from
the origin of Methodism it never dawned
upon me before that it was wicked
thing to advocate the redemption of this
abused old world or any part of it for the
welfare of my fellows anu for the honor
of the Christ whose / am and whom /
endeavor faithfully and enthusiastically
to serve. This WAS my position, Mr.
Editor l cannot consistently take an
other until the passages have referred to
are expunged from Gods word and oblit-
Grated from my mind.
Respectfully yours,
VIM. WOOD.